Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-21
HOW TURKEY TAKES WATER
THE SULTAN ALWAYS POLITELY
BOWS TO A SHOW OF FORCE.
Precedents That Indicate What Will
Follow If the United States
is Determined.

Professor Theodore P. Ion, who is con-
versant with the subject Of claims against
Turkey. conversed with Star reporter
today over the pending dispute between the
Ottoman empire and this country.
THE pending dispute over the American
claims against Turkey he said, accord
ing to the latest accounts seems to have
reached an acute crisis, which should be
taken as a sign of a near solution OF that
question. In fact. no foreign government
has ever settled any question in that coun-
try by mild and polite ways. 1t is a pecu
liar characteristic Of the Ottoman states
men to be always blind in matters whose
course is quite clear, and whose conse-
quences are quite patent to every one ex-
cept to them 1t has always been so, and
it will always continue to be so. as long as
there is a vestige Of an Ottoman state.
Now, these claims, either European or
American, arising out of the. Armenian
masSacres have been discussed over and
over again by the various representatives
of the foreign powers at Constantinople,
the sublime porte screening always itself
behind the contention of 'irresponsibiity,
on account of their so-called local charac
ter. as being the result of the quarrel be-
tween Christians and MusSulmans, Ito use
the Turkish minister's expression The
good ruler of Turkey has been told over
and over that it was useless to plead ire
sponsibility for things which happened I'M
der the very eyes of the foreign ministers
and consuls, either in the capital or in the
far distant provinces. where besides the
massacre of the Armenians, deliberate
destruction Of property was wantonly per-
petrated by the Mussulman mob with the
active assistance of the Turkish ponce and
soldiers.
Not So Simple.
"It is hardly likely" he continued. that
ho TN,yx;ah minister ia inclined TO he
| lieve. any American envoy at the court
Of the sultan would have been 30 simple
| as to accept a promise Of payment Of
| $50, 900 under the condition of the proof of
| the fact that the buildings were maliciously
destroyed by Turkish subjects and as a re-
suit of religious fanaucism which, In re-
ality. would amount to the mere relinquish-
ment of the claims. In the meantime We
| must be consoled with the hope of the sui
tan's envoy in Washington that it Is pos
| sible that Turkey will make some some
reparation either in money or by punish
| ing the offenders, II they can be found As
| to the intention of the sublime porte Of
| Furnishing the offenders if they can be
found it would be better to communicate
that intention to those famous Turkish wo-
men of Constantinople, who know well
| how to recount to children the tales of the
Arabian Knights. But as to the question Of
the claims it is well to say few words.
There is not the slightest doubt that ac-
cording to the elementary principles of the
| law of nations when destruction of prop
erty or loss Of life takes place in coun-
try whose executive authorities take either
an actual part assume a passive atti-
| tude, such government is bound to indem-
nifty such foreign subjects who have suf-
fered an injury. The only question to be
settled. therefore. is the means which may
be employed in order to obtain satisfac-
| ton.
Precedents to Follow.
find
| many examples of claims by European
powers which have been settled by mere
| threats of resorting to force continued
Prof. Ion. without going far back to
history, mention some incidents of
later years, such as the settlement by
| France of the question of the wharves of
Constantinople and that of the building of
| the building of the Catholic church at
! Ismid; that of the Sheffield claim of over
| $4,000 and the attempted violation of the
charter of an English company; and that
| of the Mersina incident by Austria. When
some years ago the Turkish authorities
were preventing the rebuilding of wall
| of the Catholic church at Ismid, destroyed
| by the Musselman mob, NJ. Jules Cambon,
| then French ambassador, ordered the
/ French gunboat to proceed to the port of
that city, and there, under the fixed bayo-
nets of the French marines, the rebuilding of
| the wall of the church commenced. The church
| at that time not only did not offer any re-
| siStance, but dismissed the governor of that
| city full satisfaction to France. Again.
| when after the completion of the wharves
| or uuays of Constantinople undertaken by
| a French company. the French boats COM
menced to approach near as the wharves,
| the Mussulman lighter men, at the tnsti-
cation Of some palace officials. who owned
| the lighters, attempted to prevent the
| French boats from approaching the wharves
| by cutting the cables of these boats in
order that the steamship companies be
forced to allow these lightermen to carry,
nc hefnrp the ppodS nv their LIGHTERS
bassador Cambon seeing that his protests
l to the Turkish government were OF no avail,
| who seemed to uphold the Turkish boat
men, ordered the French torpedo boat sta
toned at the Bosphorus to dispense the
| Mussulman mob by using even force. 1t
was only when the guns Of the French man.
| of-war were turned toward the rioters and
| the French marines were seen with their
rifles on their shoulders ready to act that
| the mob disappeared, and no boats have
| ever been disturbed since that time.
The Mersina Incident.
1.-The Austrian government in 1897 when
! her flag had been insulted at Mersina." he
| continued dispatched a man-of-war to
| that port and. by a mere threat of bonn
bardment Of the city, not only obtained
| full apology for the insult to her consul,
| but seized the opportunity to settle a
standing account Of a considerable sum of
| money due by Turkey to an Austrian SUBJ
| JSSe'
| toned English claims had been settled by
| the energetic act of the then British am
| bassador, Sir Philip Currie (now Lord
Currie). who threatened that the English
| fleet would be ordered to occupy the GUS
| tom house of Beyrout in case of non-set-
| Element of the claims. According to the
| accounts published in the papers the State
Department hesitates to resort to such
fOrcible measures recommended former
ly by ex-Minister Angel, still it Is the only
way Of settling the question promptly and
| insuring respect of the American interests
| for the future. The seizure of the custom
| house of Smyrna might be Objectionable
| for various reasons, but why not threaten
| to or actually seize the custom house of
either Chic or Mitelene, where there are
hardly any Mussuiman populations? Tur-
key having not single man-of-war fit for
| sea. she is powerless to offer any resist
ance in that way were she even willing.
Therefore, If we judge from precedents
| and take into consideration the .pitiable
condition of the Turkish fleet" said Prof.
Ion. in conclusion, .'it is more than likely
| that If it was intimated to the sultan's
government that the non-settlement of the
American claims within so many days
| would force the United States to occupy
the custom houses of any of the islands,