Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1878-01-28
ON TO CONSTANTINOPLE.

cdl ISSUES Always mdheS ueW poHOi0dl
friends and alliances.
ON TO CONSTANTINOPLE
The field is now clear for the Rus
slams south of the Balkans to march up
to the rear defences of Constantinople,
that is. if the war is to continue. Sui
eiman Pasha, having lost $4,000 men
killed and captured in his encounters
with Gen. Gourko, counts himself out of
the opponent of the Russian advance.
He has arrived at Drama, not more
than thirty miles from the Egean Sea,
and has telegraphed to Constantinople
for transports to take his army thither,
or else to Gallipoli, the defence of which
has been intrusted to him, according to
one report Whether the Russians are
really aiming at Gallipoli does not yet
appear, although if they have passed
Demotika and Usunkoproi, as stated,
the plan looks probable, as these places
are considerable to the south of the d.
rect line to Constantinople, and not
more than fifty miles from Gallipoli.
This detachment, whatever it strength,
is therefore likely to reach the peninsula
of Gallipoli before Suleiman can get
there by sea. If so, the Dardanelles
will not only be closed to the English
of the capital "a brilliant piece of STRAIT
egg, if it works. The dispatches would
seem to indicate that the Russians will
have no difficulty in seizing this key o.
the Hellespont if they only reach there
in season.
No side movement of this kind, how
ever, will interfere with the main march
upon Constantinople. 1t was generally
said at the beginning of the war tina
the European Powers would not ALLOW
the Russians to proceed to that EXTERN
ity; but there has since been a marked
change in that respect, until now W,
have the statement that austria ha
waived her objections to the Russian oc
cupation of Constantinople." There i
no reason to believe that the attitude O
Germany is any different. England ma,
object, as this is what Lord Salisbur,
may have meant in his late oracular ex
preston about the waves of war ap
preaching too closely "the localities in
dictated )" but then, on the other hand
1t does not appear that any remonstran
ces of England alone on this subjec
would be needed. The Gear has beef
reported as saying that the Russian ar
mics have the same right to enter ant
occupy Constantinople, as a purely wa
measure, which the German armies ha,
to enter Paris. The claim is entirel,
reasonable. There is no special sacred
ness about Constantinople which shoul'
exempt it from the ordinary humiliation
of unsuccessful war, or deprive its captor
of the legitimate influence of their sue
cess. Of course. all this would hav
nothing to do with the ultimate nego
tiations respecting Constantinople an,
Turkey, which would come within tn
jurisdiction of European Conference.
AS matter of fact two contingencies
are first to be onsidered-whether tn
pending negotiations at Adrianople vii
not terminate the war, and, secondly
whether. if they do not, the Russian
can take Constantinople. AS to tn
first, we are wholly in the dark as vel
but we cannot remain so long. If tn
negotiations should be protracted fe,
days longer, the Russian object woul
be so plain that no further attentio
would be paid to them, and all eye
would be turned, with interest, towar
the Russian advance upon Constantine
pie. The question of the difficulties an
probabilities of such a movement may
postponed until after the peace chance
are known to be over.-Boston Jou,no