The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-12-11
Cireulation stalement.
The cramp-HamId Convention.

forts Of Mr.. GrIscom- our ChaT=e d AZ
flares, on the spot. under instructions
from the State Department
Nothing e1actIy like this Cramp-Hanlid
convention has ever before appeared
the diplomatic history Of the country.
As it is likely 10 form Preceden. in
the practice of the Government fsr tae
next four years, il is well that the p-ib-
lie should understand and appreciate rs
peculiar Importance as "a NV way &c
pay old debts,'' and its sound business
methods
In 1895 Abdul Hamid Sultan OF Turkey.
suffered from one OF MS periodical At
tacks Of WEAKNESS occasioned by the pres
ence of Christian missions and schools in
Asia Minor. and by the comparative pros
perity Of the unbeIieying Armenians- 1t
is unnecessary 10 say that Eis SulJanic
Majesty resorted to the usual remedies,
and then felt remarkably better. His
pachas and beys, wallis eadis, and 50 On
burned the missions and schools and
butchered an undeterminate number OF
thousands OF AFmeRians. Of the property
destroyed it was estimated that ninety
thousand dollars WORTH had belonged 10
American missionary societies-principai-
" to the Presbyterian Beard Of Foreign
Missions. The sufferers from the loss au-
pealed to their Government, and the Uni
ted States. through Minister Straus. de-
mande6 the amount of the damage from
the sublime Porte. Minister Straus had
an Interview with Abdul HaInid, and then
came home on leave Arrived IN America,
he stated that the Sultan had unequivo-
caHy agreed to pay the sum OF ninety
thousand dollars as demanded The Sui
tan made solemn assertion that he never
did anything OF the kind, and the Turkish
Minister IN Washington swore that StTaus
had insulted MS master, and, on general
principles, was constitutionally incapable
of accuracy IN matters OF fact, and was
also too good judge of horses TO make
them safe in his presence This IS the
form of words prescribed by the text writ
eFs when one dipIonatist desires TO apply
popular epithets to another IN the same
lire OF business.
The situation had besn growing steadily
worse up 10 The time OF the CTamp- Hanid
convention. Our Charge had been persist
entity pushing the American claim. and
getting no satisfaction Then at last a
splendid American warship appeared off
the Ottoman coast. and deeply impressed
the Grand Turk with its power to do or
collect damages It then suddenly dawned
upon abdul Hamid that he was an elderly
naval man himself and needed cruiser
for which he could have no apparent use.
Sc thereupon abandoned his efforts to deal
with Mr.. Hays office. but entered upon
negotiations with another subdivision Of
our executive brsnch-a part CT cur Navy
Depsrtment-known as the Division Of the
Cramps. II the visit Of the Kentucky pro-
daeed fear, the Cramps had already pro-
dueed themselves TO allay it.
After many conferences. it appears that
an agreement was reached between tie
Cramps and the Sultan, with the APPROX
al of the State Department. under the
terms OF which the first named are to
build cruiser for the second party. and
are TO charge him ninety thousand dol
lars for the same, over and above the
contract price. This ninety thousand
dollars, in the improbable event that they
should ever get it, the Cramps are firm
y bound to put in a package and on
some dark night to throw over the back
fence OF the Treasury Department. Mr..
Gage is expected to be on hand to eaten
it as it falls. He is to be properly as
founded and unable TO decide what to do
with the money He will then cover If
in TO the Conscience Fund, and suddenly
remember that there is Just that sum cue
from the Turks to the Presbyterians
Then he will draw his check and the mis-
siOnaTies viii be happy again.
The extreme beauty Of this deep tang1e
Of Little Breaches diplomacy must be cyl
:sAnt to the unglazed eye. The Sultan IFo-
vides himself with ready way to stop
the annoyance Of dunning from Washing
ION, and at the same time puts himself
in g position to declare that he has not
paid and never inteeds te pay the claim
of the impHdent Yankee Gfaours. Eu-
rope viii laugh, or affect TO, at the CramE
story, as weak attempt to cover ever
defeat after the failure of both diplo-
matte ana naval pressure upon the Porte
and the latter viii swear on the Koran
and by the beard OF the Prophet that The
tale is an Arabian Nights dream, dream
ed By that unveracious person, Stratus
II This bit Of comic opera diplomacy is
allowed to go unchallenged, the United
States will deserve all the world ridicule
It is sure to bring upon itself The
amount Of money involved is triling, but
the honor and dignity Of the nation in
ve1ved are matters Of Importance The
Turkish Government acknowledges Itself
indebted to that OF the United States
in the sum of ninety thousand dollars
for property OF the latter's citizens de-
stroyed by the order OF conniyance Of
officers of the former. There is nothing
IN international law or diplomatic prac.
tiee, that We know of, to excuse the
American State Department from de-
handing and insisting upon a direct
liquidation OF the acknowledged claim;
nor anything which could excuse Turke.
IN lodging around its responsibility Ii
make amends to an outraged State. b
covering the payment with 8 private con.
tract. even though made With a conceu
close enough 10 the Administration to be
considered almost 4 part of It Nor il
there any thing IN lac rules or practlc,