In my dispatch No. 277, of January 15, 1887, I inclosed a copy of a note
addressed to the Porte regarding the interference with the colporteurs.
Shortly afterwards there were three more arrests of colporteurs; whereupon I
sent another note to the Porte.
In these dispatches I made no mention of the Bible House incident, but the
Porte has seen fit to connect the two matters, probably because they both
touch the sale of books.
I inclose for your consideration a copy of my reply.
I hope that my dispatch will be found correct in its claims, and will meet
your approval.
[Inclosure 1 in No. 307.]
The Sublime Porte to Mr.
King.
Sublime
Porte, Department of Foreign
Affairs,
March 22,
1887.
Mr. Chargé d’Affaires: I have received the two
dispatches that you kindly addressed to me under the dates of 13th of
January and the 21st of February last, Nos. 40 and 47, with regard to
the colportage of the books of the Bible Society.
The information which has been furnished on this subject to the legation
seems to be incomplete. According to the reports of the prefecture of
the police, the missionaries of that society having commenced the
spreading of certain tracts which are injurious and calumnious to the
Mussulman religion, it had been decided to enforce the seizure of them.
A search made in the Bible House, with the assistance of the consular
dragoman, brought the discovery of many volumes of those tracts and
others not less injurious, but the dragoman opposed their seizure by the
agents of the authority. This opposition of the dragoman is the less
justifiable, as under the clauses of the protocol annexed to the law of
the seventh Sepher, “the action of the police outside of an abode must
be exercised freely and without reserve.” Now the Bible House is v not a
private abode; it is a vast establishment, containing a printing
establishment, a book-store, an editing bureau of a journal, and a
school—the whole making a public place, where the imperial authorities
could have free access, and practice, in case of need, a direct
supervision.
The foreign and native printing and newspaper establishments being
governed by the same law, the consular assistance itself would not be
necessary. But as long as it has been requested, the dragoman could not
oppose the seizure of subversive books pointed against the religion of
the state or against the public order, and obstruct in this way the
action of the authority. Therefore I would be very much obliged to you
if you would give the necessary instructions to whom it belongs, so that
similar difficulties shall not be raised any more, in the absence of
which the imperial authorities would be justified in acting by
themselves, as moreover the aforesaid protocol confers upon them the
power.
As regards the colporteurs themselves, who are all Ottoman subjects and
not citizens of the United States, and of the promulgation a regulation
on the bookhawking, a question purely interior, the imperial authorities
will not fail to take the measures which they will consider useful and
necessary.
Accept, etc.,
[Inclosure 2 in No. 307.]
Mr. King to the
Sublime Porte.
United
States Legation,
Constantinople, April 6,
1887.
No. 57.]
Excellency: In your dispatch of 22d March, yon
state that “d’après les rapports de la préfecture de police les
missionaires de cette société ayant commencé à répandre certaines
brochures injurieuses et calomnieuses pour la religion musulmane, il
avait été décidé d’en opérer la saisie et de les détruire.”
I am glad to be able to say, and I think that you will be pleased to
learn, that the information which has been furnished you on this point
is totally devoid of truth. On the contrary, the missionaries do not
offer for sale, either at the Bible House or through their colporteurs,
a single book or pamphlet which they are not ready to have examined by
the proper authorities; no book nor pamphlet which has not been
sanctioned by the ministry of public instruction or passed the
censorship of the custom-house.
They offer for sale nothing against the Mussulman religion or public
order.
A grave charge of this kind, which does great injustice to our
missionaries, should be accompanied by definite facts. What books or
pamphlets have been offered for sale to which objection can be made?
Possibly the erroneous information furnished you arose from the fact that
some years ago the missionaries offered for sale some copies of a Greek
book, which came from Athens, passed the censorship, and paid duties,
but later it proved to be objectionable.
But being informed that such was the case, they immediately withdrew them
from sale, and struck the title from their catalogue.
Furthermore, your statement that, when the Bible House was recently
visited by an official of the board of public instruction and an agent
of the police and our dragoman, this “perquisition avait amené la
découverte de plusieurs exemplaires de ces brochures et d’autres
ouvrages non moins nuisibles” likewise rests on false information.
How can such an assertion be made, when said official refused to make a
search in the store, contemplated in the request of the minister of
police, unless he was also allowed to make a search through the whole
Bible House, accompanied by the police agent and the dragoman?
This request was not granted, but he was invited to visit the whole
establishment and examine it by himself; this he refused to do.
Afterwards two of our missionaries called on his excellency Munif Pacha,
minister of public instruction, and explained to him that nothing
objectionable was offered for sale, and at their request the same agent
visited the Bible House, accompanied by another gentleman, made a search
and said that he found nothing objectionable.
The Bible House is free to be visited at any time by officials in an
unofficial manner and without police.
Your claim of right to search it officially without the assistance of the
legation can not for a moment be granted by this legation and has never
been granted. By reference to dispatches from this legation, No. 25, of
April 4, 1874; No. 38, of June 6, 1874; No. 77, of March 12, 1875, your
excellency will see that not only was such a claim disputed, but in No.
77, it is stated that “la Sublime Porte s’engagea à prendre les mesures
nécessaires à ce que l’incident du Bible House ne se renouvelle pas par
la suite.”
This legislation can not admit that the protocol to which your excellency
refers grants the right of officially visiting the Bible House, and if
such visits are at times granted it is a matter of courtesy and
convenience, and not from any admission of your right to make an
official search.
Finally, in reference to the colporteurs, your excellency knows that
within a few years many of them have been arrested and hundreds of books
taken from them. How many of these books, excellency, have been found
objectionable? Since not a single one of them has been ‘found
objectionable, I hope you will see that the necessary measures are
promptly taken (as requested in my dispatches No. 40, of January 13, and
No. 47, of February 21) to prevent further interference with said
colporteurs.
A cessation of such interference will remove a chronic cause of complaint
and will be not only a great benefit to this legation, but, as it seems
to me, a great convenience to your Government. Accept, etc.,
