Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-11-11
THE WAR CLOUD.

War between England and Russia
over the Turko-Servia difficulty Is i'm
mipent. The essential facts are tnat
Russia is bound to protect the chris
tian provinces now in revolt against
Turkish rule. The czar is unwilling
to sanction any terms OF peace which
are not backed by positive guarantees
on the part of Turkey that the chris
tian people shall be relieved from OPP
preston and dealt fairly and humanely
with, and Austria aud England have
ioined in this demand. But Turkey
has offered no such guarantees. She
has evaded the issue and substituted
propositions Of her own which leave
the essential points in the difficulty
uncovered, and then she asks an ar
mistice for six months. Russia unites
with Servia and the other provinces
in refusing the proposal. They have
everything to lose and nothing TO gain
by delay. Ifthe battle is to be fought
at all the sooner it is waged the more
advantageous it will be for them. The
Interests of Russia and the belligerent
provinces are one. And in refusing to
make peace on the proposed terms
Turkey virtually declares war with
Russia as yell as Servia aud Rouman-
ia, and Russia has arranged 10 throw
% 900 troops daily into the belligerent
provinces.
But the attitude of Russia fills Eng
land with alarm andexcltes an intense
war feeling. England made the peace
proposals which Turkey rejected, yet
the British ministry urged the accept
ance of an armistice without guaran-
rees, thus retreating from their own
ground This fact destroys any le-
gitimate reason for war England might
have ia the course of negotiations, OF
from the miscarriage of diplomacy.
Her ministry has nothing TO complain
of save that Russia makes the cause
OF Servia and Bulgaria her own aud
proposes to fight their battles against
power which has defied civilization
and outraged the rights of human na-
ture. It Is hard to see what rea,ona-
bic pretext England can urge for
lighting, save the fear that the aggrao-
dlzement o. Russia imperI 5 England
power IN the east. and the reported de-
slgn OF Russia to occupy Armenia ani
send hei most powerful ir0u-ciads 10
Besika Bay looks ike a movement gu
h ypt aud the Suez caual. Bat this
scare il hardly sufficient excuse Tor
war. Besides Engiaud conie,ses that
the Crimean war was a costly foay,
aud that It would have been better tor
her had she let the sick man die with
out any attempt on her part TO proioug
his existence. Then she had the sup
port of France, but now she stands
alone. Austria is united with Russia
against Turkey. Italy joins Russia IN
her demands and sustalns her course.
Germany approves the attitude and
policy of the war. BY refusing to
Join in the imperial note last summer
England virtually excluded herself
from continental complications, and
has no longer a controlling voice IN
European politics. She has no armies
with whicL to meet Russia with her
million and half of men fighting IN
their native fastnesses for a cause that
is dear to their convictions and sacred
to their hearts. Moreover a war for
Turkey would be the most unpopular
| conflict England ever engaged In. Inc
recent outrages in sBulgarla have
| stirred the sensibilities of the English
people to their depths, while the vast
losses by Turkish securities have made
English capitalists mad The ministry
is unpopular, and with a powerful OPP
position headed by Gladstone and
| Bright would hardly dare to rush into
war which would drive it from office.
/ 1t seems impossible that under exist
| ing circumstances England can seri-
ously think Of fighting Russia single
handed to protect Turkey, and the on
ly reason which can lend a color Of
! justification to her present menaces Is
theapprehension that the acquiescence
of Germany in the policy of Russia
means a remakiDg of the map of Eu-
| rope. IF Germany is to be paid for
| siding with Russia by Russian consent
| to her absorption Of Denmark or some
other territorial aggrandlEement II IS
easy to understand the nervous aglta-
tiOn of the English people. But unless
some such arrangement is In the pro-
gramme there is no reason to think
| that England will fight without it shall
appear that Russia proposes to occupy
| Armenia, thus threatening not only
Egypt and the Suez canal but all
Eugland's Asiatic possessions. In the
J latter case England is bound to defend
herself at all hazards.-Grdphie.