The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-04-28
Diplomatic Sparring.

| The present deadlock In European II
fairs seems complete. Diplomacy 10 hard
at work all the time, yet appears to make nc
headway. So far as an attentive public
csn observe, not an iota of change has ta-
ken place in the situation for several weeks
and not an inch ofprogress has been made by
any Of the parties interested. Some master
artists In the department Of intrigue must
be pitted against one another, for If any
one of them has as yet gained point In
the struggle 1t is not discernible to the world
at large. 1t Ia said, however, that the mere
fact of delay is gain to England, because
abe needs time to perfect her prepara
tions, while Russia is ell the time fighting g
losing war with the typbus fever.
But it is pretty clear that Russia is
not quite ready either; that lie, 30 far as
her outside arrangements are concerned.
She Is tied down by her Prussian alliance.
II this were a Russian war, there could
scarcely be doubt that the Gear is losing
precious time. One would suppose that
he would seize Constantinople, with all
the Notifications on the Dardanelles and
the Bosphorus, and defy the power of Great
1oEithIu w lhuu uu dAhJ 1py hCi n
vigorous policy might even put the British
ironclad feet in position ofgreat jeopardy,
for the Notifications already existing, es-
pecially If strengthened, could render the
entrance of the Dardanelles almost imprso-
ticable for either ipgress or egress. Even
the Devastation would be Of small moment
without coal and powder.
IL. E
In our opinion it is not primarily so, but
ought rather to be called Prussian war.
Russia dares not move q man of her ad-
vance line without permission from Ber-
lin. She has no hopes of success in her
Turkish and East India schemes except
with the alliance of Germany for the
coalition of England, France and Austria
would be too strong for her alone. But Bis
marck 10 not hasty man, nor even, with all
bis bluster, bold man. He wants long odds
when be takes the chances, and would like
to come as near betting on a certainty as
possible. A man with bad conscience
always feels as though Providence were
lying in wait for him.
So Biemarck Ia not ready, and the CsSr
must curb his impatience. Bismarck is not
ready because he has not got hold Of the
cats paw for pulling out the chestnuts.
The stupid cat in question-whose name,
instead of being Tom, is Joe-is being
propitiated by some skilful strokipg of the
fur. He is told of the league Of the three
empsrors. He ought not to forget that
three are one too many. The tendency Of
every such league, or ring as we call it in
this country, is to reduce itself in numbers
% the 9 to principle. That is, the stronger
devonr the weaker, anti finally only two
giants are left to fight out between them
the battle for undisputed empire. Thus
Russia wants all the East ard Prussia all
the West, and they would like to fatter
Austria into helping them with their am
bitious projects by promising her all the
South. No matter how much they should
give her as first, they would make short
work of her afterwards.
There is but one thing clear in such
complication as that, which Ia that its
issue is in the hands Of God alone,
and that he is working out his grand pur-
poses through the selfish activity and sub.
tie machiration of all this human agency.