The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-04-15

/ graln--Sucn are the Items OF luteiAiSeAoc
which indicate that the financial and COM
mercial world has finally taken a real alarm
at the war news. From st. Petersburg 1t is
reported that appearances do not indicate
| immediate action; but it would be strange
what appearances could now indicate action
at that point. On the Pruth and at Tifis it
is, perhaps, otherwise Russia may be more
tranquil in her high places now than for
many months past, since the war is brought
about finally by the folly of her enemies
and in circumstances in which she would
have desired it should occur If she had con-
trived it altogether. She is prepared and Is
strong. Her enemy is blinded by fatuous
faith in O power that does not exist, and
help from England seems out Of reach
reasons enough for Russia to be tranquil on
the surface, though she may rejoice secretly.
England's relation to tho war is important
to us, and is q strange piece OF contemporary
history. Tories and liberals in the British
Parliament are respectively denounclng
each other as responsible for tho war"
and in the lucid moments. when they man
age to disregard for few hours their party
passions, they all denounce Russia as the
real source of trouble and in Russia, nee
essarily different views are held. Perhaps
it is of no great moment who puts IN the
Last drop that causes full cup to run over,
and a war whose occurrence sooner or later
was in the nature of things can scarcely be
laid to the door of those who blunder into fur
nishing the latest irritation. determinations
as to who is to blame fill chapter in the
history of every war, and are to be noted as
sort OF psychological evidence that some
considerable part of the opinion of every
people involuntarily recognizes that war
is so far a shame to civilization that it is
desirable to shift upon other shoulders the
odum of having caused it. Upon this
point the language of the Turkish note,
which we print in our cable dispatches, will
furnish interesting material.
There is, however, one point Of view in
which it is of certain consequence to party
politics in England precisely how the war
was made inevitable. There is triumph
often in averting for o year or two war
that it is recognized must come eventually.
1t is victory to defeat your opponent who
wants war at certain period because he
knows he will be ready for it then and you
will not. In this diplomatic contest Eng
land has been beaten in the present crisis rs
she never was beaten before, and has
launched upon her Immediately a war that
might have been deferred for some years
yet and have fallen, perhaps, upon year
when the general attitude of European poll
tics would have aided rather than weakened
her cause. This is due to the ignorance,
want Of skill, buster and bravado that have
characterized the diplomacy Of the govern
ment, and is therefore, heavy score laid
up against them in the opinion of the
country.
For generation statesmen in Europe
have foreseen the early fall of the Ottoman
Empire and from considerations of that
possibility arose the inquiry, What would
take it's place? To whose advantage would
that fall inure and what would be the new
relation Of powers the change would pro-
duce? From the time this inquiry became
important all deliberations held, all treaties
made, all concessions extorted, which pre-
tended to be for the benefit Of the Christians
in Turkey in reality were regarded from
the different capitals simply with reference
to the advantage or disadvantage that each
nation believed would result to itself from
the disappearance of the Ottoman Empire
from the map of Europe. Russia has con-
sistently labored against the Ottoman En-
pire but it must be fairly said that she as
a Christian Power sustained the Christian
people, and in that great particular her
record was fair. England, which has always
accused Russia of duplicity, has never cared
to 90 deeply into the reasons why
she, Christian Power, has persistently
supported the oppression and butch
cry of a Christian people If we
accept the English view that Russia never
favored the Christians sincerely, but
agitated their cause to help her own
progress in the East, we may ut least do
England the justice to believe that she
never sincerely loved the vile and barbar-
GUS Ottoman dominion that she has
clasped to her bosom; but, intent to sus-
tain her own cause in the countries where
Russia threatened her, she was forced to
use the Turks, and did her utmost to cher
ish and disseminate good opinion of her
tools. AS between England and Russia,
therefore, their respective relations to the
difficulties in the Ottoman Empire have
always been the cover to great game for
presidency in the East, and the unfavor-
able turn this game has now taken for
England is due to the incapacity with which
her case has been handled in this crisis.
Nobody in power in England seems to
have taken into consideration the changes
in international relations on the Continent
made by the Franco-German war. Before