The Irish standard., 1900-05-19
CHECKMATED PRESIDENT CLEVELAND
More Than a Match for M'Kinlev
and His Secretary.
AN AGdRAYATNG POLICY OF DELAY
Has Held His Own With the Best
Statesmen Of Europe.

Has Held His Own With the Best
Statesmen Of Europe.
In their efforts to compel the Sultan
OF Turkey to pay long overdue claims
for indemnity, President Mckinley anc
Secretary Hay have entered upon a
struggle with the past grand master o
the Fabian school of diplomacy. Abdu
Hamid II. is far and away the craftiest
and most daring ruler in the old world
His finesse, skill, cunning, boldness have
been constantly exercised in contests
with the ablest statesmen of Europe fol
a quarter of century, and, while he
has not always come off victor, he has
won more frequently than he has lost
Abdul Han1id is Turk and Mussul-
man of the old school. He is s. years
of age, and the innovations of modern
civilization have left little impression
upon him. He rules Turkey as his pre-
decessors ruled it, and has only yielded
grudgingly to the progress of the age
He became the ruler Of the Ottoman
empire in August, 1876, at moment
when the Servian and Bulgarian prov
inces were in the revolt which immedi-
ately preceded the Turko-Russian war
and when the combined powers of Eu.
rope were exerting their utmost pressure
to compel Turkey to adopt new policies.
Upon his accession to the throne Alb
dul Hanid was confronted by the i'm
mediate danger of the disintcgration OF
his empire. At that time Turkey in Ell
rope included Servia, Bulgaria, Rou-
mania, Montenegro, Bosnia, Herzcgo-
vina and Thessaly. These provinces
were not only in a state OF revolt, but
Russia and Austria we're known to have
designs upon territory which would cx-
tend their own frontiers to the Mcdi-
terranean. The dissolution of Turkey
was freely predicted in every capital OF
Europe, and the strife between the pow
ers for possession of the broken parts OF
the empire, for the spoil of Constanti-
noplc, and the control of the Darda-
nellcs promised to cmbroil all Europe
in general war.
Abdul Hamid undoubtedly realized
that it was too late to save the Balkan
provinces, but he was quick to rccog-
nize in the general European situation
the opportunity of saving his throne
and his footing in Europe and of still
maintaining Constantinoplc as the seal
of Mohammedan power.
For the first time he played his game
on the chess board of Europe. All the
world knows what followed. The wa,
with Russia lost Servia and Roumani:
to the sultan. Boznia and Herzegovina
went to Austria, but Montenegro wa:
erected into buffer state that for the
time blocked Franz Josef's pathway te
Salonica. The cars victorious armic:
were at the gates of Constantinople, ane
Turkeys position in Europe hung only
by thread.
Then it was that Abdul Hamid taugh
Europe it's first lesson in Oriental state
craft. By secret treaty with Lore
Beacons6eld the sultan ceded to Grea
Britain the Island of Cypress. In re
turn Lord Beaconsfeld guaranteed thu
territorial integrity Of Asia Minor ane
sent the British fleet through the Oar
danelles.
Russia was checkmated. The czar a
once realized that his troops marching
into Constantinoplc would be shelled BY
the British fleet. He was reluctantly
compelled to give up a project Ions
dreamed of by Russia and to submit tc
the terms OF the treaty Of Berlin, die
tated by an European congress demand
ed by Lord Beacons6eld, who really
acted as the agent of the crafty sultan
In June, 1873, the powers were com
PEELED to take steps to secure the en-
forcement OF the terms OF the treaty o
Berlin with reference to the ratification
of the Montenegrin frontier. In thi
controversy the sultan lost. He en-
deavored to save himself by changing
his ministry, thus giving Great Britain
almost complete ascendancy at Con
stantinople. He watched the ncgotia
tions of the powers closely, waiting t.
make the most Of any apparent disagree
ment. But in the end he failed, being
compelled to cede Dulcigno to Monte
negro, but not until after having re
ceived two ultimatums backed up b.
the allied fleets of the powers.
Sultan Abdul Hamid's position in Eu
rope was rapidly becoming precarious
Nearly every power had claims upo,