The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1914-09-16
NATIONAL RIGHTS
ALL, TURKEY WANTS
TURKISH AMBASSADOR SAYS
THAT HIS COUNTRY DOES 1,
NOT BREAK TREATIES.
BEY TALKS TO W. J. BRYAN
Proclamation BY Porte Was Not In.
tended as a Pretext For War, He
EmphaticaIIy Declares.

Washington.-A. Rustem Bey, the
turkish Ambassador, explained to
Secretary Bryan that Turkeys abroga-
ton Of conventions and capitulations
granting special privileges to Powers
was a step taken merely to recover
her National rights.
The Ambassador pointed out that
the effect of the action was not to
terminate the treaties of 1880 and
1852 between the United States and
Turkey but to remove extra terri
torial rights the American Govern
ment has enjoyed under a most "a
vored Nation clause.
State Department officials had not
determined what the attitude of the
United States would be. It was
thought the American Government
would await the initiative of other
Powers. +
Discussing Informally questions
arising out Of the abrogation of the
conventions, the Turkish Ambassa-
dor later suggested, that an interest
Ing situation. might arise with ref
erence to Egypt. Here, he thought,
Great Britain probably would well
come the removal Of capitulations as
1t left control Of Egypt unencumbef-
ed by special privileges to other for.
eigners. He declined to discuss the
effect Of Turkeys action on the Euro,
pean war but emphatically denied It
was intended as a pretext for war.
The Ambassador declared that Am.
erican missions would be protected as
formerly, under Ottoman law. The
principal effects Of the abrogation, he
explained, would be to give Turkey
the right to impose whatever customs
duties she desired, to levy provisional
taxes on foreigners and to substitute
the Jurisdiction Of Turkish courts for
extra-territorial rights.
The following statement was auth.
orized by the Ambassador:
I'm abrogating the capitulations
Turkey simply is recovering National
rights belonging to g Nation, some of
WHICH were granted by her in the
Middle Ages in unwise moods of liber.
atty; others wrested from her; others
again came to be abandoned as q cor.
ollary of the abandonment of the for.
mer. The situation can be stated by
stating that Turkey has decided to be
mistress Of her own house.
Like any contract which in its
tenor disregards the general prin-
ciples Of right, as for instance, a con-
tract STIMULATING the sale Of one hui
man being to another, the capitulations
have no sanction in ethics and Turkey
is free to dissolve them. She had
tried to attain that end by negotia.
tions, but the Powers Of Europe sub.
ordinated their consent to such ner-
GUS conditions that taking advantage
Of the present situation, Turkey de-
cided to do away with the capitula-
lions by an uniIateral decision of her
own.
1.-THE United States enjoys some
of the privileges of the capitulations
by virtue of the most favored Nation
clause, inserted in the, treaty conclud-
ed with Turkey in 1890; that is, the
United States became the beneficiary
Of the capitulations only incidentally.
The statement that the American mis-
sionary institutions in Turkey are az
fected by the c%apitulation is inaccu.
rate. Those. institutions exist in Tur-
key by virtue of general laws govern
ing the Empire" .