The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-24

President and sultan.
In its desire to stand well with the
| Evangelical missionary societies. now
/ gathered in eoumenical council in New
/ York. there is reason for fearing that the
| Administration has committed a grave
! mistake In seizing upon the occasion OF
the meeting to engage in diplomatic war
with Turkey over the Armenian mission
claims, Mr. Mckinley apparently has lost
sight. for the moment Of his position, du-
ties and responsibilities as a Mohammedsn
ruler, exercising imperial and Oriental
sway over millions of subject Mussulmans,
through his vice-gerent, the Sultan of Sulu.
Neither the President nor his able Secre-
tary of State should have forgotten that,
when a potentate is at once a simple citi-
zen Chief Magistrate for home eonsump-
ton, and an Eastern desDot for colonial
purposes, it is sometimes difficult to strike
an attitude consistent with both stations in
life.
No doubt Mr. Mckinley expects much in
November at the hands of those whose
hearts will be warmed TO him by his eff
forts to make Abdul Hamid pay up. But
he cannot be unaware of the debt he as
well as the country owes to His Majesty
the Sultan of Turkey. for that enlightened
monarch's friendly and graceful interposi-
ton which was necessary to and did ac-
conlplish the acceptance of our flag and
sovereignty by the brave and religious
Sultan Of the Sulu Archipelago. We have
the story Of this gracious mediation in the
Washington correspondence Of the st.
Louis Democrat" a high class Re
publican journal justly enjoying the conf
dence of the Administration.
According to the authority mentioned,
when It became apparent that the United
States was about 10 absorb the Philip
pines. by a process which the greatest in
our midst describes as one of benevolent
mastication. deglutition, and assimilation
the Commander of the Faithful at Constan-
tinople caused his brother Sultan to be
notified that he might accept the new order
of things with complete satisfaction and
contentment His Highness of the Sulus
was assured that the American flag meant
religious freedom. pure and absolute;
while. II the Tagal insurrectionists were to
succeed, he might expect no mercy.
We are greatly interested in gathering
from the history Of this shrewd and ami
able BIT Of diplomacy as detailed in the
Globe Democrat" the idea that the Sui
tan OF Turkey must be a close student OF
Far Western theological standards and de-
yelopments. 1t appears that, in the argu-
ment which he addressed to his eminent
co-religionist, he stated that the Ameri-
cans were not Christians. because Chris
tians forced their faith and practices upon
subject peoples. This the Americans never
did Far from being Christians, the !
Americans were Presbyterians, adherents
Of a creed which, inasmuch as it pre-
sumed the Generalization Of dsmnation
for all men, was tolerant of them in the
mean time. Lest it be suspected that We
could stoop TO endorse the error into which |
our separated brethren, the two Sultans, |
have beer lee, let US hasten 10 say that |
somebody. in a spirit Of ungodllness, must |
have given Abdul Hamid a copy of the |
Westminster Confession to read. In this |
country we know that Presbyterians are |
among our most earnest Christian men and |
women; because here they are not judged |
by a declaration 10 which all subscribe |
but few, Il any. believe. The Sultan of |
Turkey may be excused for considering /
the doctrine Of infant damnation an IN
Christian one; hence it is not hard to see /
that he might regard those who profess it |
though only in a Pickwickian sense-as
rather than Christians.
For the purposes Of diplomacy. his mis-
take seems to have been blessed, under
Providence. and to have resulted in our
securing the Sulu Islands without q fight. |
They are rich possessions. Astounding in
gold and precious stones. in pearls and
and ephor wood and ebony in
spices and franklncense and myrrh. That
they are ours is plainly due to the good
offices OF the kindly sister Mohammedan
power. whose seat Of glory is in the city
Of Constantine. Would il be right or
PRESBYTERIAN for us to forget such a debt
Of gratitude for a paltry ten times ten
thousand Armenian missionary sequins?
Plainly not; for the same influence that
brought US the Suus might. If properly
invited, render them very hot for US to
hold. Were the Sultan President to break
1G diplomatic relations with the Sublime
Porte. or to send the fierce Sampson TO
Smyrna, thereby threatening the life Of
he Cadis favorite mule. he would quickly
De brought to feel the claws under the soft
glove Of his good cousin Abdul Hamid. 1t
would not take the latter many weeks to
convince our Mohammedan vassal prince
hat the former had been mistaken. and
hat, on receipt Of later returns. he had
discovered the Americans 10 be not Pres
iyterians, but Christians OF a most fanat-
cal and prosecuting type, who would sure
y suppress the Sulu faith and families at
he first convenient opportu-lEy. What
would follow need hardly be matter for
We should have TO raise an
,ther army, another Otis. and, if not an
ther. perhaps the same DENLY 1t would
'e necessary to engage the whole product
( the Western slaughterhouse refuse tanks |
o feed them. and MIR. Hoar and Aladdin | {
atkinson would be In their glory again. |
UGH eventualities are not TO be thought
e. Hence. as We have more than once
cntured 10 predict, after the mission {