The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-07-20 00:00:00

THE STOTIRBRIDGE OBSERVER

THE TREATY OF BERLIN.

The Tithes of Monday has the following leading article on
the Treaty of Berlin (the text of nearly the whole of which
appears in Monday's 'limes) _

_ _
. . . It is certainly the most important international
decree that has appeared since the treaties recording
the labours of the Congress of Vienna. It would be
of the highest political moment even if it did no more
than record the arrangements by which the Great
Powers have averted a war that might have spread
from end to end of Europe. But it will also be a
great historical landmark because it has transformed
an Empire which contains the most coveted terri-
tory in the world, and which periodically threatens
the general peace by its disorganization. It would
be futile to deny that Turkey has been subjected
to vast changes, and, indeed, the Plenipotentiaries
would have condemned themselves if, in presence of so
desperate a state of decay, they had wielded the ampu-
tating knife with a timid hand. They are open, how-
ever, to no such reproach. The changes they have
made may be divided into several groups, and in the
first may be placed those outlying provinces of the
Porte which were practically independent before the
war. Roumania and Servia were linked to Constanti-
nople by the frail tie of a tribute which in recent years
they sometimes forgot to pay. Both provinces are now
formally declared to be independent. Roumania,
as the public knows, is to give back to Russia a
portion of that Bessarabian territory which she
received after the Crimean War; and in exchange she
is to obtain the Dobrudja, with territory stretching
from the east of Silistria to the south of Mangalia on
the coast of the Black Sea. Although nothing can
excuse the conduct of Russia in thus taking the land
of a gallant little ally, Roumania has otherwise good
reason to be pleased with what she has received in
exchange. Servia also gets some additional territory.
In the same group of changes may be classed the new
position and boundaries of Montenegro. That little
State has never acknowledged any fealty to the
Sultan, and its independence is at last admitted by
the Porte and by the Powers of Europe. Thus ends
a struggle which has been waged for centuries. A
good deal of additional territory has been given to
Montenegro, and in particular the port of Antivari, so
that the energetic mountaineers will at last have an
outlet for their scanty produce. On the other hand,
the Congress has imposed some obligations on the
States which has thus been freed from all con-
nexion with the Porte and enlarged at its expense.
Montenegro and Servia will have to bear a part of
the Ottoman Debt proportionate to the size of the
new territory which they have received. No such
burden has been laid on Roumania, because the
Dobrudja is regarded, not as an addition, but as an
exchange. The amount of the tribute hitherto paid
by Servia and Roumania is to be capitalized, and
thus an end will be put to all the pecuniary ties
between those Principalities and the Turkish capital.
The Congress has further laid a duty of high import-
ance on Roumania, Servia, and Montenegro by stipu-
lating that all the subjects of these States shall be
totally free from religious disabilities. Such is the
satisfactory reply to the just complaint of the Jews at
the treatment which they have sustained in Servia and
Roumania; and in the same provision the Congress
has in view the rights of any ]Aussulmans who may
choose to remain in the territory which has been sepa-
rated from the Porte. In Europe the last and most
striking case 'of complete amputation is presented by
Bosnia and Herzegovina. These provinces are dismissed
in the brief phrase that they "shall be occupied and ad-
ministered by Austria-Hungary." As they fall under
the sway of a great civilized Power, the Congress
assumes that it need lay down no rules for the tolera-
tion of religious minorities. It is also not stipulated
that the occupied territory is to pay any tribute to the
Porte or to bear any portion of the Turkish Debt.
The separation is absolute and unconditional. So is
the surrender of the Asiatic territory which falls to
the share of Russia, except in so far as she engages to
make Batoum a commercial port.
The second zone of change is filled up by the new
Bulgaria, which includes all the territory from the
Danube to the Balkans except the part forming
the compensation given to Roumania. Bulgaria is
to be "an autonomous and tributary Principality,"
under the suzerainty of the Sultan. It is to have
a Christian Government and a national militia.
Its Prince is to be elected by the people, subject
to the confirmation of the Porte and the assent
of the Great Powers, the only restriction on the
freedom of choice being that he shall belong to
none of the reigning dynasties of the Great Powers.
There is to be a representative form of government
and complete religious equality. The principality
is to pay a fixed tribute to the Porte, and to bear part
of the Turkish Debt. On the other hand, all the
Ottoman troops are to be withdrawn, and all the
fortresses to be destroyed. The separation of Bul-
garia from the Porte will be complete in all but the
name and the obligation to pay a fixed sum of money.
Thus it will be in nearly the same position as that
which Servia occupied before the war. But it will
take some time to prepare the requisite changes, and
meanwhile the provisional organisation will be directed
by a Russian Commissioner. He will be "assisted "
however, and the 'provisional organization" con-
trolled," by a Turkish Commissioner, as well as by
Consuls to be appointed by the signatory Powers.
Since the temporary Government is not to
last for more than nine months, the action of
the Russian Commission will be both closely
watched and of short duration. Still, it may
be thought, much room will be left for the growth of
Russian influence subsequent to the final arrangements
of the new Principality. The Government and the
Militia, it naay be said, will be controlled by Russian
officials; and the gratitude of the Bulgarians, or, at
least, a fear that they may again need the aid
of Russia, may disincline them to protest.
Such a danger is certainly not visionary.
It is extremely likely that Russia would
wield undue influence in Bulgaria if the treaty were
regarded as self-acting. But treaties have to be en-
forced as well as made, and it will be the business of
the Powers to see that no Government shall gain dis-
proportionate authority over the new Principality.
Austria in particular will be expected to watch the
interests of Europe as well as of herself now that, by
gaining Bosnia and Herzegovina, she has pushed her-
self forward into the Balkan peninsula.

A third group of changes begins to the south of the
Balkans. East Roumelia will have a more formal con-
nection than Bulgaria with the Porte. It is to have a
Christian Governor-General, who will be chosen by
the Sultan, with the assent of the Great Powers, and
will remain in office for a term of five years. Practi-
cally, therefore' he will be appointed by them, and
they may cause his tenure of command to be prolonged
beyond the specified time if he should give exceptional
proof of fitness. The administrative arrangements
of the province have still to be determined by a Euro-
pean Commission, which will work in concert with the
Porte, and take as its starting-points the propositions
made at the eighth meeting of the Conference of Con-
stantinople. If we may judge from those plans,
the administrative independence of the province will
be almost as complete as that of Bulgaria itself. The
budget will be so settled that a definite part of the
revenue will be reserved for the local expenses, and
another definite part sent to Constantinople. Thus
East Roumelia would, like Bulgaria itself, be practi-
cally a tributary state, Its freedom will also be
assured by the stipulation of the Congress that
internal order shall be kept by a native gendarmerie
and a local militia, so recruited as so represent
the religion of the districts over which they will
watch. But it is provided that the officers
of both these corps shall be appointed by
the Sultan. Still more important is his right
to raise fortifications and keep troops on all the
frontiers of the province, and therefore on the Balkans
as well as on the southern boundary. The Governor-
General will also have power to call for Turkish troops
if the internal or the external security of the province
should be menaced. The decision of the Porte must then
be stated and justified to the representatives of the
Great Powers at Constantinople. Practically, there-
fore, the court of final appeal for East Rourr-elia will
be the assembled Ambassadors; and, on the whole, its
position will not be unlike that held by Servia before
the Turkish troops were withdrawn from Belgrade in
1867. In a fourth group of changes we may place
the Island of Crete and "the other parts of Turkey
in Europe for which a special organization has not
been provided by the present treaty." So far as Crete
is concerned, the Porte promises to apply scrupulously
the administrative plan which was formed in 1868, and
to improve that law in any fashion which shall be
deemed equitable. Hence, we presume, the Powers
have still to review the causes of the discontent which
keeps that island in a state of rebellion. They have also
provided a good deal of further work by the stipulation
that the Porte shall form special commissions to prepare
plans for the government ot the provinces which the Con-
gress has not passed underreview. Thus the administra-
tive schemes for what may be called West Roumelia
have still to be framed, and the Plenipotentiaries
have left part of their task undone. We have also
still to learn the answer of the Porte to the proposal
that a considerable amount of territory should be
ceded to Greece. But it would be unreasonable to
complain that the Congress has dme too little. It
has made changes which transform an Empire; it has
removed long-standing causes of discontent; it has
pacified, we may hope, provinces which were torn by
dissension and misrule ; it has placed barriers between
rival forms of implacable bigotry; it has stopped
many avenues of foreign intrigue • and, if it has
abridged the power of the Porte, it has given peace to
Europe.

[The Treaty contains sixty-four articles. It is signed
by Von Bismarck, Von Billow, Hohenlohe, Andrassy,
Karolyi, Haymerle, Waddington, St. Varner, Despres,
.Beaconsfield, Salisbury, Odo Russell, Corti, Launay,
Gortchakoff, Schouvaloff, D'Oubril, Carath6odori,
Mehemet All, Sadoullah.]