The daily gazette., 1877-05-12
Th' Warsnd rs Consequences
Prom the London Times, Apra q.

D.. A..
EQUATION appeals to the exclusive possess
sion of virtuous motives, perfect consist
ency, and Providential call amounting
o irresistible necessity, proclaims an
-impassable gulf between itself and hum
an kind. Russia, SO she informs us. is
not as other nations are. selfish, ambit-
lous, unreasonable, and utterly proof
against moral argument and persuasion.
These are the common faults not only of
Turkey, but of all the European Powers.
Russia alone is exempt. She has always
asked from Turkey the submission she
was entitled, and indeed bound, to ask;
and from the European Powers the CO.
operation she was entitled and bound to
ask and as she could not ask without
being prepared for refusal, she has been
under the painful necessity, so she gives
the world to under stand, of preparing
for war. On the old maxim that if you
wish for peace you must prepare for war,
Russia believes that she has never shown
herself SO much in the character of
heaven-sent peacemaker as when she was
enrolling her population, massing them
on the frontier, collecting magazines, and
organizing the means of immediate ad-
vance. To act with consistency through
out, to be at the end as at the beginning,
Is itself defense, and if not truth is very
like it. When we say that the present
result justifies the apprehensions of all
the reasonable people in this country, not
to say of all Europe, we make certain
admission in favor of Russia. What else
could she do? What else could she be?
But Russia herself makes the like admis-
sion, She had call which she wasbound
to obey. Her population is chiefly of
races blessed with those religious convic-
tions and that primitive zeal which can
not be denied, and must have vent in
action. 1t was an absolute necessitythat
the ruler who was the father of his peo-
pie, should speak in tone they could
appre ciate, whatever its effect on an an
cient foe or on jealous neighbors. If the
Gar would still be the head of his people
he must also be at least a step in advance
of he world, and compel from nations
acquiesence in his reasons, and surrender
to his dictation. He claims to be right;
but, right or wrong, he could not help
himself. The people would have it so.
The more complete their preparation, the
more impossible is their advance to stop.
This is all consistent and Ineligible, but
it is not the language'of a reasonable be-
ing, of ofwhatever race or creed. 1t is the
language of the Northern hordes thrust
or starved oct of their forests to seek food
wherever it could be found.
If we may see some reason to acquit
Russia of the responsibility we should
ascribe to modern people and a more
selfpossessed State, so also we may charge
her with blindness, and therefore rash
nees, as to the consequences. Never, in
deed, was war such cast of the die. The
only certainty about it is that it cannot
fail to be as destructive as any war of
which we have certain knowledge. The
elements will do that. The population
will melt away. The Russian army en-
tiers Roumania, of course without asking
anybody's leave. and announces its in
tention of taking whatever it wants, just
as all armies do and must do. 1t all
promises pay in ready money. In few
weeks this will be found impossible on
large scale; and then the Wallachisr sand
Moldavians will have to accept bits of pa
per for corn, hay, straw, horses, vehicles,
cattle, and every stick TO be found on
farm.
Soldiers do not starve, even IL every
body else does so. The seat of war
that is the fighting ground-threat-
ems to be extensive, and it will be des-
olated. In game of positions it is al
ways necessary to destroy what is not
consumed. Cities and villages count
for little when they shelter an enemy
The Sevians learnt all this last year;
the Bulgarians will learn this. They
will be able to compare Bashi- Bazouks
and Uossacks, and tell us which sweeps
the earth cleanest of men and things
As for the Turk he only wants an ex-
cuse for devastation and pillage, and
the Russians give it him. He has only
to lift up his hand and some score of
other predatory races will come on, to
join in the sport. Russia it is rumored
has arranged with Persia to divide the
attention of the Turk. If so, one of the
incidents OF the war will be conflict
of the robber tribes paying tribute to
Persia with those paying tribute to
Turkey, but as robber tribes do not
much care to do interfere with anoth-
er it is quite possible they may put
their heads together and join in some
more profitable enterprise. The poll
IlcS Ol JuaI part pdrI VI Tue WOIIu nave
always been rather puzzling. What is
most apparent to us Is just that which |
has been on the face OF all history fer
tile plains in the midst of mountains
wealthy cities, busy ports and in the
near neighborhood the children of the |
desert, narauders, and even pirates,
when the opportunity offers. War
brings all these classes into collision,
and there is no empire in the world
which presents such geographical fac
ilities for irregular and dlsorderly in
as the Turkish. Russia, no |
doubt entertalns confident expecta-
tion that in the midst of all this inc.
confusion her forces will pre-
serve their solidity and form, and re-
present order in a choas; but it is to be !
considered that her people will be far !,
away from home, in a strange climate
living on unaccustomed food, with |
strange languages all about them, In
the midst of novel te mptations, and al
ready suffering from 1.-The fatigues of
much marching, and possibly some
fighting. Nothing in history is more
than the way in which the
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