Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-07-17
0bl) Statesll.sy,ln, 81,
Abdul Aziz and the Cretans.
Correspondence of the Ohio statesmanl

The apologistsfor the Cretan insurrec-
tion, which has received vast deal more
attention than it. has intrinsically mer-
tied, and indeed only assumed impor-
tance as betraying the political schemes
of Greece and Russia-have offered to
Europe and America, as a claim for SYM
pathy, in crusade against Turkey, the
statement that Greece and Russia would
do more for civilization and progress in
the East. There has been such a persis-
tent determination on the part of the
enemies of Turkey to represent to her
prejudice, what has been termed the
eastern question" and there have been
so few, especially in America, who have
offered to "speak for her cause" that
many false statements have gone aun.
challeged. What evidence of advance
ment does Russia offer in that which
makes people great, above what Tur-
key presents ? And if we ask the same
of Greece, she points to her rocky hills
and talks of men who hourished two
thousand years ago.. telling over their
names as nun does those of the saints
upon her rosary. When we would speak
Of the living issues of to-day, we are
answered with stories of the past. II
Russia, especially, is to be tie
representative of modern civilization
and the teacher of-modern ideas to Tur-
( key, as the partisans of her policy de-
sire, there would be little to hope for the
future of the Orient. Before she as.
sumes the role of promoting and protect
ing progress" abroad, it would be well
to begin at home and acquire some quail
ification for the task. Where is her sci
ence, her art, her philosophy, her poe
try, her craftsmanship, her anything OF
which nation should be proud, that she
should enlist in her interest advocates in
America to apologize for her attempts to
swallow up the nationalities of the East
There is no real progress in Russia, Oh
any indications that progressive move
ments will be instituted by her Govern
ment; the high civilization of Europe
has hardly had an influence upon her
she has no system of education, no
schools; possessed of rich and fertile
soil, her agriculture is but little in ad-
vance of that of Europe during the feu-
dal ages; her mineral wealth lies al
most untouched in her mountains, and
she has nothing, in short, but the mere
brute force of numbers; the barbarous
strength of vast population, which
would enable her ultimately to crush Eu-
rope If her attempt at conquest were not
thwarted by the great powers. She
sends abroad for the talent which con.
structs her railroads, builds her ships
and officers her army. We do not mean
to say there are not cultivated men il
Russia, who are the peers of any in the
world her wealthy nobility are pos
sessed of all the refnements and &C
complishments which the advantages o.
wealth can give, but they do not acquire
this cultivation in their own land or Ian.
guage, and are, in fact, foreigners in ev
erything but birth-educated in and
speaking the language of France. But
this is not the class who develope the
resources of country, who study me-
chanics for the purpose of applying its
principles to the wants of life, who build
shops, and telegraphs, and railroads
and ships. Enabled to indulge a lux,
urious ease, and to crafty their intel
lectual and sensual tastes, they exercise
an evil rather than good influence up
on the state. Russia has not that class
of intelligent and energetic workers who
make Germany, England, France .and
America great and powerful.
The praise of the Czar has been loud
ly sounded since by Imperial ukase he
liberated the serfs, and his humanity ir
this particular has received the warmest
encomiums. How much this praise
worthy act was due to real desire to
benefit and improve his subjects, and
how much to a desire to curtail the
power of his mobiles, we will not under
take to discuss, but accept the tait &C
comph with the praise due such ar
achievement, from whatever impulse il
may have proceeded. But, so far as
the serfs themselves are concerned, how
much better is their condition now thar
before their emancipation What eff
forts have been made for their advance
ment, for their improvement, for their
education and enlightenment Then
condition has only been changed in law
not in fact.
Some better argument must be offered
to excuse Russian designs upon Turkey
than that civilization would be advanced
by the domination of Russia in the
East. The good will which exists be-
tween the Government of the United
States and the Czar, does not require
that Americans shall be blind or unjust
We can give proper expression to the
friendship we profess for the Czar, and
manifest our appreciation of the cordial
attitude he assumed toward us when the
perfidy of England and the ambition Of
Napoleon rendered such moral support
of benefit to US, without speaking in ia.
vor of Russian policy which our can.
did Judgment cannot sanction or ap-
prove.
1t has been urged that Russia and
Greece are Christian powers-both pro-
Tossing the Greek religion-and should
justly claim the sympathy of Protestant
America in consequence of the fact
There is. indeed, greater possibility OF
anity between Protestant and Mus
sulman than between Protestant and a
bigoted Greek, in whose eyes Lutheran,
which is his term of reproach for all
Protestants, is about as respectable as a
Kamschatkan. We are sorry to confess
that the principal dupes of the Cretan
movement have been among the religious
portion of the community who have been
Influenced by appeals made in the name
of religion, and have given ready be-
lief to the gross falsehoods told Of the
oppression" of the Cretans. The worst
subjects the Sultan has are among the
professed Christians, and the major mart