The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-08-22
herzegovina.

ACtGCy0shs0-
This little province Of Turkey is . mar
row strip Of territory divided from the
Adriatie Sea by D.lmatia, IN equally Ear
row strip of Austrian territory. Il Is
mountainous region sparsely Inhabited By
q not very highly civilized people, plumber
ing between three and four hundred thou
sand. Probably half, or rather more than
half, of this number are Christians, the re-
mainder being MAboDetans- Is Is this
email Christian population, about equal in
number to that of this city, that has re-
volted against the Turkish Empire, con
tanning over twenty three millions of sub
jects.
The contest looks like an unequal one,
bu. it is assuming an appearance of impor-
taree. The London Times il 10. An alarm
list, yet its last Thursdays issue speaks OF
the affair in very serious language. Ii says :;
while We think the success of the rebel
lion would be g calamity at present, be-
cause it migas precipi:ase disruption of
the Ottoman Empire and plunge Europe
into mighty rar, we cannot blame the
people for seeking to thro~ OF their intol-
cradle yoke Dispatches of the same date
show q panic in Turkish securities and
| heavy fall in foreign stocks. This general
aspect of the decline can not be accounted
for unless upon the hypothesis of aPpre
hension of a general war.
This alarm would appear most nnrea-
sonable if the sparse mountain population
of an unimportant province were alone TO
be considered in conflict with great pow
er. The fact Is, so far as We can judge
| from rather scanty reports, that the issue
is not one of local discomfort merely, but
of race and religion. The insurgents arr
of the great se.svonie race and of tn
Christian religion. Their situation is &
pitiabIe one, subjected a. they are TO the
iron handed exactions of fsns.ical con
queror and to the more intolerable oppres
sions of their renegade masters. Wher
that region of country was annexed to The
Turkish government some three hundreat
and fifty years ago, nearly half the popula
ton through timidity and mercenary mo
tives embraced the religion of the con
queror and professed Islamism. They wer
rewarded with honors and spoiis. The des
pendants of these apostates inhabit princi
. pally the towns and their yicinities, Will
the Christians have been driven to til
wilds and mountains. OF course, the bi:
terest animosity must have been perpetul
ted between them, all the vantage groun
in the fend being held by the party backe
3 up by the national bayonets.
3 But this condition Of things exists ais
r in Bosnia, Servia and other province
= while it is we'll understood by the Slav
e race in all countries. Hence we hear
t risings in other provinces besides Hers
4 goyina, and of volunteers rushing to Il
Q melee not only from SeIvia and all Nor
Western Turkey, but from far off PORTO
B. of the world. 1t may be also that Russ
IT is secretly fomenting the revolt and givil
J. it moral support with the design of dismeI
er bering Turkey and selling the Bosphoru
" 1t may be, a!so, that, if the situation b
Id comes little more serious, Egypt w
=, seize the opportunity of independence.
ID that case the situation will certainly b
De come grave for the Sultan.
al The affair has not yet gotten beyond t
in reach of negotiation and pacidcation, b
g. unless soon settled, it may give occasion
w bitter feelings and angry expostulatic
es among interested neighbors such as AZ
of tria, Germany and Russia The best ind
Oh of secret political and diplomatic cure
will be found in the stock quotations Of B
er lin, London and Paris.