Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1877-02-15
TURKEY.
Her Diplomatic Victory Over the "Great
Powers"


Her Diplomatic Victory Over the "Great
Powers"
[From the Chicago Journall
That Turkey in her late contest has
Outwitted and outgeneraled, diplomatic
ally all of her formidable antagonists, in
telligent and observant readers of late
foreign dispatches cannot doubt. A few
months ago Turkey was in open conflict
with two of her principal provinces
Servia and Montenegro-whow were active
ly supported by Russian influence and
military skill, and at the same time re-
sisting, as best she could, the combined
advisory attack of all the great powers in
Europe. The conflict for a time was of
doubtful character the odds were
fearfully against the success of the
crescent. One Sultan after another went
down before the storm, and was laid,
first upon the political shelf, and then
quietly into the grave. But still the
crescent waned not. Her arms were
victorious, her power survived. Later,
a prolonged armistice gave all parties
time to gather up their somewhat scat
tered thoughts, and to gravely consider the
situation. Then began the diplomatic
battle. The representatives of the
"great powers" drew near the Turkish
court and capital with heads and mouths
full of talk. The talking continued for
month. Proposition was met by
counter proposition, or by refusal. FL
nally came the ultimatum and this,
after due deiiberation, was-fatly re-
iected. The dignifed but vanquished Am
bassadors made haste to take their leave
of the Sultan, and then submissively
Withdrew from the bootless encounter.
And what is the general outcome of it
alll Turkey remains intact and unhurt,
and stands collected and defiant, the real
master of the situation, while England
has subsidized into silence, and Russia,
apparently, is not quite ready. Verify,
the so-called "sick man" of Europe is
not quite so sick after all. His "feeble-
ness" wears very much the semblance of
strength. He is either very willful
and reckless invalid, or else he must be
"getting better" very rapidly. His an
swer to the ultimatum, Death before
dishonor," and "No reforms from out
side dictation," sound wonderfully like
the utterances of a man who knew where
he stood and what he was about. In
fact, the sick man has achieved signal
diplomatic victory, has shown remarka-
BILE pluck and bravery, and acts as though
he could do a good deal of damage yet,
if necessity compelled him. The
European patient must now fairly be
pronounced convalescent
To what is this great change in the
aspect of European politics owing?
First, as already intimated, the extent of
Turkish resources and power, and the
strength of Turkish character, have both
been underestimated by the crest of
mankind" The Turk is still an ugly
and formidable factor in the Eastern
problem, and is likely to be for some
time to come. He does not, and appar-
emily will not, easily bow down at other
mems bidding. Constantinople is a solid
quantity on the European map. The
Golden Horn is neither brittle nor point
less. Turkeys mongrel, yet united, pop
ulation is leavened through and through
with Mohammedanism, and the probabil-
ity is that the day will never dawn over
the world when Mohammedanism, as a
stenly- resisting power in all social and
civil life, will not have to be recognized
as an existing and an indissoluble reality.
All history shows what wonderful tenac-
ity and vitality it possesses.
On the part of Russia, there is the
wholesome dread of war. The time has
come when monarchs and kingdoms, en-
pires and emperors, and nations, hesitate
long before plungipg headlong into a
seething sea of carnage. Formerly, If
national debta accumulated thev couh
as easily be repudiated; but it is not so
now. The national credit is q thing that
must not be sacrificed for light or trivial
or purely personal and ambitious reasons.
Again, wars are deadly as well as most
expensive; and human life has become
too precious and valuable to be reckless
ly thrown away.
And then, underlying all other causes,
is the silent potentiality of an ever-grow-
ing, overwhelming Christian and hu-
name civilization, which frowns upon an
appeal to arms, except as dcrnicr re-
sort