France and Turkey; Conditions in China
The rupture of friendly relations between France and Turkey seems to have assumed a serious phase. September 1 was the anniversary of the sultan’s accession to the throne, and the Turkish minister to France returned to Paris and openly celebrated the occasion. Thereupon the French Government sent him a request to leave the country immediately. The minister departed for Switzerland that evening. Paris papers are publishing the report that Turkey is relying upon the support of some great power, and that assurances have been given the sultan by one of the powers that France would not be permitted to take extreme measures. A report from Paris dated September 2 states that a French naval division has been ordered to Turkish waters. The government of France seems determined to compel Turkey to yield to her demands, and Turkey, relying upon the inharmon[y] of the powers, refuses to make any concessions. A report has been circulated that Turkey is now buying heavy guns from Germany. The British consul-general at Shanghai, who has just returned to England, states that from the standpoint of foreign interests the position in China is far worse to-day than before the international occupation of Peking. Formerly the Chinese believed that foreign interests were identical; but they are now better able than ever to play off one power against the other. He states that there is a very hostile feeling in many parts of Northern China, and that local disturbances may be expected. China has now learned what the sultan of Turkey learned some time ago, that the concert of the powers is weak on the point of harmony. The imperial edict forbidding the importation of arms into China is unsatisfactory to the foreign representatives in China, as it does not prohibit the importation of arms and ammunition by the Chinese Government; and it is known that such importations continue. Fifty-five hundred native Filipino scouts have been hired by the American Government for six months. They are now being drilled, and at the end of that time they will be enlisted as troops and placed on patrol duty throughout the Philippines to preserve peace and prevent further insurrections. The Manila Times has started an agitation to stop the slave trade, which it alleges is being carried on regularly in several Manila slave markets. It prints facts and details which leave little room to doubt that an active business is carried on in the islands in the buying and selling of men, women, and children. There are again rumors of trouble in the Balkans. Austria is dissatisfied with the agreement entered into with Russia and also with Russia’s manner of keeping the agreement, and threatens that unless Russia shall live up to the articles of that document, Austria will “resume her liberty of action.” One Berlin paper describes the agreement as “an instrument to keep Austria quiet while Russia is engaged ‘in Manchuria.’” With this feeling between the two nations, and the attitude recently assumed by France and Turkey, the peace of Europe is far from a certainty. The army transport Hancock arrived in San Francisco harbor on August 28, with the Fourth United States Cavalry on board, also 117 discharged soldiers, and a number of military prisoners. The brother of the emperor of China, Prince Chun, who has been selected to go to Germany and express regret for the murder of the German minister in Peking, went as far as Switzerland, and refused to proceed farther on his mission. Trouble arose over the exact manner in which he should express China’s regrets. He was prepared to say, “The Chinese Government regrets that ‘Baron von Ketteler was killed.’” Emperor William desired that Prince Chun should say, “The Chinese Government begs pardon for the murder of the German minister, Baron von Ketteler.” The German emperor desired also that the Chinese prince should bow before him three times, and that the prince’s attendants should bow nine times to the floor. This the Chinese regarded as something they could do only before their own emperor, and would be a humiliation worse than death to them. It is now reported that Emperor William has compromised with the prince, and a less humiliating ceremony will be performed. The great strike has not yet been settled. It has rather resolved itself into a test of endurance. The great steel trust refuses now to deal further with the representatives of the strikers, unless they will incorporate so that action for damages can be taken against them in case of broken agreements. Some of the tin-plate mills have announced that they would conduct their business in the future with non-union help. More mills seem to be running than during the previous week, and those operating have been able to secure additional men. Efforts that have been made during the week to settle the strike have proved fruitless, the labor leaders still demanding recognition of their unions, and the employers asserting that the strike can be settled only by the surrender of the unions. In the meantime the animosity between the contending parties is increasing, and many assaults are being committed by union men upon those who have taken their places, or who are suspected of a desire to do so. Captain Charles D. Sigsbee, chief of the Bureau of Naval Intelligence, has given to the public the bureau’s annual publication, known as “Notes on Naval Progress.” In this publication a table is given showing the total tonnage of war vessels building and built by the stronger nations, as follows: England, 1,766,855; France, 781,065; Russia, 552,545; United States, 507,494; Germany, 458,482; Italy, 322,707; Japan, 251,498; or a total for these countries alone of 4,640,646 tons of fighting machinery. This represents for construction alone, to say nothing of the operating expenses of the vessels or cost of ammunition, the immense outlay of more than $1,500,000,000. Add to this the great amount annually expended in other military preparations, and one can get a little idea of the military tendencies of the times. Thirty-six persons perished in a train wreck on the Great Northern Railroad, forty miles east of Kalispell, Montana, on August 31. Many who were pinned under the wrecked cars were literally burned to death, despite the frantic efforts of the rescuers. A long train of freight cars, which were left standing on a grade, broke away and pursued a passenger train, overtaking it after a seventeen-mile run, and utterly demolishing both trains. The German nation is again discussing the tariff question, and the possibility of a tariff war with the United States. The press and people are not united, some clamoring for a high tariff against American goods, and others advising friendly tariff relations until all Europe can combine against the American danger. It is thus evident that the idea of a European combination against America is still a live question on the continent. The Kurds are reported to be again massacring the Armenians; and this, according to a Turkish writer, is part of a well-laid plan of Turkey for the final extermination of that people. He says: “The number of Armenians killed will depend upon the ‘outcry’ raised in Europe, and the pressure brought to ‘bear upon the sultan. The same horrible process ‘will be repeated year by year until all are killed.’” Famine is reported to exist in Zapata County, Texas, caused by a long-continued drought. Cattle are dying in great numbers, and men and women also are succumbing to starvation. Attempts are being made to relieve the suffering by popular contributions through the State, but lack of railroad facilities in that county makes the relief-work slow. During the past week the French have been evacuating the Chinese city of Pao-ting-fu. As fast as the Chinese officers take their places, all the improvements made by the French are being removed, and the city restored to its former condition. Among these improvements which the Chinese have abolished is the lighting of the streets at night. Colombia is reported to have an army of 17,000 men on the border to repel the threatened invasion from Venezuela, and though no invasion may take place, the situation is regarded as critical. The government of Venezuela has withdrawn from the Colombian consuls its permission for them to exercise the functions of their office in that State. Bishop Rowe, who has been making a tour of Alaska, has returned to Sitka, and reports terrible conditions among the natives. He visited many Indian villages, distributing food and medicines. In some villages almost the entire population had been carried off by an aggravated form of the grip. According to the figures of naval experts, the race between Germany and the United States in the matter of increasing their navies is a very close one, with the United States a little in the lead, which would place America fourth in the big navies of the world. Germany, however, has planned for a great addition to her navy within the next few years, and evidently does not intend to be left behind in the naval race. For some time these two powers have shown a disposition to match each other on the seas, as tho each were expecting at some time in the future to challenge or be challenged to a conflict. War rumors seem to indicate that South America will be the bone of contention. A Chicago inventor claims to have perfected a light which will shine day and night for years without replenishing or losing in brightness. The light is produced by a combination of chemicals inside a sealed glass globe. The inventor claims that the test shows the light to be of 36-candle power. The Ministerial Association of San Diego, Cal., composed of all the Protestant ministers of that place, has adopted and signed a resolution declaring that they will not in the future marry any divorced persons, except in the cases of the innocent parties to divorces granted on the ground of adultery. Hudson Bay Indians of the far north have brought down to a trading post on the bay a story of having found the bodies of two white men in a broken basket. These are regarded by some as the remains of Professor Andree and his companion, the basket referred to being the car of his balloon. A despatch from Teheran states that a widespread revolutionary movement is now in progress in Persia, fostered by discontent with the government on account of the new loan negotiations with Russia. Martial law has been proclaimed in the capital and environs. A report from Havana, Cuba, states that the condition of Havana harbor has been so improved since American occupation that fish are now able to live in the waters of the bay, “something that did not happen during the last century of Spanish dominion over it.” A boiler explosion occurred on the steamer City of Trenton, on the Delaware River, on August 28, in which 28 persons are believed to have lost their lives. Eleven bodies have been recovered, and 17 persons who were known to have been on the vessel are missing. Another New York physician, Dr. W. G. Fralick, announces the discovery of a germicide fluid that will destroy the germs of consumption and other diseases in the early stages. He is reported to have made successful demonstrations on charity patients. Dr. Walter Hough, of the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, has been exploring the petrified forests of Arizona, and claims to have found unmistakable evidence that at least four distinct tribes of Indians have inhabited that region. England is making a number of submarine boats of the Holland pattern, and will soon have them ready for launching; but is experiencing difficulty in finding men to man the boats, as few care to take chances in the dangerous craft. A serious flood burst through the eastern part of the city of Cleveland, Ohio, on the night of August 31, tearing up tracks and ruining elegant residences. No lives were lost, but the damage to property is placed at about $1,000,000. Venezuela has prepared and sent out to all friendly nations a statement of her side of the trouble that is now going on between that State and Colombia. In this the blame for the disturbance is laid upon Colombia. A cable from Trebizond, Turkey, states that the entire crew of the Belgian steamer Noranmore, with the exception of one man, was lost by the sinking of that vessel near Athina. The crew numbered 40. It is reported that the South African war has brought practical ruin to the occupation of some 20,000 diamond-cutters of Europe. This large body of toilers has decided to strike for better pay. France is now making great preparations for the reception of the czar of Russia, and the cable states that she will do nothing to cause a break in the peace with Turkey while the czar is in France. China’s minister to Washington, Wu Ting Fang, has been transferred to London, and the Chinese minister there, Sir Chih Chen Lo Feng Luh, will be transferred to the St. Petersburg post. Lieutenant-Commander Marix, who was judge-advocate of the court of inquiry investigating the destruction of the Maine, has been appointed commander of the port of Manila. The skeleton of a monster mastodon has been unearthed in a coal mine near Petaluma, Cal. Many petrified fish have been discovered in the same locality. Managers of Washington shingle mills have declared their intention to shut down the first week in September on account of the lowering of prices. Ecuador’s new president, General Leonidas Plaza, was inaugurated at the capital on September 1. Italy has begun to add to her navy vessels of the submarine type.