The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1877-05-10
THE EASTERN WAR.
WHY THEY FIGHT

and Old Kaspars, too, for that matter,
are sending us requests for state
ment of the causes of the war be-
tween Russia and Turkey.
"Sow tell us all about the war.
And what they fought each ether for.'
The present war is only one Of .
long series of antagonisms, growing
ont of differences in races and their
civilization, and embittered by the
batrcds and revengss engendered by
the dissensions and prosecutions Of
the followers Of rival creeds, Fer the
beginning we must go back many CEN
turies. About A. D. 800, images for
sort of religions object teaching
were introduced into the churches.
A. ID. $50, Constantine, the Great, re-
moved the seat of tho Roman Empire
10 Byzantium, which was henoeforth
called, in his honor, Constantinople.
Under his rule the constitution of the
Christian Church was changed. Till
then brotherly equality prevailed
among Christians, and bishops and
elders were chosen by the whole com.
munity. Now. the clergy separated
from the laity, degrees Of rank were
introduced, bishops were placed over
priests, and metropolitans or ruling
bishops over both, Great Seer, as at
Rome, Constantinople, Alexandra and
Jerusalem, came under the govern
ment of patriarchs. The Patriarch or
Bishop of Rome, called Pope since 6O6
soon claimed supremacy oyer the
whole church, but his claim was al
ways more or less disputed, and final
ly repudiated entirely, by the Patri-
arch Of Constantinople.
The Roman Empire divided into
two, the Eastern and Western, or the
Greek and the Latin. and race jeal-
ousies were fostered by church dissen-
sions, notably those about images,
which were for q time excluded from
the churches of the Eastern Empire.
The Greek Emperor Leo having COM
manded the images to be removed
from the churches, was excommuni-
Gated by the Roman Pope Gregory l.,
and this led to q separation into the
Greek and Roman Churches A. ID. 729
The Russians belong to the Greek
Church. On the capture of Coustan-
tinople and the overthrow OF the East
ern Empire by the Turks il I453,
Russia assumed the leadership and
protectorate of the Greek Church. She
al, hao 1~sv
inople as the ancient capital of her
religious faith, from the possession of
which her co-religionists are wrong
fully withheld by the Turks. The |
sympathy of the Romish Church with
Turkey in the present quarrel is thus
accounted for, as she recognizes in the |
Turks, to some extent, allies against |
her hereditary rival, the Greek
Church.
The rule of the Turks has been cruel
and oppressive to the last degree. AS
we pointed out few weeks ago, the
Mahometan is armed, and the Chris
tian is disarmed the Mahometan rules
and the Christian has to submit with
so-called Court of Justice and refuses
to take the evidence of a Christian
against the worst Mahometan Offend
er. The Turks cannot put their con-
quered subjects ON terms of equality
with Mahomctan subjects, without
violence to their religious faith, and
their promises of reform are idle
words from the necessities of that
faith.
In all the expressions borne by the
members of the Greek Chnrch, Russia
has ever been ready to extend sympa-
thy and aid. She aided the Greeks in
their heroic struggle for independence
in 15l0-lS03, sympathized with the in
surrection of the Danubian provinces
of Wallachia and Moldayia in 1921.
and assisted the Greeks again in their
final and victorious struggle in 1922
1927. Jealousies of the other great
powers prevented Russia from gain
ing any material advantages from her
efforts, but her services have never
been wanting when the members of
the Greek Church were in arms
against their MahOmetan oppressors.
How much the desire to possess Con-
stantinople and control the navigation
OF the Black Sea contributes to her
willingness i'm this respect is a matter
of conjecture, but she uniformly stands
forth as ready to do whatever is nec-
essary in aid of her co-religionists.
The Crimean war was stirred up by
the French Emperor, who was sup
posed to have been melted thereto by
the Romish clergy, acting through the
Empress Eugenie. 1t began with
dispute between the Greek and Latin
Churches about the possession of Ger.
tam Holy places in Palestine, which
was followed by demand from Rms
q that convention should be signed
by the Sultan granting the Gar a pro-
tectorate over the Greek Christians in
Turkey. The refusal of the Sultan led
TO the war. France sides with the Sui
tan, and induced England to ioin her
in declaring war against Russia. The
Gar was defeated in the contest.
which ended in the humiliatiBp treatv
of Paris of 1866. By this Russia was
compelled to relinquish the defence
OF her own waters and territory, and {
to submit to other conditions sbe
would naturally deem degrading. But |
that treaty also contained within its
terms the seeds of Russia's revenge.
BY it the Porte promised such reforms 1