National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1877-05-22

The friends Of Turkey in England evidently
think they can make much Of the Russian advance
IN Asia They are nearly hopeless Of their case in
Europe, where Engishmcn sec too much Of the
realities OF Turkish rule, aud where other Powers
arc much more directly Interested but they think
that IL they the word Asia Realistically they
may conjGre up sufhcicnt storm OF fear and
hatred to evoke the war for which their leader,
Lord lcaconssid, Is 10 Iassionaiely longing. They
measure Of their cuuntry's position aS II
great Asiatic Power and unnecessarily nervous
they have confidence in the depth Of English ignor.
ance Of gcogIpphy, and they remember with delight
| that almost all Asiatc experts have prcconcciycd
all Northern Asia In its hand. They intend there.
fore, to rouse England by appealing 10 her fear
| routes to the Persian Gulf, and by ndroitly using
that wonderful word the "Euphratcs." which. to
Englishmcn, calls up images at once OF India, of
Scriptual word aud a political one. and one TO
Englishmcn gloriously Indefinite. aud the war
party thcfciorc have resolved to use 1t asa sort Of
them all
Russia may threaten our communications, What
communications? oh We shall one day build
railway which will pass by Erzcroum, and bring
II Is pure noils.nsc. Tint We may one day build
mercantile railway through Turkey to connect In
s M ,S hS s,W ,Sc Sc :" E Sr @
railway can he OF no conceivable military advan-
tagc 10 Great Britain, for unless We take Turkish
AHA ouTsclrcs-a COursc to which We have no sort
OF oblcctl0n except that such u possession might
prove burdciisomc-wc could not send soldier or
horse, or gun by that route, because such dis
patch would involve the consent OF half the Fowcrs
Of Europe to violation of neutrality. Just imagine
British army going 10y railway from Calais
through CnnstantnOplc To Calcutta II Il did not
60 by railway, hut by scn To Scutari, II might just
~ well go through the canal TO Bombay, and there
he landed. uilwcaricd and Ia unbroken order Just
seven days litter. Egypt l. our true military route
To India, not FrZerOum, and the alternative route
| IL thrugh Syria to the EuphrateS-a short midway
running from the mouth of the OronteS 10 the
great rircr-not through Armenia or any point
whatever on the Black Sea, with which We have.
and shall always have, from the military point Of
| view, nothing whatever to do The argument that
We shall even IL II were true, would not Justify
war, any more than the argument that France l.
growing strong jn<titeS 4 German invasion Of
| that hd-hcadcd party wants to fight Russia upon
any terms. aud for any reason or none. She must
he checked" or they will look ridiculous aud II
there Is no other excuse her insoGnCc In talking 50
harsh language as the Russian aud using 80 Of.
fcnNve AN alphabet will do as well ~ another.
But Russia may take all the eastern coast OF tho
Mediterranean and what should We do then? Just
what We do In the Mediterranean. now that France
| ability to form league to drive us out Of those
wntcrS-thnt H. 20 nbiInt our business TRANQUILITY
| rs may be with serene consciousness that nObrdy
will mctldlc with without grave reason aud that
| anybHy who does mcddlc with liz will get the
| worst OF IT, There Is not n corner Of the world
where some great Power cannot arrest our com.
muncatIons II II choosc. and II It thinks the inter.
| ference worth twenty years war and series Of
great dcicat We could not move Ia the channel.
If France chose to stop us, till she was beaten: or
enter the Mediterranean IL Spain were insocnt ;
| could not pass the sound without the consent Of
Germany and could not trade in the Black Sea uiI.
| der menace of hustilities from Russia. Even n
Russia Were IN Syria should be safe we are
now-that is, We should he liable to right a great
twar whenever Russia thought Il worth while; aud
Russia i no more In Syria than she Is at Hammer.
f>t, aud not nearly ~ likely 10 get there. Even II
she oyerct the Ottoman FanIiTc ill mo one could
SnlI IN fNfn I'M In Z al.
| could not occupy NJ vast country ~ Asiatc
Turkey withanI leaving ample time fOr
! England and France 10 decide whether their Ia.
tcrc>tN were imIerilled. aud 10 act upon a coast
where Russia. after six wrecks OF war would not be
able to produce II ship. The Russian army in Asia
| Minor, without Railways without posts, without u
Cuntcntcd population, would MS against Western
Europe, be rs badly OF ns II was IN the Crimca-
would that Is. be half exhausted by the mere ciinrt
tn reach hattie gnhnd thousand miles from Tho
hAses 1f It's strength. We ashamed 10 write about
| such dreams. though they are quoted by sane men
| ~ arguments for n war which would cost England
and India hundred millions sterling aud leave
Us in u TrnNySm Of r0ciiicnesS, amid which any
he pleased That il Russia cruSicS the Turkish
| Empire VT may he compelled to occupy Egypt We
have repeatedly admitted but to fight Russia be
cause She Is crushing H. whether In Europe ~
Asia l. Ia waste our strength on behalf nf State
which but for Tory in,becility, we should I've now
aiding Russia to rciistriiute to the general benefit
Of mankmd,-London Spectator
Loss OF THE J. DoN CAMERoN.---Somr
| months ago the Government. by direction OF the
Secretary Of War, had constructed two steamers o
light dram for the navigation Of the Yellowstone
and upper rivers, to he used III frcighting Govern.
mcnt stores, &C. The vessels were recently com
pleted and elegantly fitted out. They were named
The }. bon Cameron and General sherman wert
both put into commission and on the 18th instant
| the steamer J. Don Cameron when within forty
| miles of sioux City struck a sllag aud sunk III
eighteen feet Of water The vessel was loaded
| heavily with Government stores, and had n com.
| pnny of infantry on board, It's Passengers amount
ing to about seNeilty,trc. There were no lives lost
but the wreck costs the Government nearly S6OODO
Prompt inca srcs have been taken tOrthe recovery OF
aS much nfthc property ~ can be pt Rt and to that
end wrcckcrs have urcady gone 10 the scene of the
| disaster. The accident Is reported TO the Depart
mcnt as having been unavoidable. The loss of the
| Cameron Is heavily felt by the Department rs II
was hoped that the service TO he rendered by her
would save Ia the Government many thousands Of
hnllnrs annually In the lis snnirs