Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-01-15
WHAT CAN ENGLAND oo7

From the London Morning Post.
Stills the Turkish empire t, he de.
stroyed and are her provinces 10 he divid-
ed? These are the questions of the hour.
Russia. Germany (uncle and nephew) and
Italy and many jackals and obscene birds
Of prey, who hope to pick tho csrcass slain
by their powerful allies, say "Yes." Aus
trja is divided-half her subjects say YES"
half say "No." She is checkmated by Ger.
many and Italy. France would say ono"
by Germany and Italy. England alone
says mo" On the one side. therefore,
stand England and Turkey-Tu,kty pros
trate, crushed, bankrupt, her harvest slain
her strong places taken from her-on the
other side, Russia, Germany and Italy,
with Austria and France as neutrals. What
can Eskland do? She has a powerful navv.
She can send to the seat of war an army of
sc, 1000 men. For defensive warfare $4,000
British troops still constitute a great mill
tary force. For aggressive warfare in
these DAYS Of gigantic ornaments they
merely const tlte q corps d'armee. A year
ago so, 900 British troops would probably
have enabled the Turks to rerel invasion,
To defend the line of the Danube and save
Kars but twice that number could not
now free their country from the Russian
grip. With an army of $4,000 men we
cannot attack, but we can defend. What,
then, are we TO defend? Doubtless we can
make Constantlnople %impregnablc, and the
Dardanelles impossible but what then? In
such a case Russia would st'p short II
A%drianorle and prosecute the war in Asia
Minor and in Syria In the meantime,
while we were defending Constantinople,
that was not attacked, and guarding the
Dardanelles, that were cot threatened,
Egypt, which is the very apple of our cas-
tern eye, might fall to the lot of others. As
Vet Germany and Italy have only given
moral support to Russia. but it is not iln-
possible that the moment We throw in our
sword with Turkey they may throw in
theirs with Russia. Othis occurs, and the
Russian, German ard Italian fleets com
bine, the English feet will have its hands
full With Malta and Gibraltar to guard
and with an army ct Consta%ntipoplc or
Gallipoli to protect. it cannot spare many
shins to lcok after British interests 10
Egypt. Let US clearly realize our position.
If Russia. Germany and Italy are determined
t, commit a great crime, and if Austria and
France sanction it England cannot prevent
it: but if this action of the great powers of
Europe makes 1t clear t. us that a new law
Of nations is gradually taking possession of
the mind, and coming to sway the practice
of the world a law that rejects the hal.
ance Of power, that repudiates the obliga.
,i0ns of treaties, and recognizes the law of
the strong as alone supreme; then, when
the last word has been spoken in favor OF
treaties and international obligations, then
the law of self preservation will compel US
to look alter our " interests, and t, take
care that in the melee of laWle ssncss and
disruption we do not become the victim Of
some INSCRIPTIONS combination. Egypt
and Crete belong to our ally. Turkey, and
we have no more right to take them than
Russia has to take Bulgaria and Armenia !;
but Egypt is the high road 10 India and to
our vast co'onial empire, and it is absolute.
ly necessary to the existence of our empire
that it does not fall into hostile hands. We
have no right to take Egypt and Crete, but
we have q right, and indeed it is our bound
en- duty to ourselves and to our descend
ants, to take such steps as will make their
occupation by others impossible. Every
thing points to Egypt as the key of British
empire in the east. It's the only spot where
the military strength of the empire can be
join hands. With $4,000 British troops in
Egypt. a British fleet in Crete, the front
door open to supplies and reinforcements
from Malta, Gibraltar and England, and the
back door, through the Red Scs, open to
supplies and reinforcements from India,
our position would be impreenablc; we
could hold it against the world.
Yours, &C,
EDWARD SULLIVAN.
No. Is Grosvenor Place, Dec. 20, ~.