Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-06-11
Halfa. syria, April 20, 1898.


To the Editor:
Al Beyrout We called on thc United
states consul. Mr.. D,ylc, whom We
found quite a gentleman, being also a
near rrlRiivc OF a prumiusm cS-judgc
In Utah After some preliminary TO-
marks the conversation turned "a the
rights % flrJEusrS In Turkey and 20
the method u protecting u.m from
thr unreasonable ana Infcliaul. courts
nf Justice In Turkey. II ~ probAhly a
little harthly STATED Of q land which
has ~ good laws nu are usually made,
based NJ they are upon religious con-
Htltutinn Ohc Kornnl, and az the same
time bUlug u drap1tlc form OF guv-
crnmont The facts are that ~ sun
jucla perfectly subject 4 Christians arr
safe In the Ottoman domlr'ons, Tor as
such thy viii make NJ special de-
manda. but will Huhmissivcly take JUS
tee ~ II H. motad out whether right or
wrong ami let u 80, not being able 10
teat the matter any further. They are
seldom mulaHtad ia that condition, anu
they often prosper and do we'll, which
can be- shown In the case oi the AZ.
msflnna, who 70 few years hEn h'll
many nno positions and whose poll
lions were seldom refused " within
reason, uH they were trusted By no
Turks. They then enjoyed a species %
home government nearly cqull ~ the
power " u probate Judge IN Utah.
This was held ~ a religious privilege,
N .r marriages ana tho settling up Of
the estates % deceased ArmcnlanH, a
limited peace court ana other matters
pswalulng strictly TO their own people,
Including the icvying of certain taxes.
were prcrpEntiyeH ~ the church nr-
kuoW!edgti By the government Most
OF these thcy retain, but thelr inilu-
,,ne, aud Offices with the government
are gone because " their political mis-
takes. or course other religious sccts
Acknowledged be- the government huld
the same rights. which arc very OK.
tfnslvv, when u II also remembered
that M ChHffian Il required ~ sol
dlor. Tue battles are all Tough, by the
MislsmH. This order % things inHurcs
perfect rrlislous liberation among the
ChfiftianA. ~ long us thty do not at
tempt a. convert the Mchlpmvdans,
They may otherwise preach, convert
and divide up % suit themselves; IN
decd u IL said. that the government
rather encourages division among the
Christians upon rcligi0us matters,
tut INV coming back 30 the rights
of fnrrlgncrH We found them about -:
Turkey has been subjected TO certain
rayaFer by the foreign princes whore
b. she hia lost almost all control ~
Ftaurr, an mall matters ~ Importance
are handled by the foreign powers. II
iH true that Turkey IL In the postal uu-
ion. and that she has a regularly con-
stftuted portal service, but II Is 10
poorly conducted and 50 regardless OF
business that no business can be- done
through IL. i.ettcrA ana papers are
hftfn lost, papers particularly. A. an
evidence W. point out that We have
not yet received paper from home.
Tho Belbachtlr reaches our saints
very lrregullrly, the "Deaerut News
and Blkuben not at ALL We have
thlrefore asked 90 have AN our papers
addressed In care NJ the Austrian mail
10 Uaifa. II this ia done then there
h. some show % our papers reaching
US Money orders aint through the u,
~ lust the same, they have been
known TO be held back by some trltllug
official In some way Tor months ana as
much as a year.
Now this condition. which Is not yet
improved. was met with years ago, ana
the powers doing business here atlpu.
lated with the ottoman government
f1r their own postal strvlC- wherever
thoy chose In the empire. TINS was OF
course done by the n'rlnns Interested
To Increase and facilitate business
Hence in Consnlntinoplc the British,
Russian, French, German, Austrian
and Italian govprnmeIta have All post
offices and delivery syslvm eaeh IN
dependent Of the other, doing an inter
national postal exchange within one
city, under foreign government II
this n0t curious anlir3 smyrt,
and Boyrout the same, AZ
Heyrout the foreign posiolhecs AZ
all In one building, all nelshpoTs' 'he