The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-01-22
The War-Nenring the End.

making of peace than as additional tribula-
tons to the Turk in making war. They
may compromise the relations of Greece
somewhat and the insurgents, with the
characteristic ierocity of people who feel
themselves relieved for the time Of an ordi-
nary restraint will repay on the helpless
Moslems they may find near the nncient debt
accumulated against ruthless and rapacious
oppressor. But the Moslem lord is beneath
the foot OF greater foe and can scarcely
heed the snarl Of this latest of the small
enemies that have arisen against him now
that he is down. There is but one
aspect in which the relation OF the Greek
populations to the war now on foot is OF any
interest, and that is presented by the in
quiry in regard to the negotiations now on
foot between England and Greece. 1t has
been intimated in some Of the. dispatches
that case might arise In which
England and Greece would appear in
the war as allies. But the thing
has IN appearance Of improbablllty
Greece could act in the interest Of England
only as the enemy of Russia, and : she Is not
likely to act in that way. 1t may be
pleasant dream on the part Of some English
diplomatist that a revived Greece would be
as natural in the world as revived Italy,
and that such Power might be properly
substituted for the Ottoman Empire in
reconstructed Levant. How would Russia
like this? Such substitution would be in
its nature a compromise Of the case now on
foot, further postponement Of the issues
which Russia now hopes to settle definitely,
and for this reason Russia would perhaps
object to such a plan. England may well
desire to defer definite. determination OF
the possession of the Black Sea to day
when she can figure more advantageously
in it than she can now. But Russia cannot
desire any postponement. The game is
hers and she will not be drawn away from
it by any scheme Of sentimental diplomacy.
Therefore the Greek Instructions are SO
far only one more element in the confusion
that has come upon the Ottoman Empire.
Meanwhile Adrianople is in the hands of
the Russians, the Turkish commissioners
have unlimited power to treat with the
enemy, the last Turkish army must be ami
Inflated or captured. the Grecian provinces
are in instruction, the Porte is demoralized
and helpless, and England does not move, but
waits till Russia shall give her an occasion.
The situation illustrates with singular force
England's relation to Turkey. Worse
plight than the Sultan is now in never fell
upon any sovereign. More pitiful extrem-
ity never came upon any country than is
now upon the Ottoman Empire Disatfected
populations in revolt, the enemy moving
forward triumphant everywhere, the fugitive
people dying by the roadside or swarming
.helplessly into the streets of an indefen-
sible capital, the last army that could be
counted upon as good as gone-could any
condition be worse than this? In this
hour of his dire calamity the Sultan turns
his eyes toward England and finds her
standing like stone. She looks his way,
but does not see him. She looks over him
or around him or through him-at India
beyond, or at the Dardanelles to see if
Russian ship goes in. She is the Sultan's
friend, but not for his "interest," only for
her own. He may be crushed in the mortar
of war to annihilation and she will not stir;
but let the Russians touch what she deems
her interest and she will rush to the rescue.
That is England's idea of an alliance. That
is her conception of d sympathetic relation
between two peoples. She has exhibited
herself in the same aspect before. How.
when France sent her legions to the
Crimea, England poured out her enthusiasm
over an alliance that was to keep the world
in order in the future! But when France
was in trouble England did not see
in the same light the beauty of that
system of regulating Europe, much less
the world. But if England's relation to
the Moslem shows her as, with all her
gush, an utterly heartless and selfish ally,
it also shows her as the most purblind and
short-sighted of nations. For England's
real interest in the East is not Egypt nor
the Dardanelles nor the Euphrates, but the
existence of the Ottoman Empire Just rs it
is. 1t is now too late for her to defend that
interest move as she may. Moreover, it is
too late for her to defend even those inter-
ests that she has declared she will defend.
With Turkey crushed she cannot raise
finger in Eastern Europe. Side by side
with the Turk she could have made mag
niicent fight alone she cannot make half
the fight he did. She thus stands still, de-
termined to act only at moment when
effective action shall be impossible.
But "the unspeakable Turk" seems to
have fully comprehended at last the nature
OF an English friendship. Deluded into the
war wheedled, coaxed. cajoled to keep on,
to turn u deaf ear to the outrageous intima-
tons of the Muscovite that he was ready to
make peace; assured day by day and
hour by hour that England would
come to his aid, and that he should
vet indulge himself in the luxury of