New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-10

|
! overt act OF the Hungarian minority.
The question Of peace or war hangs upon me reis,ye
and unofficial Russia -Four thousand men leit BeS.i.ne
| ing all their forces in that quarter"
| THE FAILURE OF THE CONFERENCE
THE TURKS UsCOMPRoNIsING-RUssn SAID TO BE
UNPRgPARED TO ACT INDEPENDENTLY MiDHAr
'PAsHNs WARNINGS RUssIA's DESIGNS STILL
IN DOUBT.
IRON OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUSE.l
LoyDOS, Jan. 20.-Europe is to-day the witness
Of the humiIiaing spectacle of the triumph-though
it may be only for while-o Turkey. The weak
est the most corrupt and in all respects the worst OK
European Powers has thought fit 10 set at defiance
the demands of its neighbOrs. With much ostenta-
zion the Turks have displayed that which Mr.. Glad
stone rightly termed their " relentless fatasrn,'
and have announced their determination to die
rather than submit to foreign intervention in their
internal affairs The Grand Council at CONSTANT
| nopc Thursday decided not to permit the dele
gates Of the Porte to accept even the TOO much mod
flied suggestions of the other Powers and conse.
quenty the Conference meets to-day for the last
time as matter of form to hear the decision
officially announced. There is nothing left for tho
ambassadors now but TO pack mp their trunks and
quit the Turkish capital.
The Conference then has proved an utter failure.
and the only consolation one can derive from the
fact that as the real demands of the Powers had Of
late been slowly fittered away in the vain hope Of
| inducing the Porte to consent, even success itself
| would have been failure The later DAYS of the
Conference Jelied the hopes that its earlier stings
had inspired. Russia. which went into the business
with such determined attitude, early retired to tho
! background and Lord Salisbury, who struck ont o
course at first which astOnished his friepis and ac-
tuay enraged the pro-Turhish party at home, had
! bn intprdpl and TO
content himself with wasting words in the formula
ton OF plans which he knew he had power to en-
! force. What will 0e the immediate effect OF the
breaking mp of the Conference 1t Il at present lit
tie difficult II is quite clear, however that
matters will not hong remain IN their present posi-
! ton The armistice expires IN few weeks and II
nothing else happens before that event must bring
| the question again 10 The front Whether the En-
perOr of Russia s yet ready to take his ipdepend-
ent action is a question which the next week or two
will decide. The general impression appears to be
| that he is not
In any case. however whether the hostlitics
when they are renewed will be directly with Russia
or as before indirectly through Seryia there is still
some hope that the Turks may have learned lesson
from the events of the past few weeks. The Porto
must know now if it did not know before, that
Europe has already regarded the Turkish Empire
| eiietc. She is no longer power Of imperial sway,
not even one of the European family 81 nations. The
plenipotentiares at COnstantinople have made Iur-
key feel that their opinion Of the Powers, she Is
| not TO be trusted TO govern her own subjects lf
any evidence were wanting of this fact, the Obser-
vatons which the Grand vizier is reported to have
| made in the Grand COuncil would more than have
supplied it. Naturally enough, all the accounts we
| nave heard from CoHstantinope do not agree in
many particulars but there is a unanimity remarka-
! be if il does not express the truth, IL implying
/ to Midhat Pasha a speech containing words which,
anywhere else but az COnstantlnople woud be taken
| "a serious warning Nidhat Il SAID 10 have IN
| formed his fellow councillors that a refusal of the
! terms might result in war" and that in
this war they wouId certainly have to help
Themselves if indeed they did not have the whole
/ of Europe against them. He moreover is reported
to have pointed out practical difficulties in the way
of war; They would. he is reported to have said,
| have torely upon America for arms and ammuni-
ton and they would thus be unpleasantly at the
mercy Of the enemies cruisers. The prospect
/ tainly not reassuring. With a bankrupt treasury
| and the whole of Europe against them, the Turks
may well yet pause before they bring down
| the avalanche which shall overwhelm them. II the
wholesome dread of which appears to prevail
az most of the European capitals just now has the
effect of inducing all or any of the Powers 10 hold
| their hands il will afford time in which the
Porte put IFS new Constitution INTO uSe. ltmay
even he that the Porte will be shrewd enough to
| this FOL itself aud that il VIII at last make real
effort N the cause of reform, in order 70 staye of
| still further its day of doom.
| Speculations a. 10 the future, however, are very
improbable. Circumstances interviewer Que
with the other that il is quite impossible 10 predict
one hour what the next will bring. Much. doubt
less. depends on the action OF RUSSIA There are
! not few who declare that much has already de-
pended upon that Ii Is asserted that
herein lies the real secret of the failure Of the Con-
ference Had Russia shown more determination at
! the outset Turkey would have given ill., but Russias
| want of irmness indicative Of weakness and
the willy representatives of the Pore knew tina; If
they had nothing To fear from her they bad nothing
to fear from any other quarter. On the other hand
the RassOphOblss In this wavering action of Gen
Imatieff only another instance of lIs wonderful
diplomatic sagaciiy. IL is put dowu as feiut by
| which Russia induces a belief that she IL not ready
for the fed. but only TO show the world when the
world least expects IT, that she will 90 IN and carry
! everything IN front of her before Others have .
chance Of resistance. give YOU these speculatioas
not because think either of them have any psrtic-
! uar yalue-errtainly not the second bat bec;.u
shey fair specimens of the turn the discuss.
| has taken.