Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-05-05

y
50 longas France, England and Aus
tria were in a position to resist any
infraction of it. 1t was signed in
1856, it was virtually abrOgated in
1870. By this time the military
power of Austria had been crushed
and her national pride humbled to
the dust, by the disastrous war with
Prussia which terminated in the de-
feat Of Sadovia and the transfer of
the Imperial crown of Germany
from the house of Hapsburg of that
of HohenzOllen. France was now
engaged in an internecine war with
the same terrible power and Eng
land, the only party to the treaty of
Paris, was bound down by the nom
resisting peace-at-any-price princi-
pies of Bright and Gladstone; Pal
merstOn was dead and Lord Gran
ville's diplomacy was as milk and
water by comparison with the strong
wine of PaImerston's measures.
This was Russia's opportunity.
Prince GortchakOff in 1870, almost
as soon as the first shot had been
fired in the Franco-Prussian war an
nounced the intention of the Rus
sian empire of no longer submitting
to the clause OF the treaty of Paris,
which forbad the presence of Rus
sian war ships on the Euxine. No
effort was made to modify the treaty
bynegotiation, the Russian Chancel-
Ior simply declared that he would
not abide by it.
Much angry protest and re crimina-
ton took place between the courts
| at st Petersburg and st. James's, but
nothing came oft and for five years
longer the Eastern question was al
lowed to sleep.
During this time Turkey on her
part also contributed to render the
treaty of Paris imperative; she had
stipulated in that treaty to carry out
important reforms in her treatment
of her Christian subjects, and these
| stipulatiOns had been unfulfilled
with the usual result of insubOrdi-
nation and revolt on the part of her
northern European provinces; Mon
tenegro was already in revolt, Her
zegOvina followed suit; Servia and
Bosnia might and most likely would
have remained quiet, but the ever
| present Russian agents were active
ly at work there and they too We're
in open instruction so little, how
ever was this a spontaneous act, on
! the part of SerVia at least, that the
Russian officers had to drive the re-
luctant peasantry to the front with
! their swords in order TO keep them
in ranks and no sooner was the ar
mistice of last autumn established,
and Gen. Ignatieff out Of Servia,
than the authorities of that State
commenced negotiation for peace
with the government at COnstanti-
nople.
As soon as the whole of Northern
European Turkey was well embroil-
ed, the Russian government through
its Chancellor Prince Gortchakoff
called upon the powers who had
signed the treaty of Paris to fulfill
that stipulation which bound them
to the joint prOtectorate of the
Christians under the Ottoman en-
pire and significantly intimated its
intention of taking the matter in
hand alone should they fail.
This was rather astounding; GOrt-
chakOff quoting the treaty of Paris
! which he himself had denounced aS
no longer binding was something
like the Devil quoting scripture.
For all that, Europe walked up to
the fact that something must be
done in Turkey or Russia would
have it all to herself. And here
again is the Eastern question en-
brOiling all Europe-let us hope for
the last time.
| We will not inflict upon our read
ers the tedious and wearisome fulfil
tiles of the conference at COnstanti-
nople, the draft for the conference
itself, the Berlin note, the Andras-
sy note, the sudden dismissal of
Midhat Pacha and Inauguration of
Safvet Pacha as grand Vizier, to-
gether with the sudden change of
the Turkish government, from AFFECT
submission to logged resistance;
the breaking up of the conference;
the protocol of Ignatieff, its sigma
ture under protest by England and
Austria, the refusal of Turkey TO
sign it all-all these may be sum-
med up in one sentence, Russia was
resolved to quarrel, Turkey would
cOncede nothing, the other European
powers We're anxious for peace but
would do nothing effective towards
securing it, and of course war is the
result.
One more paper analyzing the re-
spective positions of the European
powers in relation to these troubles
will complete this series.
THE LAW OF MURDER.
! Two events happened last week in
Tennessee which have been the sub