The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1911-11-04

|
practically nullified Turkish sover
eighty in Egypt in 1883 by establish
Ing control there. In 1885 tens
/ of thousand of Christian Armenians
were massacred The protests of Eu.
rope were of no avail. A rising OF
the Christians followed year later
in Crete and was the signal for long.
| repressed hostilities in Greece. Greece
was forced to sue for peace, pay the
| Turkish government an indemnity of
$lS,OO0,OO0 and make important con.
cessions on the Graeco-Turkish from.
| tier
| Meanwhile. Crete was taken in
charge by Great Britain, Russia,
| France and Italy and a settlement
was made in 1898 by which the SUI.
zerainty of Turkey was renewed The
people of ancient Macedonia had long
been FESTIVE under Turkish control
and in 1903 there were bloody mass
acres and conflicts over a large terri.
tory The rivalry of Bulgaria and
Greece and the influence of the great
powers have made a successful re.
volt difficult, however.
In the last thirty years Turkey has
been the scene of almost continual
warfare. This eliminated about two
years ago in the overthrow of Abdul
Hamid and the usurping Of the throne
by the young Turks.
Trouble With Italy.
The quarrel between Turkey and
Italy over Tripoli arose out of Italy's
old desire to have possession of that
portion OF the northern coast of Afri
ca, desire dictated by political rath
er than commercial reasons. OF the
old Roman colonies Egypt, Tunis All.
geria and Morocco have passed out of
the hands of the modern government
of the Italian peninsula and of the five
powers on the Mediterranean, Great
Britain, France, Spain, Italy and Aus.
tria. only the last two are without
base for their fleets on the south
shore.
Although the country has formed
part OF the Turkish empire since the
middle of the 18th century. until 1885
the authorities of the Sultan lad long
been purely nominal Then. after an
extended period. during which the
country was a stronghold of pirases,
an expedition was dispatched from
Constantinople and the state was
made a vilayet of the Ottoman EN-.
pire.
Formerly Tripoli was of high com.
mercial importance as the gate to the
interior but since the Sudan has been
chiefly approached by way of the At
lantic. Tripoli has dwindled in this re-
spect and her commercial value today
rests chiefly on the fertile coast lands.
Italy and Turkey had a dispute in
April, 1908. over the refusal of Turkey
to permit Italian postofices in Tur-
keys territory Al the same time con
siderable irritation was felt in Italy
over the murder of an Italian mission
airy in Tripoli and the persecution by
the Ottoman authorities of n6tives
who had sold land to Italian =. Gov
eminent circles in Rome had III for
years that Turkey had been taking
advantage of the international situa.
ton to act in a high-handed manner
toward Italians and to show little re-
spect for Italian rights Italy pre-
pared at that time to send large
fleet to Turkish waters. whereupon
Turkey Immediately withdrew all or.
jections to the postoffices and practic
ally acknowledged the other Italian
claims with regard to the right of the
Italians freely to purchase property
on Turkish territory and with regard
also to coast navigation.
While Turkey yielded on the cues.
tion of the postoffices, the main rea
son of diffidence. distrust and antag
onism remained, as the Sultan was
determined to do all in his power not
to yield Tripoli, with Europe's con.
sent. as a field for Italian expansion
In virtue of the accord concluded b,>
the Marquis Visconti-Venosti with
France, and afterward acknowledged
by all the powers. Italy. while re-
nouncing her interest in Morocco. was
left free to exercise her influence in
Tripoli, and thus she was ir a posi-.
ton to take advantage of any pretext
to occupy it under the form o, PRO.
tectorate" such as France exercises in
runis and England in Egypt
Equivocal.