New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-01-16
THE EASTERN QUESTION.
LETTER FROM ELIHU BURRlTT.


RULE.
TO the Editor OF The Tribune.
SIR: No people in the world have stronger and
more outspoken sense of independence than tire
Americans. We are one hundred years old as a
nation and we invited the whole outside world OF
Kingdoms and republics to celebrate with lis this cen
tennia birthday. And they accepted the invitation
aud came to us, bringing the best jcwelry OF their
arts and industries TO adom the celebration. We
have shown them. and they have seen and
acknowledged, what q great country we own and
what a great people have become. We have
shown them what public schools we have and what
they are doing for the education of the masses OF
our population and what a power TO this end our
newspaper press has acquired. Then there IS an
ocean space of three thousand miles between us and
the nearest country in Europe. We have never had
my "entangling alliance" with any European
Power nor any national interest or part III the
origin, motive. Issue of any CONNECT {"
controversy on that continent Surely II any nation
in this wide world ought to be in a condition I"
take a COSMOPOLITAN view, and form an indepond-
ent and impartial opinion of European questions.
we should be that people. But fall far short Of
our great prerogative and duty. The pOwertni Ell-
glish mind. with its mighty and multitudinous
faculties of thought intercep'S onr view OF these
questions and events. We have become so accuo-
toned to look al them through the medium which
that mind makes for us that they are all colored by
it, and often exaggerated and distorted out OF all
symmetry with truth. When one looks through Il
window painted rcd blue or green, he sees me real
facts of the landscape in their actual size ana loca-
ton. hut their color makes them unreal that he
can hardly recognize them as belonging to any pros
pcct he las ever seen with his naked eye But when
lie sees his own face in globular mirror he Is al
most startled AT the distortion or diSproport0n u
his features. They are all there but they make Il
monster of him. aud the idea Of wearing such face
out INTO the world would he horrible TO him.
Now so lar as our secular and religious press ndi-
Gates IT, the American mind looks through the me
d.um of the English mind at this great Eastern
question. and accepts as realities all the aspects
which that Medium presents Thus TINS great Il
independent nation, which, far above al others,
should view all the facts involved n this question
from . cosmopolitan point of view. seems TO become
more English in its conceptions and bias OF OPINION
than H. English people themselves. Form England
there are considerable and 4 growing nnnber "a
tloua FIJI persons who do not nchcSe that iUrkeN
after 100 years of probation. has proved her rule
essential to the weli-beug OF mankind. and who
think that the world would gain much II that lnie
were lifted from the bosom of Nv" continents Bht
are there m equal number Of persons in the United
States of this opinion II So how and where DO they
express it. In what newspapers! On what
platform! In what pulpit! So far as
American opinion has manifested Itself, IS
if not as PalmoIstu English III regard TO Russia )
history character progress and designs aS any Tory
journal or magazine III Great Britain! DO not our
paper apply the same brute name and the same
british in>tIct, 20 i}GSSiI. ard suspect her OF AID
charge her with the same propensity to prey u'on
dtf,usec-s peoples as the most pronounced English
Rnssophohi,;~ do in regard 10 that Power' Indeed
are there hat a dozen papers, or MALT dozen public
sneakers in America that acknowledge that Russia
has ever done or ever intends 60 do any good dHd
honest work for civilization IN Europe or ASA! One
might inicr from the tone OF many oi our public
Journals that Russia had done great wrong 70
scores of heather tribes in Asia by SURPRISING the
Independence Of such people aS the Circassians
and by ahrdging their old hereditary and most
higlly pgizcd liberty If selling their children
and stealing thcrnciahbors children for the market
We all knew what highlands point OF view is in
regard TO tits Eastern question. She lets the world
know very distinctly what il is, and the view she
takes from it. Does she pretend ihat sls cares
snap of hcr fingers for either Mobammcoar' or
Christians within the Turkish dondnons in her de-
termination "to uphold the integrity and indie
pendencc Of tho Ottoman Empirei" No; far from
il; she il honest and Oat2pohcn III her policy. II
Russia's rule at Constantnoplc would be certain to
lift UP all The varied populations Of that empire 10
the average level # Euopcn civilization. England
would oppose with al her might Russa's possession
of that capital. And she would Go tins not or the
old balancc-0i-powcr principle f0r II was assumed
that all European nations were equally Interested
in that principle She would do II on worse pm
cipe-that ore nation may prevent by force another
nation from becoming its near neghhor. What ~
the corfclatiye Of s principle! 1t is that tie pre-
tended law Of rlfdcfense wOtid allow power 20 *
pei as well 70 repc, auo her from ITS near ncghbOr-
hood. Why is not Russia rs dangerous 10 Prussia or
Sweden as she could be at COnstaniin0ple TO In
gland IT, lndia Has she been bad neEhbor 10
either of those States Cor tie last fifty years? Has
she oppressed them in any way, or checked their
progress in material prosperity or civil freedom !!
She has been fOr all this period thousand miles
nearer 10 them than She would he the Bosphorus
TO India II she is such Northern bear and beast
of prey, why has She Lot swallowed up little Sweden
before this time. If She has not had the heart or
courage 10 do This, why we Americans 20 enter
tain the fantasy that ii she at COnstantin0pc
she would undertake to swallow up the Indian llni
pire with a population three times her ownl When
at that capital would she be "A mile nearer Calcutta
than she is now? How wonld she send her force, so
India-by the Sucz Canal, under the British guns
at Gibraltar
Now these are some of the aspects in which the
American mind. ia justice 20 itself and the world,
ought 80 view This Eastern question, and to form an
independent and impartial opinion upon IT. These
are some Of Tie fact. and bearings we ought to
slider We have made il al automatic truth that
governments arc made for men, and not men for
governments and that when they moi and c1impt
be made foT men, they have neither reason nor right
to exist What kind of people is the Turkish Gov
eminent made for Ii has tred IFS rule upon
Greeks Servians, B0lgarians, Bosnians, and all