The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-09-11


world has an excuse for be-
ing. II has been said, except
the Ottoman government
And even that anachronisrn
the unspeakable. ineffabls
Turk has had his apologist When. for
instance. a British peer OF the realm
once spoke in favor OF the. Turk from
his seat In tho house OF lords. he pre-
stnted an unanswerable argument.
from British point of view. for his
continued existence How convenient
II has been he naively said Ito have
power commanding the Dardanelles
and the lSosporus which Is not strong
enough to stand alone, but Is strong
enough 10 stand by the aid OF Great
Britain. and how hopeless II would be
10 find any exact equivalent for such
an arrangement"
There is the 80 called eastern ques-
tion" i'm a nutshell. Were il not for
the Turk and his inherent weakness
abe Russian IN all his strength would
sweep down upon the Dardanelles fioln
the Black sea and shut out England
ana her marine forever. Not alone
England. but all Europe. would have
10 bow to the mighty Muscovite. per.
chance. If tho Turk were not squatted
in his squalor at Constantinople. 70 IL
is not merely a contention that has
arisen-for example, between Turkey
and France. the most reccnt-that Is
now the issue. but the very existence OF
Turkey herself The sultan knows. as
every government of Europe knows.
that hc and his are merely tolerated i'm
the position they occupy by the very
cxigencies of their situation. This In
stance OF a refusal on the part OF the
sultan To keep faith with the ''unbe-
lever" be he French or German. Eng
lish or Russian, is no new feature OF
Turkish diplomacy Deception, fraud.
rrocrastination. are interviewer into its
very fabric and have been practiced so
far back as the memory OF man ex
tends
In the latest instance - that which
threatened severance OF diplomatic
relations between France and Turkey
and a possible reprisal on the part OF
the latter nation--the sultan had made
certain promises 10 French contractors
in the matter OF building quays at Con-
stantinople and improving it's water
front. They had performed their part
of the contract faithfully and had very
properly insisted upon the sultan per-
forming his-that is. they had imposed
tax or tariff on all goods landed at
their docks, In accordance with stipu.
lations and in order to obtain reim-
bursement for their vast outlay. Protests
were lodged with the sultan not only
by the merchants individually. but by
the representative OF foreign powers
that an increased tariff was a violation
OF commercial treaties and could not
be enforced. The sultan saw that he
had placed himself in an equivocaI 10
sition. from which there was no retreat
save by purchasing the docks at an ex-
pense TO the Turkish government OF
some 5o,0O0000 francs or by repudiatins
the contracts, He chose the latter
course. and the contractors appealed
TO their government. Their cause was
Just, the facts in the case were clearly
in their favor, and finally NJ. Constans.
the French ambassador. presented an
ultimatum There was no recession
from the stand the sultan had taken
save by purchase OF the quays. FOR
which his tax ridden country could not
readily furnish the money. SO he re-
sorted 20 promises. then 10 subterfuge.
then 10 tacit disavowal of RESPONSE.