The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-06-19
WASHINGTON NEWS.
Turkey Turns Down the Damage
Claims of American Mission
aries.

washington, June l2.-Once more
the country has received an exempli-
fcation of Secretary Hays splendid
diplomacy" After several years of
insistence, coupled with the withdraw
al Of our minister and several threats
not to speak as we pass by, Turkey
has paid the claims for damages
made against her by French citizens
and has again turned down American
ones. AS if to further rub it in on
Mr.. Hay, the amount paid was
almost exactly that demanded for
the American missionaries.
AS natural result of this, the
State Department is gritting its
teeth and muttering bad words under
its breath and threatening-in the ad-
ministration papers-that there will
be serious trouble with the Sultan if
he doesn't pay up promptly. Abdul
has heard something like this several
times before, notably last year, short
ly before election, when it was neces-
sary to put up big bluff to capture
the missionary and church vote,
which was wandering off to Bryan
on account of the attitude of the
Administration towards the army
canteen and the Sulu polygamy-slav-
cry treaty.
This demand ended in what the
State Department succeeded in max
ing the country believe was an offer
of the Sultan to pay the missionary
claims while paying for a new cruiser
ordered to be built in this country,
thus saving the face'' of his Imperi-
al Majesty. This report. after long
time-and after the election-turned
out to be untrue. Since then Mr..
Griscom, our Charge d. Affairs, at
Constantinople, has continued to make
unwearied demands for the money and
to send encouraging cables to the Uni
ted States. But Turkey has hung on
to her money all the same. It was
fondly hoped that the draft sent by the
Ottoman government to the Cramps
the other day would include remit
tance for this Govrnment, and a hint
had been thrown out that the Turkish
government might settle the matter
in some such fashion if it does not
care to remit directly. But it did
not.
These claims include the standing
demand for Reimbursement of damages
sustained during the Armenian trouble
several years ago. Nearly every civil
lied government has some such demand
pending at Constantinople, and all of
them but France have met with like
failure in getting money from the Sui
tan's treasury. If the Sultan has set
tied with France. the State Depart
ment people say there will be trouble
of an exciting nature for Turkey, I'M
less similar claims from other ma
tions, including the United States. are
are met promptly. At any rate renew
ed effort will be ae to bring the Sultan
to terms, Secretary Hay having cabled
our representative at Constantinople
urging him again to make a formal de-
mand, in imperative tones, for the
money which is due the American
sufferers during the Turkish uprising
against Christianity.
ed in Republican circles here over the
threatened contest between the protec-
tionists under the leadership Of the
American Protective Tariff League and
those few western members of Con-
gress, who are following Representa-
tive Babcock of Wisconsin in his fight
against the trusts.
The sentiment against Ethe great in
dustrial combinations is strong in
western Congressional circles, where
the opinion prevails that remedial
legislation having been promised the
people it is good politics to enact a
Law that will curtail the power of the
trusts to monopolize trade. The west
ern members say, what is undoubted-
ly true, that unless something is done
in thi direction at the next session of
Congress the issue will be raised
in the Congressional elections
next fall and will probably result
in the loss of the House to the Repub
licans.
The American Protective Tariff
League is receiving the support of
eastern interests and intends to wage
a relentless fight to stamp free trade
out of the party. Having back of
them the great moneyed interests of
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