Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-12-20
Carlyle on the Eas tern Question
The London papers print the fol
lnwinn letter frnin Mr. Carlyle.

Carlyle on the Eas tern Question
The london papers print the fol-
lowing letter from Mr.. Carlyle:
No. 5 CHEYNE Row, CHELSEA, Nov.
"a, 1S76.-DEAR HOWARD: 1t by no
means seems so evident to me as it
does to You and your friends, that an
utterance of my opinion on the cas-
tern crisis could be important; but
since you assure me that it might be
of service to many persons now in
doubt on the matter, overcome the
very great reluctance had to speak
of the subject at all, and will try to in
dictate summarily what my poor pri-
va te views upon it are.
In the first place then, for so years
back my clear belief about the Rus
slams has been that they are good and
even noble element in Europe. Con-
spicuously they possess the talent of
obedience of silently following Or
ders given, which in the universal
celebration of ballot-b0X, divine free
dom, &C., will be found an invaluable
and peculiar gift. Ever since Peter
the Greats appearance among them
they have been in steady progress of
development. In our time they have
done signal service to God and man,
in drilling into order and peace, an
archie populations all over their side
of the world. The present Gar of
Russia l judge to be strictly honest
and just man, and, in short, my be-
lief is that the Russians are called to
do great things in the world, and to
be conspicuous benefit, directly and
indirectly, to their fellow men. To
undertake a war against Russia on
behalf of the Turk, it is evident to
me, would be nothing short of insan-
ity, and has become, we may fondly
hope, impossible for any minister or
prime minister that exists among us.
Twenty years ago we had a mad war
in defense of the Turk; mass of the
most hideous and tragic stupidity,
mismanagcmenta and disaster Gin spite
Of bravest fighting) that England was
ever engaged in since l knew it;
hundred millions of money and above
GO, 600 valicnt lives were spent in the
enterprise. BY treaties of Paris, ETC.,
the Turk was preserved intact, bind
ing himself only to reform his system
of government, which, certainly of all
things in the world need reform
And now. after twenty years waiting
the Turk is found to have reformed
nothing nor attempted to reform any,
thing, not to add that by bankrupt
finance he has swallowed disastrous
tribute of many new millions from
the widows and orphans of England,
as fms to all which he has wound up
by the horrors of Bulgaria and such
savageries as are withouta parallel.
With these weighty aggravations, the
Turkish question returns upon us
anew and demands a solution, It
seems to me that something very diff
ferent from war on his behalf is what
the Turk now pressingly needs from
England and from all the world
Namely, to be peremptorily informed
that we can stand no more of his at
tempts to govern in Europe, and that
he must guam primum turn his face
to the eastward, forever quit this side
of the Hellespont, and give up his ar
rogant ideas of governing anybody
but himself. Such immediate and
summary expulsion of the Turk from
Europe may appear to many too
drastic remedy; but to my mind, it is
the only one of any real validity un-
der the circumstances. Improved
management of these unhappy coun-
tries might begin on the morning af-
ter this long-continued curse was
withdrawn, and the ground left free
for wise and honest human effort
The peaceful Mongol inhabitants
would, of course, be left in peace and
treated with perfect equality, and
even friendly consideration but the
governing Turk, with all his pashas
and bashi-bazouks, should at once be
ordered to disappear from Europe
and never to return. This result
in the long run is inevitable and it
were better to set about it now, than
TO temporize and haggle in the vain
hope of doing it cheaper at some 9TH
err time. AS TO the temporary or pre-
paratory government of the recover
ed provinces, cleared of their unspeak-
able Turk government for 20, or say,
any other term of years, our own ex-
perience in India may prove that it is
possible, and in few faithful and
skillful hands is even easy. Nor in
the temper of the car and of the Aus
trian emperor need the fair partition
of these recovered territories be q
cause of quarrel. Austria must eX-
| pcct to become more and more Sla-
vic and Hungarian empire, her 5000
O0L of Germans more and more grav-
itating toward their countrymen of
the great German empire. The car,
whose serious task is to protect the
christian subjects in Turkey proper,
will justly have claim to territorial
footing in the recovered country
To England there is one vital interest,
and one only-that of securing its
road to India, which depends on
Egypt and the SueZ canal. The thing
to be desired is concord among the
three great powers, and if, as we do
hope, there is mutual trust ground
ed on honesty Of intention on the part
of each, none claiming more than in
the nature of things belong to them,
we may confidently expect that the
difficulties of the business cannot
prove insuperable. 1t seems to me
the advice of Prince Bismarck, mag,
unanimous, noble, and deep seeing
man, who has no national aims or in
terest in the matter, might be very
valuable; nay were he appointed ar
bitter where..difiicult differences arose
what but benefit would be likely to
result? But on this portion of the
subject I am not called to write. The
only clear advice that ! have to give
Is, as / have stated, that the unspeak-
able Turk should be Immediately
struck out of the question, and the
country left to honest European gui-
dance, delaying of which can be
profitable or agreeable only to gam
blers on the stock exchange, but dis
tressing and improbable to all other
men. ] remain, always, dear How
ard, yours truly. /. CARLYLE.
q. Howard, ESQ.
That lady in Albany, who prom
ised to walk around the public square,
clothed only in her right mind and a
ohom;oa in case Haycs were elected.