The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-30
|CHEKIB BEY
 ON SITUATION Turkish Minister Alarmed
 Over Beirut Affair. ASKS FOR TOLERANCE
Says RevOlutiOnists Will Mis-
 construe Situation.
Hurries to Washington to See secre- tary Hay-He May Ask for
 the Recall of the Squadron.

|
 sayv:lle. L. T.. Aug 2eI--Aiarmed at the critical conditions of American-T Turkish
 relations. Chekib Bey. the sublime porte's { envoy to the United States Is hastenins
 to Washington for a conference with Sec retary Hay. The Minister hurriedly left I his summer legation here tonight for Washington and, because of the gravity Of the situation, 1t is the Minister's in~ tentiun to ask Secretary Hay to foreno him immediately. The conference prob ably will occur at Mir. Hays house tomor- row afternoon.
 Dispatch of the American warships to Turkish waters is a source of the great est anxiety to the Minister. Although confident himself that the Washington Governments only motive in taking this action waB to protect American citizens. he fears if may have the opposite efrsct and render more difficult ths efforts of the sublime porte to afford protection Co foreigners. Appearances of the Ameri- can squadron off Beirut will. it is pointed out, be taken by the revolutionists as an evidence of the Washington Governments sympathy with their cause and thus arc ise them to renewed atrocities. Until he receives instructions from Con- stantinople. Chekib Bey will not request the Washington Government to withdraw the squadron. but he will call Secretary Hays attention to the delicate situation In Turkey, hoping that tho State Depart meDt niay do something to relieve the em-
 barrassment of the Porte.
 No official word was received by the Min ister of the attack on the American Vice. Consul at Beirut and he has been with
 out official information concerning events In Turkey for more than week He hopes to find instructions awaiting him in Washington on which will depend
 largely the scope of his conference with Secretary Hay. There is possibility that the Washington Government may be of service to the Sultan fin solving his internal difficulties and 1t is this aa we'll
 as the local troubles at Beirut which is calitpg Chekib Bey to Washington
 &ne Assochlted Press Representative to- day called at the Ministers summer headquarters. The diplomat talked free-
 ly of the present situation and dId not
 conceal the fact that he thought the
 outlook bad
 q was profoundly distressed" he said, "at the news from Beirut and be-
 lieved that there must have been some
 mistake, because had heard nothing about 1t from my Government The news
 today confirms this belief. It now ap- pears that your Vice-Consul was not as- sassinated. You must admit that my Government has done all that 1t could be C4POONCo
 thorities learned of the affair. they called at the American Consulate and expressed
 their regret and promisd to do all in their power to apprehend and punish the guilty person. In addition, the Foreign Office has offered the strongest oficial assurances to the same effect
 T appreciate fully the reasons for the dispatch of the American squadron, but have Americans considered that this may have the opposite effect and stimulate the revolutionists to further outrages? Despite the reports to the contrary believe the affair was without political significance and that the attack on MT. Magelssen was made by personal enemy of your Vice-Consul.
 My government would be very unwill- ing to believe that any but the best rela- tions existed between it and the United States. Of course the worst may come and relations be broken of. but I do not think SOL
 Have you heard that a seizure of one or more ports Is possible in the event that the Sultan refuses the American de- mands, and that this in turn might be followed by the recall of Minister Lesch- man and possibly your own departure from the United States?"
 NO; I have not heard that. hope 1t Is not that bad. Of course if your gov- ernment desires 1t I shall go."
 "To what demands do you refer? Pa- tience is necessary in international af- fairs. My sovereign has promised what you have asked or the most of your re- quests and he will certainly carry out his promises. You must remember that my country is very much occupied at present and hope the Washington government will appreciate this and not insist on a final adjustment of all pending contro- versies until the interior troubles have quieted.
 You have asked for certain privileges for doctors and students. You want your physicians admitted on certificate to prac- tice in Turkey.
 My government is very careful of the kind of doctors it licenses to practice. If your government would itself approve the diplomas of the American schools of med icine your physicians would be admitted without examination. This is the reason that the French and other European phy- sicians are admitted on certificate. The medical schools in those couptries are un- der the supervision. as 1t were, of the governments. In this country a man H. censed in one State would not in some cases be allowed to practice In another without examination.
 Now there is that other troublesome question of missionaries. Do not under stand me as adversely criticizing the mis- ys that we are a tolerant people. We have allowed the missionaries great liberties. I read in the American papers frequently of what some returned missionary from Turkey has to say about wiping my coun- try of tho map of Europe. am advised that certain missionaries when they go to Turkey are constantly arousng tho Ar menians against the Turks. They even talk to the Armenians about exterminat- ing us Is that not melting the Armenians to rebellion?
 Suppose I should establish in Wash ington a school for negroes and my teach CTS should tell the negroes attending that school that they ought not to be subject to lynching and should rebel. Do you think would remain in this country long, or that my school would flourish? This is a side of the question that is not often heard.
 But we have the missionaries and my government earnestly strives to protect