The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-03-15

ing to convey the impression that he
desires to treat with lenient considera-
| ton all the Christian provinces of the
Ottoman empire. But, as every student
of the Turkish situation knows, it is
| not safe to trust the sultan's promises.
abdul the Damned" as Gladstone
| called him, is also Abdul the crafty
and deeeitful and the same Abdul who
has time and again broken his pledges.
The reforms which the sultan has
promised are substantially these:
First.-The establishment of financial
control over the collection of taxes in the
European vilayetS and over the payment
of officials and troops.
Second.-The reorganization of the gen.
darmerie in said vilayets by the selection
of officers from the subjects of the neutral
European states-Belgium. Holland and
Switzerland. 49,.
Third.-The signers OF this note are de-
sirous that the sultan shall find it con-
yenient to administer the affairs of the
disafected vilayets through some high
parsonage WHO has personal knowledge
or the requirements necessary in order to
govern without friction a body of SUBJ
1ects differing in religion, mode of life and
politics. s-s
II the sultan carries out this '.irre-
dueible minimum of reform, the war
cloud that now hangs threateningly
over the Levant is likely to be tenn
porariiy dispelled, but it will be only
temporary dissolution. AT best it but
defers the inevitably coming storm
which must sooner or later break over
the Balkans like the sweep of
mighty cyclone. changing the face Of
southeastern Europe.
Russia, which holds the key of the
situation through it's all powerful in
fiuence in Sofa, may check the grow
ing hostility toward Turkey among
the Bulgarians of Ferdinand's realm
and the equally growing sympathy for
their oppressed kindred and coreligion-
lists in Macedonia. Even this can
not prevent continued irritation and
attendant disorder. But nobody is
quite sure that Russia wants to stop
the anti-Turkish agitation in Bulgaria,
even though she may not be ready just
now for another war with the Turk,
and it is wholly improbable that any
very drastic measures will be adopted
in Sofia to lessen the activity of the
Macedonian revolutionary committee,
which has its headquarters at the Bull
garian capital and receives at least
the tacit support of the Bulgarian
court, while the Bulgarian people are
avowedly in sympathy with it.
The recent avewal from st. Peters
burg that while Russia is prepared to
the interests of the Chris |
tians she will not sacrifice a single |
drop of Russian blood nor the smallest |
portion of the heritage of the Russian |
people If the Slav states should at |
tempt by revolution or force to change
the existing state of affairs in the |
Balkan peninsula" may mean much or
L may mean nothing, just as the car
and his advisers desire. 1t may be |
taken to indicate that the Muscovite |
bear is not yet ready for another tustle |
with the Turk and wishes to hold in |
leash the Balkan Slavs, who are eager I
for the fray, until he is better prepared
TO put his paw on the map of south
eastern Europe, though it may not be
construed as meaning that the car has
relinquished the long standing ambi-
ton of the Romanoffs to worship at
The shrine of st. Sophia in Constant
aople and push their fleets through the
Dardanelles from the Black sea to the
Mediterranean
The situation in the Christian prov
noes of Turkey is almost analogous to
hat existing Immediately prior to the
5rimean war, which arose through the
demand OF Russia for a protectorate
,ver the Greek subjects of the sultan.
Though the protection of oppressed
Christians. who then as now were suf-
'ering beyond measure from Turk
sh tyranny, was Russia's ayowed pur.