The daily gazette., 1877-04-30

RUssIA's GROUNDS FOR WAR.-Rus.
sia is nominally Christian nation, and
the Gar is at the head of the nationals
ligious system. Turkey is Mohamme.
dan, and the Sultan, as Ca'iph, is at the
head of that Church, being the acf opted
leader Of the faithful. Nee ly one third
OF the Ottoman Empire is professedly
Christian. Of which more than three
fourths belong to the Greek Church, the
established religion of Russia. Ever since
Peter the Great, in 1902, astonished the
conclave of bishops assembled to elect a
new head in his dominions, " It'll the de-
claration 81 am your Patris ~" Russia
has been regarded as the great defender
of the Greek Church, aud his every
where interfered, in one fo1m or another
to protect the adherents of that faith.
In 1889 Russia invaded Turkey in be-
halfof these sympathlz'ng professors of
the faith so dear to her, and after various
reverses was enabled to exact terms for
these allies. In that war Turkey, whose
forces were numerically inferior, obsti-
nately clung to her fortresses,
Diebitsch, the great Russian general,
who earned his military fame in that
contest, at last pushed boldly for Con-
stantinople, leaving the unsubdued for
tresses behind him. He reached Adj an
ople, when the Sultan srccumbed, and
by treaty, not only promised toleratiou
and protection to the Greek Christians,
but guaranteed these priv .leges by con-
ceding to the northern provinces great
measure of nominal independence.
1t was violation of these promises, as
Russia claims, which led } the Climear
war.She then invadedTurkeyto enforce the
rights thus violated, a1d war wss declqr-
ed against her by England I'd France pc
allies Of Turkey in March, 1854. This
war closed by the Treaty of Paris in
April, 1856. In that t'eaty the allied
powers guaranteed the integrity of the
Turkish Empire, but stipulated that the
turks should keep their pledges in re
gard to the Christisn peoples, and th,
disafected provinces, Ills Treaty I
Paris has been violated in many insts uces
revolts and instructions occurred in sev
eral provinces, and on various pretex
Russia has again interfered.
But for the atrocities practiced last yea
by the irregular Turkish troops upon tn
Christian people in the provinces, man
OF whom had taken no pant in the insu
rection, and especially TIE berba tiles il
flicted on detenseless. women and Chi
dren, and which were severely denount
ed at the time in our columns, Turke
would no doubt have received more dir
lomatic assistance, if not positive mater
ial aid from England, and perhaps othe
of her old friends and allies. As it i.
there has been all over the world MOI
readiness than ever before, since the TO
lowers Of Mahomet first crossed int
Europe, to abandon the Mussulman I
his fate. This public opinion, sprea
over all the Christian world, should ha,
taught the Ottoman lesson, and serve
as warning, but it only seems to ha,
hardened him into greater obstinacy, Ii
der the rule of which he has fairy pr
voked the encounter. All Christian pc
pie will deplore the horrors of war, al
regret the loss Of life that is to follow;bl
f'w, we think, will feel much sympatl
for the power which has been a menan
to every form of Christianity for so mai
centuries, and wherever its authority W
unchecked has treated Jew and Christi
alike with more severity than the blu
beasts subject to its control. We ha
no tears to shed when such intolerance
rebuked, no matter on what grounds,
from uboea hond ,lo I L., - p.n