Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-22
LONDON TURKEY TALK
What the English Think of
the Situation in the Balkans.
SULTAN'S BODYGUARD.
4
VICTORIA MEMORIAL OPPOSITE
BUCKINGHAM PALACE.
Belief That the Jewish Uganza Prop
osition for Zionism is
Dead Issue.
SULTAN'S BODYGUARD.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star

| LONDON, September Q, 1903
| The growing anxiety respecting the situa.
| ton in the Balkans is certainly not dimin.
| ished by the fact that Mr.. Leishman has
| sent word home to Washington that some
| Of the European powers have landed ma
rines at Constantinople, ostensibly to pro-
| tect their emba ssies 1t was known before
| this that the porte had notified the embas-
sizes and legations that there was danger of
| attack by insurgents, but no one here puts
sufficient faith in the porte to accept its
| statements literally. There Is always a
suspicion of some arriere pensee, some ulti-
| appear on the surface.
| NJ. Lazarovitch, the representative Of the
| Macedonian committee in England, is ap-
| pealing Ito the people Of all Christian ma
| tons for a subscription Of two millions
| sterling to be converted into loan. The
! money Is to be used for raising an army OF
| 10000 men of different Christian nations,
! which will be offered to the powers for he
| establishment Of order in Macedonia. How
| the 5000 are going to manage this when
| the Turks have already 100000 men IN the
| field in Macedonia, and shortly to have
! as many more, NJ. Lazaroyitch does not in
| form us, but the attitude of both Bulgars
and MacedonianS Is regarded with doubt
and miSgiving here
The new number of Pro Armenia, a copy
OF which has just been sent to me from
Paris. contains some interesting particulars
Of the effect upon the Sultan Of Turkey OF
the recent Servian coup d etat involving
the murder of King Alexander and his con-
sort, Queen Draga. These 1 transmit with
all due reserve, merely remarking that Pro
Armenia holds recognized place among
French publications, and has on It's edi-
torial board such men as NJ. Jean Jaures
and NJ Anatole France. 1t Is stated that
Abdul Hamid, always fearful for his per-
sonal safety, now goes about in c~reater
dread Of ASA ssina ton than ever and has
recognized the bodyguard which keeps
constant watch over his private apart
ments. The supervision of the night duty
Is intrusted to eight generals Of approved
loyalty, two of whom have charge of the
guard each night. The other officers and
men on duty always Comprise a colonel, a
major, captain and q force Of some fifty
men, -
Not only Is every member of the body
guard required to heafs. the very highest
character as a faithful subject of the sui
tan, but 1t is sought to provide one and all
with further stimulus to the Jealous dis
charge of their duties BY attaching enor-
mously high pay to the work. and by see
Ing that every one gets his pay Every
night each of the two generals on guard re-
celves 90 Turkish pounds the colonel f4O
the 1or f35 the captain f3O, and each SOL
dler OF lower rank at least fl. Thus the
sultans night bodyguard costs him about
ESQ every time 1t watches over his safety
A Turkish pound is worth about 1Ss so
That If these figures are re1iabie-and | only
give them for what theySare worth-the an
nual pay of the force amounts to over ESQ.,
OOo sterling, or nearly s4OO, 900.
nave reason to know that secret MIS-
Tory OF the war has been prepared, printed
and supplied to members of the govern
nent, and a few carefully numbered COPIES
to eminent personages outside the cabinet
one of these copies has gone astray and is
now In the hands of a certain newspaper.
The revelations In this volume are so
shocking that the report of the royal com
mission bad as 1t is, conveys no idea of
the manner in which the British taxpayer
has been swindled and betrayed by the
persons to whom he has given his conf
dence.
Whether Mr.. Chamberlains tariff pro-
posals were devised as a lightning conduc-
tor to divert public Indignation from the
CABINET may meyer be known. The effect
OF the revelations, however is growing
Even in the more exclusive clubs of Lon
Con, where political opinion Is less import
ant because saturated with class prejudice.
the opinion against Lord Lansdowne is in
creasing. 1t is felt that something must
be done to mark national dspeasure. and
that that something must be of seyerer
character than mere exclusion from Of
nee The feeling against Mr. Chamber
IAN Is growing because he Is held respon-
sible for pushful diplomacy at time when
ne must nave known. or might have known
that the war office was in a rotten condi-
ton.
Mr.. Chamberlain intimate friend and
henchman. Mr.. Powell Williams was at
the war office and must have kept his chief
well informed as to the facts. Mr.. Cham
berlaln Is held equally responsible with
Lord Lansdowne for the gulf that existed
between the diplomacy Of the government
and their military preparations. This in
dignation against Mr.. Chamberlain ia re-
acting upon his tariff proposals. Free trade
opinion has perceptibly grown since the
publication of the blue books, and the
wirepullers on both sides in politics report
that the voters increasingly hostile to
the proposals to tax food
Certain wealthy and patriotic gentlemen
have proposed the formation of a Lans-
downe prosecution fund. and have. Offered to
supply all the money necessary for the mi
tial expenses. This plan Is impra ctica BILE
Lord Transformers offenses are against the
nation, and it Is by the nation, not by private
individuals, that his punishment will be in
f1cted. The idea seems to have got into
the minds of the public that the precedent
of the Whitaker-Wright prosecution can be
followed in the case of Lord Lansdowne
Needless to say. there is no parity between
the two cases beyond the fact that Lord
Lansdowne. being managing director of
the war. was responsible for the collapse of
the British military credit.
Altering st. James Park.
The king on his return to London had
much to interest him in the altered aspect
of st. James Park, Immediately facing
Buckingham Palace, windows. A small
army Of workmen are employed filing the
palace end of the lake, in the public part of
the park to extend the level of the area to
be taken in by the Victoria memorial, and
a concrete retaining wall is already show
ing itself with steam cranes and steam
rollers at work upon ia seeming desert Of
bricks and refuse.
Mr. Balfours criticism of two years ago
that the monument win represent great
architectural and scerffc change" Is GER
tainly realized at the moment in the latter
particular. The British workman is in his
element. and so far would seem to hold
the architect at defiance. but Mr.. Aston
Webb will, no doubt. be. soon able to bring
order out of present; chaos. and make a
good foundation for the statue group of
Mr.. Brooks design. The first portion or
what may be termed the essential feature
of the work is in hand. which so far as the
sculptor is concerned will not be finished
for five years.
Though the whole monument will not be
completed for a longer period. that is to
say the portion which necessitates an ar
chitectural rearrangement OF the mall with
its groups of statuary. ranging the length
Of the broad boulevard. workmen are al