Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-09-22
OUR CLAIM AGAINST TURKEY
Former Minister Angel Tells of the Sultan's
Attitude
Little Chance to Get Payment for
OutraGes Except by Il Display
of Force

| President J. B. Angel of the University
| of Michigan. who for more than a year has
| been the United States minister to Turkey
was among the passengers on the Teutonic.
| which reached New York last night.
| IN the course of a conversation with a
| Tribune reporter, while the Teutonic was
| making her way up the bay last night Mr.
| Angel said:
| There Is little new that | can say re-
| garding the situation in Turkey. Perfect
tranquility prevailed while l was there
| and no massacres occurred in Armenia nor
| in the Balkans
| rs 1t true that the United States intends
| to enforce the payment of its claims by
! demonstration of force?' Mr.. Angel was
| asked.
i nave not heard of it, he replied I'VE
| made these claims, as did the other powers
Tor damages inflicted by the Turks upon
our missionaries. The sultan however re-
fuses to recognize these claims and denies
ms responsibility upon a plea that is I'M
satisfactory to the powers and to the
United States. Whether an attempt will
be made to collect these claims by force of
arms or a demonstration is matter for the
government alone to decide. When moral
pressure is brought to bear upon him the
sultan declares that the damages We're the
result of mob riot, and that therefore
ne Is not responsible. Indeed he has actu-
| ''iiS toii tIit european powers that instead
OF making claims against him he is en-
Titled to indemnites from them because
Europeans shot at and killed Turkish SOL
uicrs from their houses. One thing | would
nke TO lay stress on, and that Is that our
claims are different from the E,11ron.sp do
mands. The Europeans suffered their
| losses IN the course of general riots by the
| MOP out our claims for damages rest upon
much stronger basis. The property of
the Americans was destroyed not in a gen
eral riot, but by the soldiers who We're put
TO guard that property and who were con-
sequently the agents of the government I
placed that view before the sultan strong
~, but the answer he gave me was the
same as before, and he refused to make
any speclhc answer to the specific matters
which l laid before him 1t seems to mo
that an armed demonstrate ton is the ONLY
means whereby the Turkish government
for"
What will be the outcome of the Cretan
trouhles?'' Van
"Ah. the powers only wish you could tell
them, he replied, but / observe that the
sultan is yielding to their request Whether
turkey Will lose Crete or not it is mpossi-,
Die to say now, bur if the powers say she
must she will have to relinqush it"
Whiie he was in Turkey Mr.. Angel fire.
quently saw the sultan Describing hin,
he said: ~
The sultan is man of decided ability
possesses great shrewdness and plays his
poncy we'll of pittng the jealousy of one
L
cedes that he is an able man. He is the
governor of his people and the most abso-
lutte despot in the world. 1t is he who
rules. not his cabinet. Since the Greek
war his power over his subjects has in
creased tremendously He is considered by
his people to be the religious head of the
nation as well as the head of the army
The soldiers are all Mahometans and no
one OF any other religion can enter the
army or Turkey excepting foreign officers
especially chosen by the sultan. who is
called Caliph by the people since the war
win greece There will be no religious
war IN turkey while the powers are watch
ing. The sultan has too much cunning TO
precipitate trouble. Turkey can scarcely
be called The Sick Man of EuroDe' after
the impetus given to the country by the
Greek war. 1t Is now possessed of a DOW
e err army fully 100000 well-equipped men
ihey nave been drilled to modern tactics
by German officers, and their weapons are
OF the most improved and modern make
me turkish navy can best be described As;
a tub. The sultan watched the war he
tween Spain and the United States very
closeIy, ana the impression made by our
navy won MS respect and admiration He
often spoke to me about our cannon and
ships, and he may in the near future order
some ships built here. | told him that the
cannon and ships We're all right but he
would have to look to the men behind the
guns SAID this because know the Turk
ISM army, although thoroughly drilled has
but little firing practice because no money
is devoted to that purpose"
Supposlpg that the claims against Tur-
key should be pressed. would its treasury
be able to meet them"
We'll. you see, bankrupt has an advan
tage He can pay nothing and owe the
rest was Mr.. Angels cpigrammatic an.
swer