Ottoman Diplomats

Synopsis

Etienne Carathéodory Effendi explains why the Catholic Belgian government, led by Auguste Beernaert, resigned. He mentions the constitutional reforms and the discord within the Catholic Party, and especially blames the conservative Charles Woeste. Carathéodory reports about the Royal orders, published in the Belgian Official Journal, the Moniteur Belge, presenting the new government. Apart from Beernaert and Lejeune, the other Ministers from the previous government kept their portfolios. Minister of the Interior, Jules de Burlet, became Prime Minister. Paul de Smet de Naeyer was the new Minister of Finance, and Victor Begerem was the new Minister of Justice. They were all partisans of proportional representation, a principle that led to the fall of the previous government, whereas only Beernaert and Lejeune actually quit. That is why Carathéodory considers the new government to be a similar, but only a transitional government, that was needed to vote the electoral reforms on new grounds. He wonders if the new government would be capable to do that without Beernaert, whom he respects a lot. Carathéodory speculates about Beernaert’s intentions and expects him to get back up and take revenge.

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