The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-05-16
RUSSIA AGAINST Il
The Origin Of the War Ia Europe.

The nominal causes Of an Eastern VAL
does not deserve much attention, neither
are they likely to receive it outside Of a
publication so conscientious and cum
brous as Kinglake's "Invasion of the
Crimea," in which about three hundred
pages are given to one battle, and which
is still unfinished, nearly a quarter of a
century after it was begun. The brief
est of ~racitals must, therefore, cover the
introduction to the drama III which the
curtain is expected SO SOC to rise.
About July 20, 1875, bruke out a rebel
lion in the Herzegovina, the alleged
cause being the expressed determine
ton Of the Turkish officials to enforce
payment Of taxes and arrears by the
Slavic Christians. The revolt speedily
spread to Bosnia, and was so formidable
by the twenty-second OF August that the
Russian, French, Austrian and English
governments invited the porte by II
collective note to examine into and re-
dress the wrongs complained of by its
subjects. The Servians immediately
afterward placed 80, 600 men in the field,
q menace promptly followed by the
sultan's raising Of large forces and call
ing to the vizierslip Of Mahmoud Pasha,
a recognized champion of absolutism.
The sultan declined any mediation by
foreign powers till his rebellious sub
jccts had yielded, though he guaran-
teed reforms which they were not will
ing to accept as a sufficient pretext for
disarmament. The foreign powers then
presented the Andrassy memorandum,
prepared in the name of the three en-
perors and submitted to and approved
by England, France aud Italy asking
religious liberty, customs reform, and a
mixed commission to carry out reforms
in the discontinued provinces. The
sultan accepted it February -, 1876,
but the Turkish population had become
excited, and their rage found vent in the
massacre of foreign consuls at Salonica,
May 6, and in the Bulgarian atrocities.
On the eleventh Of May the three en-
perors dictated the famous memorandum
Of Berlin, which presented the same
facts and conclusions that We're con-
tanned in the Andrassv note, but ended
with q menace Of Intervention if at
the end of the arlnistice peace had not
been brought about. England had not
been consulted in the negotiations and
declined to approve it, and the memo
randum never was presented to the
porte.
Meanwhile the revolution of May 80
followed, Abdul .Aziz being dethroned
and Mnrad V. installed by the softas;
and the assassination of Rachid Pasha
and HuSsein Ayni Pasha June Is left two
Of the revolutionary party at the head OF
Turkish affairs, Mehemet Ruchei Pasha
serving as the hyphen between the abso-
lutism of Abdul .Aziz and the liberalism
of Midhat Paslu. July l Prince
Milan, of Servia, long pressed by the
war party, declared WAY against Turkey,
having formed an alliance With Monte
negro and being materially assisted by
Russia. The Turks thrushed him sound
~, and September l administered the
decisive defeat before Alexinatz, after
which Prince Milan begged an armistice.
(Abdul Hamid II. had just replaced the
weak minded Murad Y. OIL the throne.)
Turkey, disheartened by the anti-Ot-
toInan Gladstone excitement in England,
offered an arlnistice which Servia, from
the same reason, declined. The powers
managed to have it proclaimed, though
Tchernayetf opposed it and made his
army proclaim Milan king. Russia, her
proposition for q joint occupation having
been refused, demanded q months
armistice. The porte offered one Of six
months. Hostilities were rebegun, and
despite ~Tchernayeff"s skill and the gal
lantry of the Russian officers and volun-
teers who did all the fighting for Servia,
the Turks took Diunis and Alexinatz.
After this an arinistice OF six weeks had
been practically arranged between Tur-
key and the other powers, when Russia
interiectcd (nroba!Iy at the appeal of
Milan) her nltimatuln, and the discus
sions ending i'll the abortive conference
Of C~onstantinopla vas precipitated.
There was a diplomatic duel between
England and Russia in which Gortscha-
kofi decidedly remained Il victor. Eng
lands position was that the treaties of
1856 and 1871 Chat after the Crimean
war and that after the Franco Prussian
war amending it, continued to be the
basis OF her policy, and that, ii it were
necessary, she would see them respect
ell ; the czar maintained that he had no
sinister intentions toward CONSTANT
nople, but wished guarantees for the
Eastern Christians, being prepared to act
alone, even ~ arms, to secure these.
A.ustria's position WAS one of neutrality
SO long as her interests should not be
menaced by the creation of new autono-
nous states. Italy and France took 10
direct interest in tile dispute. Germany
declared her willingness to let RUSSIA
act within the bounds OF non-interfer-
euce with Prussian or German interests.
We recapitulate the positions Of the
great powers at the conference of Con-
stantjnOple us Of interest now. The con-
ference ended in the powers agreeing
upon recommendations which the sultan
rejected as wholly incompatible with his
dignity or even existence. He, however,
ordered analogous reforms, prepared a
constitution and called q parliament.
After this il became only q question Of
time when war would break out, Russia
complaining that Turkey either could
not IL would not carry out her reforms
for the bencli: of ler Christian subjects;
Turkey that Russia was ~fomenting in
surre2tion in her provinces and making
p~retexts for inimical interference. Both
complaints were probably we'll founded.
The moral difference III The value Of the
complaints OF the two po",rs, however,
is considerable: :.trl obvioI3. Russia
complains OF what she does not believe
that Turkey will DO. Turkey Of what
she believes that Russia has done. Rus
STA goes to war t. conpe! the Turks to
behave toward their Christian subjects
as Russia Thanks Turkey ought to behave.
Turkey goes - val 10 c. Mute the right
o! Russia or any other power to admin
lister her government for her within her
W doninious. --.NcW York World.
Kissing the Floor at Her Feet.