The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1877-07-05
TURKEYS DECLINE.



Powerful Ottoman Empire.
In the first half of the sixteenth CEN
fury, during the reign of Sultan Sulie-
man, the Turkish empire had gained
control of its greatest reach of terri
tory. At that time the armies of the
sultan had gone so far west and north
as to have their encampments pitched
under the very walls of the city OF
Vienna The capital of Austria was
really in great danger Of falling prey
to the rapacity of the Turks. The then
kingdom of Hungary had almost fallen
under the power of that mastery ruler
Roumania, Servia, Greece, the islands
in the Egan and the present posses
sions in Asia and Africa were all firmly
in his grasp. Turkey was then notably
one of the most powerful empires, as ii
is now one of the weakest and most
loosely constructed governments, known
to civilization. 1t gave manifestations.
at that time, of its greatest vigor. The
reign of !Sulieman was its golden age.
Compared with other periods of its own
history, Turkey was a cause of great
alarm to all Christendom. The world
| stood in complete awe of her power.
The Turks were, at that time, in control
Of the best part of three continents
where man had made his greatest achieve
ments in arts, literature, culture, refine
ment, religion and civil government.
This region was the very paradise OF
! human grandeur in the whole history Of
mankind.
The first great triumphs eff power on
] the part of the Turk were achieved in
the destruction of every visible sign of a
| former civilization, and the reduction of
/ ba iraf1 ~
tries TO condition of primitive helpless
ness and vassalage Having fairly &C
complished all this, his only anxiety
seems to have been to keep his subjects
| in this abject condition of helplessness
and oppression.
Austria was the first power that offered
successful resistance to the victorious
Turks in their encroachment on the
west. From this time onward the
Turkish empire began gradually to
wane. After a century's sway over
Hungary, the ancient kingdom of the
Magyars was re-established; and the
| Turks removed their encampment far
away from Buda--gradually retreating
TO more limited quarters. The black
sea, which had been for centuries com
pletely within the limits of the Turkish
empire, was in part given up; and little
by little Russia, continuing her encroach-
ments on the north and east, has gained
peaceable possession of two sides of that
great inland sea.
In 1915 Servia's repeated revolutions
against the power of Turkey came to q
successful termination. Her home rule
was acknowledged by the porte, and has
also been maintained to the present time.
In 1866 Moldayia and Wallachia were
reorganized under the name and title OF
Roumania, with the right and authority
of managing their internal affairs-on the
condition of paying a nominal tribute
and in turn acknowledging the
sultan as their feudal lord. A few
days ago Servia ana Roumania both
declared their independence of the porte
and they are now ready to support
| their position by the arbitrament o.
the sword. In 1921 gallant little Hellas
struck for revolution and INDEPENDENCE
and, after several years of dire conflict
and extreme suffering, in 1929 her indie
pendence was a so acknowledged by the
porte. Thus, within the limits of about
two centuries, there has been chopped
away from this once formidable empire
territory enough to furnish homes fol
about Is, 900, 600 souls.
Tunis, Egypt and Syria are to day
held by only a slender cord. Any sud
den revolution may burst the tie thai
still holds them subservient to the EN-
pire. Nearly all of Armenia has within
one month yielded its control to Russia
victorious arms. At the present rate o
progress, it will not be long before larg,
part of the southern shore of the Blact
sea is destined to be in the power 0
Russia by the right and rule of conquest
What shall we say of Epirus, Thessaly
Macedonia and Bulgaria? These are only
waiting for a good opportunity to carr!
revolt to a successful termination.
This is indeed a sad, yet truthful, pic
ture of the condition of the Once-power
, full Ottoman empire. Can it long surviv
the present attacks threatening on ever,
, hand p Chicago journal.