The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-06-23

the Crimean war was the result. One-hal
line of Tennysons poem-The charge OF
the Light Brigade,-as originally written
condenses that war" Somebody blum
dered.' 1t was blunder throughout
The old Gar Nicholas was past his prime
physically and mentally. He mumbled
about his mission as the instrument OF
Catherine II. to make the Dardanelles, the
Marmora and the Bosphorus his southern
1 boundary. He was not ready for such a
war against such odds. England bunderet
by sending an army to the Crimea undis
ciplined and unsupplied to founder in the
mud and die by disease. France alone
reaped any glory and a new peace was de-
clared April 9th, 1865. Under this treaty
the Sultan of Turkey guaranteed to all his
subjects alike: 1st Equality before the law
End Religious liberty; 3rd Justice without
denial or delay; 4th Independent sovereign
action to each and all of the separate states
composing the empire; 9Th Security from
oppressive taxation.
Again the sick Turk was put to bed, and
under these promises of good behavior was
tended and nursed and coddled by England
with one-hand, while with the other she
drew her millions annually from trade and
commerce with the idle, fruitless nation.
The Crimean war found Turkey mere
| hollow shell, and single handed no sort OF
match for Russia even in the unprepared
condition of the latter; but since 1856 some
new life has been infused into her. The
navy has been increased, the army much
better disciplined, and although these war
like preparations have made the Treasury
| bankrupt, the sight of the iron-clad ships
and the forts bristling with new krup guns
has reused anew the warike spirit. Res
tive under the obligations imposed upon
her christian subjects, Turkey relapse again
into her old cruelties and needing more
money for her warlike preparations she
piled on the taxes Notwithstanding her
stipulation to refrain from oppression in
this particular.
A traveller in Turkey, in 1867, thus de-
scrbes the condition of the people: I" If
ever an oppressed race existed, it is this
one we see fettered around us under the
inhuman tyranny of the Ottoman Empire.
They are ground down by system of taxa
ton which would drive any other nation
frantic. Last year their taxes were heavy
enough in all conscience, but this year they
have been increased by the addition of those
forgiven them in former years of famine.
On top of this government has levied tax
of one tenth of the whole proceeds of the
land. This is only half the story. The
pacha of pacholic does not trouble him
self with appointing tax collectors. He
figures up what all these taxes ought to
amount to in a certain district, then he
farms the collection out. The highest bid
der gets the speculation, pays the pacha on
the spot, and then sells out to smaller fry,
who sell in turn to piratical horde of still
smaller. These latter compel the peasant
to bring his little triile of grain to the vii
lage at his own cost. 1t must be weighed,
the various taxes set apart, the remainder
returned to the producer, but the collector
delays this duty, day after day, while the
producers family are perishing for bread
at last the poor wretch, who cannot but
understand the game, says: Take quar-
ter, take ne-half, take two-thrds if you
will and let me go home These people
are naturally good hearted and intelligent,
and, with education and liberty, would be
happy and contented race. They often
appeal to the stranger to know if the great
world will not some day come to their relief
and save them"
Groanng under expressions, weak, in
considerable revolt, wholly trivial in its ac-
ton and it's result, broke out in Heizogo-
via and afterwards in Bulgaria in 1915 and
1876. Another convention of the great
powers of Europe was held to see if, by
any possibility, there might be such an
agreement between them as would compel
Turkey to treat her Christian subjects like
human beings and not like dogs; and these
suggestions were made: list, religious lib
erty full and entire; End, abolition of the
Bosnia and Hezogovia should be used for
the immediate interest of these provinces;
4th, special commission of an equal num-
Der of Mahommedans and Christians to
superintend the execution of these reforms;
9TH, the ameioration of the condition of
the rural population.
To this Turkey replied we will none of
this: 60 We have subdued the Christians
and conquered their territory by the power
of the sword, and are unwilling to let them
participate in the affairs of the govern
ment." Russia, Austria and Germany were
united in the adoption of these reforms,
and they would have been forced upon
Turkey, but England led by soulless Jew,
who appreciated his old religion just enough
to apostatize from it and his new one
just enough to trample on every one Of its
precepts-England objected to this memo
randum Of reform, and it failed. Thus en-
couraged, Turkey re enacted the cruelties
which fifty years before in Greece had reused
the civilized world. Mr.. Eugene Schuyler,
the hlleTlCtli CONSUL SeIcldl III ulhey,
who visited the insurrectionary districts,
made report of his observations: "The
outbreak against the Turkish authority was
premature and insignificant. The insur-
gents made little or no resistance to the
troops sent against them. In many in
stances they surrendered their arms upon
the first demand. Nearly all the villages
which were attacked by the bashi-bazouks
were burned and pillaged, as were also all
those which had been abandoned by the
terrified inhabitants. The inhabitants of
some villages were mastered after exhibi-
lions of the most ferocious cruelty
Commenting upon these disclosures, Mr..
Gladstone says: "There is not criminal
in an European Jail, there is not a canni-
bal in the South Sea islands, whose indg-
nation would not rise and overboil at the
recital of that which has been done, which
has too late been examined, but which re-
mains unavenged; which has left behind all