New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-01-28
ENGLAND'S WAR FANTASIES.
LETTER FROM ELIHU BURRITr.

q great position in the world without an energetic
ambition. The very eminence OF the poSi'ioh at
tanned is generally the measure OF the force tha'
ambition supplied in either case. In neither Is IL
necessary that this force should he aggressive OF IN
iuriOus TO community or 20 mankind. suppose we
attribute to national ambition the mighty expan-
sion of the British Empire who has been injured by
the force of that sentiments We're it not for the
envy of rivals, it wOuld be the unanimous verdict
of the world that the great majority OF the human
race had gained in every interest by this extension
of British rule over such vast varied ana dc'&ched
portions of the globe. Seeing what England mas
DONE and is doing, and preparing TO DO. ior 'hii'
{ an civilization every continent ana ls'ah" vi
which she raises her flag all who love freedom ana
hate oppression might well wish that she Sioni"
not only hold what she has but also bring other re-
gons and races under her rule. No ciyillzed nation
has crossed her or barred the way against this eT-
mansion of her Empire during the last fifty years.
There are still unclaimed continents of barbGrsm
living in the waste of moral darkness, as IT were
waiting for the touch Of her rcgencrating hand
Let hermarch in and take possession, and hang them
with the lights and plant them with the institutions
which have come to such Illumination and fruitage
in America, Australia and other portions OF her
Empire There is the whole of Africa, with the eN-
ccption of a short, thin slice on its northern SHORE
open to her march Let her do there what she IS
her way to the peaceful conquest. Let her extend
her Indian Empire east and west, if she can with
out wrong AMI bloOdshcd, until it absorbs Persia on
one side and BuTmah on the other, and no true
friend of humanity would deem her ambition inJri-
ous TO mankind. The civilized world is not AFRAID
Of it, in face of all the history of its achieve
ments though much of that history has occu writ
ten in human blood.
RyssIiS AMBITION.
Well Russia has been accused by England o. an
ambition as guilty AMI dangerous a. that when
Bsutus suspected in julius Caesar. What are the
grounds of this accusation that rest on historical,
established facts' May not intelligent, fair-minded
Americans ask for these facts before they aami this
charge The leading passages OF Russias history
are. or ought to be- familiar to us. We know what
Sic has suffered for European civilization, even u
We deny OF doubt that she has done anything to
promote it, We know that for more than one cen
turv she served as breakwater to stay The IN
rnshing food Of Tartar barbarsm from cnsuiIlng
more western nations. We know that she bent IN
der the Tulc of that degrading barbaTlsm 80 long
that when she threw of the YOKE, like all peoples
that have bent under such bondage for generations.
she went to her worl; with soop in the stature OF
her moral being. She had great work to do, the
hardest soil on which to work. and the smallest
means TO work with. She had to push agricul-
tural population southwark and eastward among
nomadic, marauding tribes of different races,
who swooped down like birds of prey upon all per-
manent settlements within reach of their rough
riders. She found herself subjected 10 the same
necessity of defensive cOnquestS as England ID INDIA
and our Government in America. But IN her long,
slow march acro1; the north of Asia 10 the sea- did
she tread down n single germ SeeGgrain of ciyli-
cation! Her code OF laws and Judicial rule may have
been rude aad defective, but has any tribe between
the Ural Mountains and the mouth OF the Am1Or
been lowered or injured BY their supremacy! Has
she seized upon an acre OF land that England
claimed for India Would England to-day exchange
the two cities Of Delhi and lucknow for all TIE
acquisitions Of Rus5ia north of the Himalayasl
Bat Russa's ambition wa, 20 imper civilization
in Western Europe. That wa, the standing charge
and danger. Let her once get q fo0th''d st Con-
.tantinoD,e. and she would march Win hcf over
towering hosts upon her western DoIgLbo:S anH
tread down their constitutional governments and
snbiect them to her rule. Who were her Nearest
ncghbOrs 80 be first OycIroYer3d OF coursr. they
were Sweden Prussia and Austria. Bin thcyad lived
side by side with Russia ia al good ighborhooA and
mutual confidence for fifty years and morc. ia all
this time what had they TO complain Of heT When
Hungary was virtually lost to Austria III slS, did
Russia take IN acre of The insurgcnt country To pay
her for restoring it 20 tina; Empire Had SIC
ever laid finger OF violence upon the territory of
Prussia sweden. or impos d ANY restriction upon
the sc0p, AID play of constitutional government IN
either o. chose kingdoms No; sucA charge was
not made when England enIcayorcd 20 dTa" Puis-
sia iato tie Crmcan Wal, to rcpal tho ambition of
Ius,ia to Ii .hten the mtoicrahc yoke Of Turkish
despJtisn on the uecks Of the Christian population
OF the Ottoman Empire that had been grooming IN
her ears for centuries. Eyen the peace-iONlHg \Ic-
tora in letters 10 the King Of Prussia, recently pab
lshed, expresses a genuine INDIGNATION that he was
so insensibe to The peril Of Rus ian ambition to h>
kingdom. Jlor argument seemed e. ask, "Why wait
for an overt act of hostility ON the part Of Russia
before taking up arms against her! Why not do
what England does in the cdsc-suspcct an inter-
ton ana 30 To war on thar suspicion Grant that
Russia has been safe and neighboyly enough to YOU
1T Warsaw how could yOu Ie,t IN peace TO sec her
at Constaatm0plc7" such i the argument Of this
suspicion. There il neither fear nor danger that
Russia will march against western civilization from
Warsaw Riga or CTOnstadt, but ii Constantine
pie fifteen hundred miles lurthcrO1, with hostile
people there to watch and ward nothing could save
the western nations from her overwhelming hosts.
Could any yagary be more inscnsate than this weak
fantasy Of suspicion
ENGLAND'S FEAR FOR INDIA.
Yes: this dOugl-faced goblin of Imagination has
begotten fantasy still moro wild and deceptive.
If Russia is more dangerous to western civilization at
Constantinope than at Warsaw OF Cronstadt she Is
still more pcrilous t, England in India on the Bos-
phorus than she Is now, thousand miles nearer, on
the Caspian Sea, or the northern brow Of ;hc
Himalayas Once at Consantnople, the conquest
of India would be both inevitable and easy. 50
runs the imagination. In the history Of the world
did great and powerful nation ever yield TO such
another fantasy Would the sHbjugaton OF
European Turkey aud the acquisition OF CoGsan-
tinoplc add any fighting forces to her army which