The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-05-10
THE CLASH OF ARMS.
Why Russian and Turkish Armies Face
Each Otheron the Danube-The Positions
and Strength of Each PoFer-Nhcre the
War will be Fought.

tie NcN lOIh npllt-l
The nominal causes of an Eastern war
do not deserve much attention, neither
are they likely to receive it outside of
publication so conscientious and cum
brous as Kinglake's "Invasion of the
Crimea, . in which about 800 pages are
given to one battle, and which is still
unfinished, nearlya quarter of a century
after it was begun. The briefest of re-
citals must, therefore, cover the intro
auctions to the drama to which the cur
attn Is expected so soon to rise. About
July 20, 1875, broke out rebellion in
the Herzegovina, the alleged cause be-
ing the expressed determination of the
Turkish officials to enforce payment of
taxes and arrears by the Slavic Chris
tians. The revolt speedily spread to
Bosnia, and was so formidable by the
22d of August that the Russian, French,
Austrian and English Governments in
vited the Porte by collective note to
examine into and redress the wrongs
complained of by its subjects. The Ser
bians Immediately afterward placed
10000 men in the field, a menace
promptly followed by the Sultan's rails
ing of larger forces and calling to the
viziership of Mahmoud Pasha, a recog-
niZed champion of absolutism. The
Sultan declined any mediation by for
eign powers till his rebellious subjects
had yielded, though he guaranteed re-
forms which they were not willing to
accept as a sufficient pretext for disarm-
ament. The foreign powers then pre-
scented the Andrassy memorandum,
prepared in the name of three
Emperors, and submitted to and
approved by England, France and
Italy, asking religious liberty, customs |
reform and mixed commission to car
nv out reforms in the discontinued |
provinces. The Sultan accepted it Feb
ruary y, 1876, but the Turkish popula-
tons had become excited, and their rage |
found vent in the massacre of foreign |
Consuls at Salonica, May 6, and in the
Bulgarian atrocities. On the 18th of |
May the three Emperors dictated the |
famous memorandum of Berlin, which |
presented the same facts and conclusions |
that were contained in the Andrassy
note, but ended with a menace of inter !
vention if at the end of the armistice
peace had not been brought about. !
England had not been consulted in the |
negotiations and declined to approve it,
and the memorandum never was pre-
scented TO the Porte.
Meanwhile the revolution of MAY so !
followed, Abdel Aziz being dethroned
and Murad " installed by the softas;
and the assassination of Raschid Pasha |
and Hussein Avni Pasha, June 10, left |
two of the revolutionary party at the
head of Turkish affairs, Mehemet Ruchdi |
Pasha serving as the hyphen between
the absolutism of Abdul Aziz and the !
liberalism of Midhat Pasha. July l |
Prince Milan of Servia, long pressed by
the war party, declared war against
Turkey, having formed an alliance with |
Montenegro and being materially assist
ed by Russia. The Turks thrashed him
soundly, and Septembers1 administered |
the decisive defeat before Alexinatz, |
after which Prince Milan begged an
armistice. abdul Hamid II. had just !
replaced the weak-minded Murad V. on
the thrOne.)
Turkey, disheartened by the anti-Ot-
toman Gladstone excitement in England,
offered an armistice which Serbia, for |
the same reason, declined. The Powers |
managed to have it proclaimed, though |
Tchernayeff opposed it and made his
army proclaim Milan King Russia, her
proposition for q joint occupation hay
ing been refused, demanded n months |
armistice. The Porte offered one of six |
months. Hostilities were rebegun, and |
despite Tchernayeff's skill and the gal
lantry of the Russian officers and volun-
teers who did all the fighting for Serbia,
the Turks took Djunis and AleXinatz.
After this an armistice of six weeks had |
been practically arranged between Tur- |
key and the other powers, when Russia |
interjected (probably at the appeal of
NIilan) her ultimatum, and the discus
sions ending in the abortive Conference |
of Constantinople were precipitated.
There was a diplomatic duel between
England and Russia in which Gortscha-
kofl decidedly remained a victor. Eng |
lands position was that the treaties of |
1856 and 1871 (that after the Crimean
war and that after the Franco-Prussian
war amending iO continued to be her
policy, and that, if it were necessary,
she would see them respected the Gar
maintained that he had no sinister in
tsntions towards Constantinople, but
wished guarantees for the Eastern Chris
tians, being prepared to act alone, even
in arms, to secure these. Austria's po-
sition was one of neutrality SO long as
her interests should not be menaced by
the creation of new autonomous states.
Italy and Francs took no direct interest
in the dispute. Germany declared her
willingness to let Russia act within the
bounds of non-interference with Prus-
sian or German interests.
We recapitulate the positions of the
great Powers at the conference at Con-
stantinople as of interest now. The
conference ended in the Powers agree
ing upon recommendations which the
Sultan rejected as wholly Incompatible
with his dignity or even existence. He,
however, ordered analogous reforms,
prepared a Constitution and called a
Parliament. After this it became only
question of time when war would
break out, Russia complaining that Tur-
key either could not or would not carry
out her reforms for the benefit of her
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