Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-01-31 00:00:00

WHAT COULD A CONGRESS DO ?

A congress is only in place, while there exists a
real desire on the part of all the influential States
which compose it, to come to an agreement, and a
sufficiently near approximation of opinion to render
discussion useful instead of . dangerous. It is
absurd to suppose that any funamental revo-
lution in the state of Europe—whether just or unjust
in a moral point of view, matters not -can be
brought about by a congress. A congress must
always take its stand either on a prespective right
of long standing and obvious justice, or on
the status quo. It has no pretence for interfering
with the status quo, unless it be in accordance with
the indignant moral opinion of Europe violated by
some flagrant breach of international equity. Then,
indeed, and then only, an overwhelming combina-
tion against the offending State may compel it to
disgorge its prey. But in any other case, it can only
settle the affairs of Europe in accordance with the
existing balance of power. This may be just or un-
just, —and cfuite as often unjust as just—still it is
all a congress can do : any effective appeal against .
the actual preponderance of any one great military
power in a European Congress—unless it be
a preponderance so dangerous as to unite all the
other powers against it —is useless in a mere
conference. Each power is certain to hold its own,
and to broak up the congress altogether rather
than be deprived of what it believes it has the
power to retain. Thus in 1815 the annexation of
Poland to Russia was an act of even far grosser
injustice than the recognition of the right of
Austria to Lombardy ; and yet the protests of the
dissentient powers were quite unable to prevent
it. It is perfectly clear that a congress is in
general only able to arrange European affairs on
the general basis of admitting that each State
shall keep what it has at present within its graSp,
—that it is at least only on the minor questions of
boundaries, mutual exchanges, and compensation --
on which something might be yielded for the sake
of peace,—that it can act with effect.
If any more radical, change than this is to be
effected, it can only be effected by war, and whether
the change be just or unjust can make no diffe-
rence. Poland could only have averted her unjust
fate in 1815, by a successful resistance. And now
Lombardy, however just the cause of Italian liberty
may be considered, can never expect to expel the
Austrians from their long occupation except by
war. Congresses are not fit instruments for the
revision of the map. of Europe. And they are •
equally unfit, whether the revision proposed be pro-
posed by a power like France, bent on aggression
and conquest—or by a power like Piedmont, bent on
restoring a national government to a neighbouring
province tliat has long groaned under a foreign.
yoke. Congresses are of use only as family agree-
ments are of use—where the general terms are
already assumed, and only the details need dis-
cussion. A just, but long unrecognised claim, is as
much out of place when pleading in a European
convention, as is an unjust and unrecognised claim.
Both alike make good their power to command a
revision of the map of Europe, before they can
expect to be gravely listened to in a European,
congress. .
Whether, then, we consider the proposal for
summoning a congress from the French or from
the Italian point of view, it seems to us equally
inexpedient and inapplicable. As regards France,
to allow her to bring the Italian question
before a congress would be to concede some
kind of appearance of right to her dangerous
and gratuitous interference in Italian politics. At
present it is impossible to show that she has any
grievance which can even solicit the attention of a
congress of European States. Once let her involve
Europe in a discussion of her propofals, and she
would quickly find some colour for the position she
had assumed. As regards Italy, we must never for-
get that if the Italian
,party have justice on their
side at all,—it is not the legal justice founded on Euro-
pean conventions and contracts, which are clearly on
the side of Austria. No congress could pretend to
higher authority than that of Vienna which re-estab-
lished Austria in Italy. If, therefore, her position
there be disputed, it is in vain to appeal to a con-
gress, for the authority of congresses is ipso facto
denied. No position could be falser than that of
Italy suing to a European congress to undo what
a European congress did, and what has so re-
mained for upwards, of 40 years. We believe the
step contemplated by Piedmont is altogether a
false one; but at least she has no justification for
it to which a congress could listen, since she ad-
vances her claim on those deeper patriotic grounds
that undermine the authority of such conventions
altogether.---Economist.

A. MASSACRE OF JEWS,

Some dreadful disturbances have taken place at
Folksburg, a town situated on the froutier betweext
Moldavia and Wallachia' and where the central
commission of the United principalities is to hold
its sittings. A Christian child having been found
murdered in a wineshop kept by a Jew,
the populace, suspecting the Jews m general
having been the authors of the crime, attacked
them, and killed from fifteen to twenty-. An
investigation having been instituted by the
authorities, a declaration was made that there
was no proof against the. Jews. It appears,
however, that these horrible scenes were preceded
by the publication of a pamphlet printed at
Bucharest, in the archbishop's palace, and by his
orders. In it the most violent language was used, the
following being some of the passages : "A Christian,
when ill, ought never to call in a Jewish physician,
fin' the Jews poison the Christians." "The Jews have
need 'of Christian blood for their ceremonies
of Easter ; such at least is the opinion of many
ecclesiastics." " Every Christian that kills a Jew
may be assured that all his sins will be remitted to
him, and that heaven will be his portion after
death." The publication of this production caused
great scandal, and the government authorities at
once issued an order declaring that the
archbishop should have to answer for it,
that the ecclesiastical censorship was set
aside, and that the pamphlet should be confiscated
and burned in the public market-place. But the
evil was already done. The attack on the Jews
took place, and, since then, the accounts state the
archbishop is considered in the country by the
ignorant multitude as a saint, and his writings are
looked on as an inspiration from on high. The
effect of the published opinions of such a personage
on a fanatical population may be imagined, when
its first-fruit was the massacre mentioned aboye.