Arizona republican., 1914-09-12
State Department is With out Official Advice of Re ported Action of Diplo- mats Refusing to Accept Treaty Abrogation
MORGENTHAU
 IS SILENT
United States Has Studied the Treaties of 1880 and 1862 Between Unit d States and Turkey, But Attitude is Not Decided
ASSOCIATED PRESS DIsPATcH1

WASHRlNGTON, Sept. II. - The state department was without official advice at a late hour as to the re- ported action of the foreign diplomats l in Constantinople in communicating to the Turkish government yesterday the decision of their respective gov ernments not to accept an abolition of foreign extra territorial rights by the Porte No message from Ambas- sador Morgenthau at Constantinopie has been received for severa; days, and 1 if he is participating in the acton or the other ambassadors. it is without instructions from the department.
 The president asked Secretary Bryan to call the attention of Turkish Am bassador A. Rustem Bey to the re cent statements attributed to him. and inquire if they were authorized The | Turkish ambassador explained to Sec retarv Bryan that Turkeys abroga = ! tion of her conventions and capltula- tions granting special privileges to the l noyers was q step taken merely to re- cover her national rights. The am bassador pointed out that the effect of the action was not to terminate inc treaties of 1880 and 1862 between tho Tinted States and Turkey, put to ran,ove those ext a-territorial rlghts which the American government en- | ieyed under the most favored ha'io'' clauses. The state department ol ficials studied the treaties ana the Turkish laws carefully. but II Was not determined what the attitude or the United States would be- It IS | tbought the American governments will await the initiative of other l rowe-s before entering into diplo- n,atic negotiations on the subject. | Discussing informally questions lnrising out of the abrogauon or the ! conventions. the Turkish ambassador 1late.- suggested an interesting situa- ton that might arise with reference 1 tc Egypt Here, he thought, Great Britain probably would welcome the removal of the capitulations as It let the British control of Egypt unin- cumbered by special privileges to other foreigners. He declined to dis cuss the effect of Turkeys action on Ithe European war but emphatlcaily ldenied it was a pretext for war
 The ambassador pointed out that while capitulations were interwoYen lin most of Turkeys treaties, tlere were many commercial treaties not affected by this action. As to the American missions he made it clear that they would be protected as for- lmerly under the Ottoman law.
 Late tonight the ambassador au- lthorized the following statement:
 Tn the presence of the importance given to the statement made by me q few days back, arising out of ru- lmors sedulously disseminated in the Limited States that a general massa- lcre of Christians is in preparation in Turkey. it may serve good purpose Ito explain that, according to me great responsibility rests at the pres lent moment on the press of the United States. where the situation is naturally a very strained one.
 | r or past years llle oi
 this country indulged in blind hos tility toward Turkey. This has been
 comparatively unimportant so far
 But today the unfairness of this at
 titude may cause serious mischief
 In the absence of all restrictive clauses in the press laws of the
 United States in regard to the treat
 ment of foreign countries l adopted the only course available to induce the United States press to take 2
 more serious view of it's relationship to Turkey--that of straightforward
 appeal to it in which I pointedly : mentioned some of the things that have happened in the United State: (which should not have happened, 1T
 .vew of inducing it to deal more
 jcharitably with Turkey.
 q am firmly convinced morally il not conventionally of the right il
 adopting this course. There are times
 and this is one of them, when con-
 ventions can and must be set aside
 The interests of humanity should no be sacrificed to them"