The Indiana State sentinel., 1875-09-16
THE SERvIAN SITUATION.
RussIA,s RELATIONS TO IT

RUSsIA'S RELATIONS TO IT.
SHE HAS LONG BEEN WAITING TO GO RoR TUE-
KEYS wING-THE CHRISTIANS BLI0HTIN0
HATRED OF THE MoHAMMEDAN.
The relations of Russia to the Turkish
troubles is thus treated by writer in the
New York Herald: In 1912 Russia appeared
on the scene, and from that time to the pres
ent has never turned her eyes away from
this principality. And here, be it stated.
we have probably the main reason of these
periodically recurring revolts. Although
during the troubles of 1889 in which the
Austrian monarchy nearly fouDdered, Servia
was internally undisturbed, still TIE pres
ence of Russian army in Austria called
into existence patriotic slave party, whose
aim was to drive Islam cut of Europe, and
with this view strove with might and main
alter an alliance with Russia, The Mon
tenegrin revolt of 1928 only intensified
this feeling. Servia was prevented from
trying conclusions with the Crescent sim
ply by government that did not represent
the popular feeling and the threatened hos
tility of surrounding powers. Previous to
this, however, in 1888, the presence of the
Turkish troops in the fortresses of Servis
and OF Turks in the quarters of Belgrade,
similar to the Jewish Ghetto in Rome, gave
rise to bloody conflicts. Again, In 1862 the
feelings between the Turks and Christians
consequent upon the revolt in Bosnia,
herzegovina and Montenegro, became so
bitter that the Christian population OF
Belgrade stormed the Turkish ouarter and
drove the Osmanlis into the icrtress itself.
During a truce agreed upon for purposes
of treating, the Turkish commander bonn
barded the city, and only dssisted upon the
indignant remonstrances of the foreign
consuls. The state of things was considered
so serious that it occupied the attention Of
Austria, France, Great Britain, Italy, Prus-
sia and Russia, at Constanlinople. These
powers saw that any extension of the thea
ter of hostilities
WOULD LEAD TO GENERAL EUROPEAN WAR,
and, as war is an expensive and hazard
Gus thing, they thought it better to solve the
difficulty Professionally in a peaceful
fashion. France was recovering from the
war OF 1855, Austria was exhausted; England
Was apathetic: Russia expectant, but timid;
Italy nowhere if not engaged in pulling
down Italian thrones, and Prussia was pre-
pairing for her short and bloody conflict
with Austria in 1866. The mutual distrust
Of the great powers induced them to post
pone the division of the 'Sick Man'sn in
heritance. The Crimean war was but one
phase OF tie question, OF which the re-
volt in Herzegovina is another. The pre-
tectorate OF Russia over the CHRISTIANS of the
East was disputed by England and France,
and led 10 that bloody war. The French
occupation OF Syria and of the
Morea were led up to by the
same causes. It would be an un-
grateful task to give detailed account of
the perpetually recurring revolts in the
European dominions of the Porte Hardly
in year passes that does not witness a struc-
gle between the padischa and his Christian
subjects. 1t may be generally assumed that
vel governed people Go not Tebel. But the
causes of these revOlts lie much deeper than
in Nero temporary Enisgovernment. These
causes will now be briefly discussed. The
first is the invetsrate hatred existing be-
tween the Turk and the Christian in the
East. The animosity of a vanqulsbed to-
ward conquered race is one that will per-
petuate itself for centuries where the races
do not become fused. If disparity or creed
be added we have all that is necessary to
perpetuate such hatred. 1t would be diff
fcult matter to give the real measure Of the
rancor mutually entertained toward each
other by the Christian and Moslem. 1t
can be best done by comparison. The
feelingof the South toward the North at the
conclusion ofour late war was not one OF any
very overpowering tenderness. A Munster
Catholic is not generally credited with any
exhausting affection for an OTaDGeman. A
Pole is
NOT EXPECTED TO LOVE Z RUSSIAN.
Such antipathies as these, however, pale be-
fore the fierce, blighting hatred which the
Christian of the Lsvant fosters toward the
Osmanli. The latter is to him the incarna-
tion of misgovernment,ra ,rapacity, cruelty and
vice in their worst forms. Nor are these
ideas without some show of justification.
Unless one has travelled in Turkey it is dii-
fcult, even from the best books of travel,
to form any adequate idea of the frigbtiul
condition of her European dependencies.
The groans of their Christian Inhabitants
rarely reach the ear OF Western Europe.
The printing press is but little known out
side the great cities. 1t is only " hen their
furious hatred eliminates in a rebellion that
we are reminded of the grinding oppression
under which they live. The representations
of the Western powers induced the late sui
tan to attempt some reform, but he might
as well attempt to reform the New York
custom house or the police. The gov
ernor of an outlying Turkish province is
simply tax-gatherer with qussi-despotic
powers. He Is not unlike the old Roman
prc-consul. He has two things TO do-to
send money to Constantinople and 10 get
rich. AS there is no system OF assessment.
the aga wrings as much as he chooses out
of the inhabitants, and woe t. the re-
calcitrant. The monstrous prodigality of the
sultan renders it impossible, even tor the
most jealous extortion, to supply the re-
quired iunds. So Turkey is virtually bank
rupt, and is only propped up by periodical
loans, taken up chiefly in England. And
when was a bankrupt state known to be
merciful? Superadded to these irritating
causes is the panslavonic idea permeating the
various races forming the great slave family.
In all their broiIs with the Turk they have
looked up 30 Russia, and in her mediation,
backed by 1,75O,000 soldiers, they have al
ways found a cautious but
LRREsIsTABLE FRIEND AGAINST THE PORTE.
What Russia failed to accomplish in her
against England and France in the
Crimes she has ever since persistently pur-
sued, and would seem to-day to
be on the point of a; ;hiev-
ing il. She has carefully nursed her
self, has reorganized her army, has covered
her southern and western dominions with
net of military railways, and has used her
agents as no other power in Europe UNDER
stands how to use them. The consequence
is that even an Insignificant state like