The San Francisco call., 1906-11-11
SULTAN'S ILLNESS
WORRIES EUROPE


I'm diplomatic circles the condition
of the Sultan is regarded with mis-
giving Ia cancerous growth having
made itself apparent" Such is the
momentous announcement published in
the form of a disptach from Constan-
tinople by the Cologne Gazette, the or
gan of the German Foreign Office.
The message comes from the same
correspondent who few days ago Sc
verely lectured his German confreres
for publishing politically tactless and
alarming reports of the health of his
Majesty. DR.. Bergman, he observed,
had given very reassuring accounts Of
the disease from which his royal pa
tient was suffering. and the time had
arrived for journalists who had in
mind the political interests of their
country to cease commenting on the
state of the Su1tan's health, which was
now quite satisfactory.
The volte-face thus executed by the
correspondent of the most important
journal in Germany is the more re-
markable as 1t comedies in point of
time with the return to Constantinople
of the Kaiser's ambassador, Baron
Marschall Won Bieberstein. The EN-
bassador appears to have hurried back
post-haste to his duties, as he did on
previous occasion somewhat over a
month ago, in consequences of the re-
ceipt of unfavorable news regarding
the condition of the monarch to whose
court he is accredited.
Though the German Foreign Office
has for some time past given out that
according to it's private information
the Sultan is merely suffering from the
effects of improper treatment of the
disease. 1 am able to affirm on certain
authority that the Emperor's diplo-
matists many weeks ago adopted elab-
crate precautions for safeguarding the
interests of their country in the event,
believed TO be imminent, of q change
In the occupancy of the Turkish throne
What the nature of these precautions
is am not permitted to say, but
may affirm that they are in full accord
with the spirit of the far-seeing enter
prise which has long characterized
German diplomacy in the Ottoman EN-
pire.
In the view of the highest advisers
of the Emperor it is imperatively nee
essary at the present critical juncture
in the Near East to secure the sympa-
thies of the heir-apparent to the Turk
ish throne and to convert him, before
he ascends the throne Of his stricken
brother, into a firm friend of Germany.
Secret steps to that end have already
been taken, with the result that Ger
man diplomacy at the present moment
is inspired with high hopes that its
influence in Turkey will suffer no de-
cline should any change occur In the
near future in Yildiz Kiosk.
In the best-informed circles In this
capital 1t is indeed affirmed that during
the next twelve months (and / may
here state in parenthesis that his Turk
ish physicians do not expect Abdul
Hamid to live more than six months at
| most), Constantinople will be the focus
of European affairs, and that strenu-
| Gus diplomatic duel will there be
| fought out for the predominant diplo-
| matte influence over Turkey between
the representatives of Great Britain and
Germany.
AS showing the nature of the ideas
prevailing in some German quarters,
| let me quote briefly from an article
which appears today in Der Deutsche," ;"
weekly review which has been Justly
described as the only genuine imper-
| ialist organ in this empire. Der
| Deutsche" numbers among it's contrib
utors the consular agents of the en-
pire in all parts of the world, and the
Emperor is said to be among the most
regular readers.
! 1t urges today, in the form of let
ter from Constantinople, the eminent
advisability of a Turco-German alli-
ance as a means of strengthening Ger
many for the event of a possible con-
argument is that it is to the interest
of all nations to prevent Great Brit
ain gaining control over the Asiatic
shores of the Red Sea, and that Tur-
key, IL she had a strong European ally
such as Germany, would be able to
turn Great Britain out Of Egypt bag
and baggage.
Turkey" observes Der Deutsche,"
would be far more valuable to Ger
many as a comrade-in-arms than Italy
With her assistance, in the event of
war, German troops, without touching
the sea, could be moved across from
Constantinople to Egypt. and the In
dian empire could be threatened from
Mesopotamia.
Moreover, as a fourth member of
the Triple Alliance, Turkey would rem
der the combination of powers gather
ed around Germany more than equal in
weight to any coalition which Great
Britain might bring about. t.-London