Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-05-19
A FORECAST.

Carlyle's vigorous protest agains
the Turkish championship so Ions
maintained by England, we nov
give an equally vigorous article OF
the other side, from the Londol
World, it is of the true Palmerston
ian grit. Having no interests of oul
own on the struggle now going on
our only concern is to know what
everybody is thinking and doing
about it.-ED. CHRONICLE.
| War is now certainty. The di-
plomatists are about to make way
| for the soldiers. The Gordian knot
that feeble-minded bureaucrats
thought they could unite remains as
hard and solid as it was eighteen
months ago, and has now TO be cut
| by the sword. Two great military
| powers are left alone, face to face, to
try the last arbitramentr remaining
the desperate test of war. For a
while the other nations stand aside.
While yet this solemn pause en-
| dures, ere the clash and clang of
1 H.
the cries of the wounded deaden our
ears to all other sounds, and drown
the quiet voice of reason, it may be
well to think for a moment of the
probable course of events. For long
months past a mass of secondary
questions has obscured our view of
the main issue, and the public gaze
has been so riVeted upon such petty
questions as the terms of peace with
SerVia and Montenegro, or the word
ing of this or that document, that
it has scarcely comprehended the
one great fact-Russia's steadfast re-
solve to attack Turkey. AS man
pursued by wolves throws to them
at intervals all that he possesses, in
hopes to stop their pursuit, so Rus
sian diplomacy has thrown to Eng
lishmen bait after bait, to turn their
eyes from its real purpose. AS the
picador's red flag attracts the en-
ragged bull, so have Bulgarian atrOc
tiles diverted the English people.
But now the final scene is prepared.
The matador steps forward with his
sword, and makes his bow before
plunging in the steel. The Gar re-
pairs to Kischeneff, and launches
forth his armies.
What will be the course of feVents? |
He would be bold man that would
dare to predict with confidence the
of Europe six months
hence; but by disregarding minor
matters, and fixing our attention |
only upon the great facts which re-
main unchanged, we may arrive |
with tOlerable certainty at some |
idea of the future.
At the very root of the situation |
we find two great moving causes
the first, the resolve of Russia to |
tear up the Treaty of Paris, to gain
the freedom of the BOsphorus, and
to establish her naval superiority |
upon the Black Sea-in a word, to |
obtain for her ships of war, as well |
as for her merchantmen, unreStrict-
ed access to the Mediterranean, the
secOnd-we doubt if it should not
even be placed -Bismarck's
resolve to compel France to discOn-
tinue those Warlike preparations
which, however unable she may be
to attack now, will, in due time, en-
able her to seek in a war of revenge
herevival of her lostmilitary glory.
To the honest English mind it is
repugnan to believe in such deep
laid plots and schemes. Our own
policy is so straightforward, it is so
for our Ministry to resort
to shifts and tricks which Parlia-
ment would be the first to condemn,
that average EnGliShmen can scarce
ly bring themselves to believe that
foreign statesmen can cheat and lie
with purpose. But as regards
Russia, we ask our countrymen to
remember that her policy has for
scores of years been steadily un-
We ask them, when
they doubt if it be possible for Rus
sian princes to speak falsely, to re-
member that Count SchOuvaloff, by
the Cars desire, four years ago,
made promises to our Foreign Min
ister in regard to the Khivan eXpe-
dition and the annexation of KhiVa,
which 4Were Immediately broken;
and that the Russian Emperor,
while vOWing that Russia was Civ
ing no aid to Servia last year, was
allowing his officers and soldiers to
20 to Servia on leave, to fight in
Russian uniform against Turkey.
difficult is it to our peaceful
lnaggressive minds to believe that,
fresh prOvOcatiOn, Germany
would attack France; but it is now
matter of history that two years ago
would have declared war
out for the protest of Russia. He
has scarcely made a secret Of his
creed, that his work is not complete
50 long as France is permitted to
build up anew her military strength,
Germany to remain un-
Ter a burden of cOnscri ptiOn and
taxation which is crushing her vi
-ality. To the initiated there has
been ample proof that he has To-
nented insurrectiOn in the Turkish
provinces. A child in politics could
see that he has been desirous to pro-
mote war in the East; and our own
as well as those of the
)ther Powers, is thoroughly aware
hat his wish was to embrOil all the
of EurOpe-abOVe all, Rus
3ia-that he might be left face to
iace with France alone, sure of the
help Of his ally Italy.
SO far the game has been played.
By skilful manipulation Russia has
been succeeded in placing Turkey in
The position of a criminal before
Europe, in isOlating the Sultan, and
leaving him without friend.
Against him she is about to proceed,
after weakening him by insurrec-
tons in his kingdom, and revolts
his tributaries. She has as
sembled in her frontiers two great
the one on the Pruth, the
other in the Caucasus. With both
hands she is ready to strike. But
she has done more than this. She has
kept open the wounds inflicted on
her adversary last summer, which
drain his blood and weaken his
power of resistance. She keeps
Montenegro in arms. The Emperor
had cOnfded the task of helping this
to Tchernaieff, and he
had enlisted a foreign legion, in
which, we grieveto say, nearly three
hundred Englishmen were enrolled.
But now he has been sent for by the
Emperor, and is to have a post in
the Russian army; so Montenegro
will have other help. Russian
agents are again stirring up the Ser
vians, in order to datain Turkish
T1,.o-I 1.CxrOltc,