The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1878-07-13

The Congress of Berlin" like the
Congress of Vienna in 1915, is destined
to make its mark on European history.
After q session of but about single
month, under the steel hand, though
velvet -gloved of Prince Bismarck as its
President, the Berlin Congress has so ex-
pedited its great duties as to be about to
be dissolved, with its stipulations already
completed and copied in readiness for the
seals of the Signatory Powers. This
promptitude is in strong contrast with
the diIatoriness of diplomacy in the for
nation of former treaties of general
European import. The treaty of peace
at Westphalia was under negotiation for
five years. The treaty of Utrecht occu-
pied nearl y two years, and of Radstadt
about as long. The Congress of Vienna
had been in session seven months with
but little progress, until the sudden re-
turn of Napoleon from Elba precipitated
diplomatic action. And the questions
for consideration at the Berlin Congress
have been quite as complicated and i'm
portanr as those submitted to any Of its
predecessors.
1t may now be assumed as a certainty
that this Congress has succeeded in allay-
ing the war frenzy that was hurriedly
forcing England upon Russia. 1t has,
for the present, secured the peace Of
Europe. To have done this is to do
much for the good of the world.
In the settlement now made Of the
questions submitted, what particular in
terests may have been best subserved it
may be somewhat difficult to determine;
and equally difficult to ascertain upon
whom the greatest concessions and sacri-
fees have fallen. The noisy "backers"
of the British Premier swear "by Jingo"
that Beaconsfeld has triumphed at every
point, carried all before him in the Con-
gress, and left Russia scarcely Turkey
bone to pick.
But it is extremely doubtful whether
Lord Beaconsfeld carried one single
point in the Congress that Russia had
not previously offered to concede. The
decision of the Congress awarding the
possession of Batoum and the two fort
reSses, Kars and Ardahan, in Asia Minor,
to Russia, on condition that Russia
would restore to Turkey the village of
Bayazd and cede to Persia a small strip
off Khotour, was in conformity with the
Shouvalof memorandum made in Lon
don; as to which England had agreed
"not to contest the desire Of the Emperor
to occupy the port of Batoum and to
guard his conquests in Armenia" And
among these conquests were the formid-
able fortresses of Kars and Ardahan, which
Russia retains. The only point made in
the Congress, in this regard, was to make
Batoum, under Russian possession, free
port and this for the reason that all the
British colonial ports in Asia are also
precisely so held. Hence, this PROPOSE
tion was conceded without difficulty.
The determination of the boundaries of
the new Bulgaria, the annexation of Bess-
arabian Territory, the commercial navi-
cation of the Danube, were all in like
conformity with the London memoran-
dunn, of Count Shouyalof. And with
these concurring propositions before him,
Bismarck held both Russia and England
closely down thereto, and thereby abbre-
waited the session probably by months of
time, There was then no triumph for