Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1877-05-23
Why the Russian War should
be Condemned.

"If we are found persistently re-
pudiating the pretensions OF Rus
sia to represent an advanced state
OF civilization, and to propagate
her religion by the sword, it is not
because we think British interests
are endangered by the annexation
of Turkey to Russia, or care wheth
er they are or not; but because we
hold it to be an outrage upon the
civilization of the nineteenth cen
fury that any nation or concert o
nations should consider themselves
justified 10 exposing millions OF un.
offending pcasantry, who would
prefer rather to be misgoverned
than beggared and slain, to the
horrors of a sanguinary war; it is
because we do not approve of Mo-
hammedian principles of religious
aggression, when they are adopted
by Christians, any more than when
they are practised by Mohamme-
dams; it is because we absolutely
distrust the motives of Russia,
which, while engaging in crusade
to free subject races, keeps in the
most cruel bondage the whole Po-
lish nation, prosecuting it on &C
count of its religion, denational-
izing it by the unjust confiscation
and transference of the land to the
conqueripg race, by the attempted
extinction of it's language, and by
persistent policy of oppression
which has before now reused the
sympathy of every generous heart
in America. We have no love
whatever for the Turks; but If we
are to have barbarism in Europe,
we prefer a decaying one to an ag-
gressive one, a barbarism which If
it is cruel and corrupt, is in many
respects more tolerant and enlight-
ened than the one which is now
endeavoring to supplant it.
There is one race whose testimony
upon this point is conclusive, for
they are thoroughly impartial; and
when we read in our telegraphie
dispatches that "the Jews in Jassy
have been warned that If they con-
tinue prayers in their synagogues
for the success of the Turks, they
will be severely punished" we gain
some notion of the warmth of SEN
timent toward a government which
has uniformly treated them well
which inspires this race. That the
Jews ia Turkey should be objects
of envy to those condemned to live
under Russian or Ronmanian rule
and that they should actually pray
that the asylum in which they have
so often taken refuge should bt
preserved to them, do not encourage
us to wish the oppression under
which they now suffer to be extend
ed.
There Is scarcely an oppressed
nationality in Europe which does
not offer the same prayer, for there
is not one whose sons in the hour
Of their sorest need have been de
MED an asylum in Turkey. How
many Poles, Hungarians, and Ital
ians, in the days when Italians wer,
struggling for freedom, have found
protection and shelter from the
persecution Of Christian nations ir
the homes Of the Moslem; mol
could all the threats and menace'
Of the most powerful nations In
Europe ever compel the Porte tc
deliver mp those who had once
claimed its hospitality. II many Of
these have adopted the Mussulman
faith, and obtained thereby posi-.
tons Of influence in the army and
civil service Of the country, and il
the Mussulman would scorn 10 pur.
chase wealth or position at such
sncrifi. e, IL is only an additional
evidence that the belief Of the
Moslem Is more deeply rooted than
that Of the Christian, and that II
he has not advanced In the arts oil
civilization as rapidly as the Chris
tan, he has at all events retained
an amount of religious consistency
which the latter would do well to
initiate.
All wars are ti-Cbristian; but
the most sscrilegious, II seems to
ms. are those waged in the name OF
Christianity. The whole response
bility of this war rests on Russia,
and, though its objects are profess
edly humane, they are too trans
parent to delude the most simple.
In the enthusiasm Of humanity be
her guiding principle, let her free
Poland peacesbly instead OF del
ueing the territory Of her neigh
Dor with blood to free populations
that don't belong to her. Let her
introduce the religious tolerance
~ht,,h ~x;~xs In Turkey. instead OF