The Lake County star., 1877-05-24
From the New York Herald. esasa...a
The Immediate Causes of the
-, Present War.

- Present War.
] rha cloud, no. bigger. than q man,
|81D vV0)c8 hqo nov ovoyspreAd thu
D1s Ky, arooe IN the 61Avonic prov.
F4nDo0 1[1D1eGoyania. a series Of riot
=
n41hne proy1nCo. The rebellion. coo1
apf9Ad Into Bosnia, where the Ghriet
lane bad eutiered like outrages. cTht
pe4ple & Montenegro and Hervia sym
p196ixed warmly with b4 dapperatt
|pcoie)Ancopf their bf0thJ IN q ca In
[fdnmAh1a 1deepofm buA3 3fhnEunun'
ments Of both principalities remained
Meantime Russia entered into an
agreement with GespAny aud Austria
for the ostensihls p1rpose Oe. securing
peace. Count Andrassy, the Austrian
premier, promulgated, on the 3Oth OF
December, 1875, q diplomatic note, In
the name Of the great powers, which
Get forth the reforms which these pow
ers demanded that Turkey should en-
force. The principal features Of the
note were the demand that complete
religious liberty should be established,
the system of farming the. taxes be
abolished, the revenue derived In
Bosnia and Herzegovina should be ap-
piled to the annual purposes of tile
Ottoman Empire, while the income
obtained from direct taxation should
be spent on the province itself and
that the state should sell portions of
waste lands to the Christian peasantry
on easy terms. Turkey proposed read
iness to comply with these proposals,
except that defining the purposes to
which the taxes Of the revolted prov
fnces should be applied. The rebellion,
meanwhile, Continued unabated. and
but little more was heard ofthe "note," /"
the insurgents increasing their de-
mands as their prospects Of help from
the powers of Europe seemed brighter.
A new epoch In the struggle was
precipitated on the 9th Of MAY, 1875.
The prolOLgation of the contest had
excited the 1anaticism of the Moslems
Of Turkey TO the highest degree, and 1t
found vent on that day in characteris-
tic and horrible cruelty, a mob of
Mussulmans numbering the French
and German cOnsuls at Salonica. This
ONOns W UuO HCCCooiLy
Of action. The representatives of the
empeTors Of Russis, Austria and Ger
many, GOrtchakoR, Andrassy and Bis
what is called the "Berlin note.n It
repeated the demands Of the Andrassy
note OF the previous December, and
added that, as the latter had, in almost
all its terms, been accepted by the
4.
diately carried into effect with satis-
factory guarantees, failing which, 1t
proposed that the powers should take
''such efficaciOus measures as might be
demanded" It also stipulated for an
immediate armistice Of two months, in
order that the initial reforms should be
carried into effect. France and Italy
were willing to accept the memoran-
dunn, but England refused. As the
measure required the concurrence of
the Christian powers of Europe, IL was
thus thwarted and the Tory part of
England exulted over Lord Derby's
diplomatic triumph! But this was
actually the one golden opportunity
when an efficient Intervention was
possible.
: The failure of this negotiation was
almost Immediately followed by the
most shocking and savage babarities
inflicted by the Mussulmans upon the
Christians of Turkey. The Christian
in Bulgaria was sup
pressed by the Turks in q ferocious
manner. and slaughtes, rapes and
tortures too horrible for narration were
perpetrated. Turkey seemed encour-
aged by the course OF England to defy
@ Christianity, civilization and humani-
ty at once. These frightful atrocities
compelled Servia and Montenegro to
declare war upon Turkey, on the 3Oth
of June. Meanwhile the Sultan Abdul
Aziz was dethroned Ton May 80, 1876)
and either committed suicide or was
murdered few days after. His sue
cessor Murad was in turn dethroned
August 81, and was succeeded by his
brother. the present Sultan. rH1
The war between Turkey on the one
hand, and Servia, Montenegro, and
the Bosnian and Herzegovinian in
surgents on the other, continued dur
ing the summer of 1876, with general
Turkish Successes. The defeat of Ser
via was obvious by the end Of August,
and England, whose people had been
aroused against the Turks by the de-
tailed accounts Of the horrible Bulga-
rian atrocities, proposed an armistice.
The suspension of hostilities lasted
until October, hen war was again re-
sumed, with renewed disasters to the
Servian army. The Servians were re-
inforced largely by Russian officers
and soldiers butsthey were beaten by
the Turks ct all points, until finally
the war with Servia was practically
terminated by the fall Of Alexinatz,
Oct. 3lst, 1876. The heroic Montene-
grins, protected by their mountains,
had better fortune, and are still bravely
resisting the Turkish invasion.
The substantial close Of the war with
ServiA marked the beginning Of a
period Of diplomatic negotiations,
which mas Just terminated In war.
After much discussion among the pow
ere as 10 the proper length Of an armis-
tice, during which Russia began to
mobilize her army, an armistice of two
months; subsequently extended by
piecemeal, was agreed upon. The
great powers Of Europe had by this
time agreed upon a conference at Con-
stantinople. The representatives OF
Russia, England, France, Germany,
Aubtrlby anu 1Jbiy iHct III tndt City
early I'm December, and continued in
session until the 18th of January last,
when the plan which they unanimous
ly adopted was presented to Turkey.
On the Goth Safvet Pasha, on the part
of the, Grand Council Of the Porte,
communicated to the conference Tur-
keys rejection. In substance, the
plan was, very similar to that Of the
Andrassy note and the Berlin Inemor-
anjum, It stipulated for equal rights
and equal protection for the Turkish
Christians, necessary reforms In the
civil government, and guarantees fol
their execution. The members, of the
conference left Constantinople imme-
diately after their failure; the armistice
was prolonged ,csnd Turkey FASTENED
10 strengthen her position by opening
negotiations for peace with Servia and
Montenegro. Ifg .Ftff go
The next step. and the final one In
this diplomatic history, was the sign.
ing at London Of the protocol proposed
by M. Bchouvaloff on behalf Of Russia,
and concurred In by the representa-
tives of the six powers whioh took