New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-02-23
" TURN or THE 1URh.D

The revolutionary leaders in Herzegovina
refuse to accept the Andrassy settlement. They
have no faith that the Porte intends to carry
out the reforms stipulated in the Austrian
Prime Minister'S note, and they will continue
the struggle for independence. The Sultan'S
fiTlan looks well on paper, and the official
machinery il provides for eiiecting the prom
i,..d amelorations in The condition of the
Christians of the reyolted province appears to
he rs good as could he devised under the cir
c,lmstanccs; but the rebel chiefs lack conf
dencc, and feel much safer in their mountain
strongholds with arms in their hands
than in laying their grievances before
Turkish commission. 1t would thus
seem that the diplomacy of the three
empires had proved wholly abortive. But who
can say that this exact result was not cOntem-
plated from the first, and that the insurgents
are not acting on the secret advice OF the very
governments that are openly Counscling them
Ia accept the profcr OF the Porte? All the
Great Powers are wv committed to the
Andra,,y plan OF conciatIon, and the Sultan
accepts it; but the Ilerzegovinans will have
none of it, and nothing, therefore, remains
but To propose some other settlement Now
the general assent of Europe, We may expect
to gee it driven still further
The next proposition that goes To Constan-
tinople from Vienna will probably be- for the
occupation of the reyolted province by Aus
trim troop, preparatory to negotiations for ia
separation from the Turkish Empire. The
ncsIboring province OF Bosnia would follow
the fate OF herzegovina, and the most feasible
scheme of adjustment would he the erection of
the country into IN independent princIpality
or its annexation To Seryia. Ii il difficult to
see what other plan would satisfy the three
Powers that have put their fingers into
the pie. Austria and Russia might thrust the
Sultan across the Bssphorus and partition
Turkey between them, but what would be
Gernanys share of the spoil Nothing less
than radical reconstruction OF the map
of Europe, which would give her the
Netherlands and Flanders, would mdem-
Nifty her for the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of her neigh
bors. Such a scheme would be sure to precip-
itate another war with France, and France
would have the support of her Crimean ally.
England NAV be said to possess a first mort
gage on the Turkish d0minions, for her people
own the bulk of the Turkish debt. After dry
nursing the dccrepit Government OF the Sui
tan for half century and fighting one costly
war To keep il alive, it is rot likely that she
would stand quietly By aud see it snuited out
b. selfish conspiracy Of three of the CONT
mental Powers. All the Christian nations OF
the world. except England, would rejoice if
the Turk could be turned ont of Europe. He
is Engands debtor to the amount of hundreds
Of millions and is besides Il good customer for
her Manchester and Birmingham factories, and
naturally she does not want his estates couiis-
Gated
But leaving England out, and leaving France
out TOO, il is doubtful whether Germany, Aus
tria, and Russia could agree upon any plan
for the complete extinction of ae Ottoman
power north of the Bosphorus. If there were
grand tribunal of nations, such as the advo-
Gates of the Soidarit6 DIES peoples talk about,
the question would be easily settled. The
Turk would be cited before the tribunal by
his Christian subjects and arraigued after this
fashion "You in your European empire
" number only 4,0O0,000 souls; we Christians
Z" are 2,0O0, 900 souls. What right have you
/" to deprive us of all voice in the govern
"ment2 You are cumberers of the ground.
You are o stumbling block in the way of
civilization. You have converted the falrest
"part of Europe into Tartar camp.
Your fatalism, pOlygamy, and Orien-
tai despotism arc out of place here.
"GO back to Asia, where you belong"
The Turk would not be without q plausible
justification. Ho would answer: 81 am here
"by right of possession. My ancestor, the
GREAT S0liman cOnauered most OF tle