Mr. Leishman to Mr. Hay.
Constantinople, August 18, 1902.
* * * * * *
(Mr. Leishman states that the emigration of wives and minor children of Ottoman origin is only one of the questions that have been settled with the minister for foreign affairs, but rendered inoperative by action of the grand vizier, who, when Mr. Leishman called to attempt to adjust the difficulties, declined, on four successive occasions, to receive him; that other questions are such as stopping completion of American mission buildings at Harput, for which official permit had been granted; failure to surrender policies of the New York Life Insurance Company seized at Tchoroun, etc., all of which the minister for foreign affairs notified Mr. Leishman had been settled and orders issued putting them into execution. Finding that these orders were ignored, Mr. Leishman, before assuming his present position, went through the farce of again taking up the matter and having fresh orders issued, with same results.
Mr. Leishman states that there are other annoying cases pending, the settlement of a number of which will probably result from action [Page 1046] already taken; but that unless proper satisfaction is insisted on in the present instance the important principle as to whether questions settled with the minister for foreign affairs are to be permitted to be rendered practically null and void by conflicting orders of the grand vizier, and whether the latter’s refusal to grant to the Government of the United States treatment equal to that accorded to other great powers is to be tolerated will remain unsettled. * * *)