San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-05-04
The Quarrel Over Turkey.

tiations, certain comic element. No
body who wishes we'll for his kind de-
sires that there shall be war. Even the
Western editor who exclaimed, "Why
don't England fghtP Has she no back
bonep We want to sell our wheat!"
really wishes that peace might prevail.
War is destructive of the life and prop
erty of the human race, and to make
good the waste of conflict, however
distant it may be from any of us, re-
quires taxation, in one form or an
other, which we must ultimately feel
the weight of. Is is impossible that de-
struction and loss shall fall on one
member of the human family without
remotely affecting all the others. There
fore, we deplore war, wherever and for
whatever it is waged. Nevertheless, it
is impossible to regard even the grave
complications which now threaten Eu-
rope without some perception Of the
ludicrous side Of the case. ,..
At the beginning Of the trouble, Rus
STA avowed herself the protector and
avenger of the Christian subjects of Tur-
key. 1t could not for an instant be sup
posed that the Nuscovite was moved by
any but purely sentimental considera-
tons. Russia won't to war for an idea.
The English view of the case was that
the Bulgarian outrages had been very
much exaggerated and that the Turk
was slandered person who would be
much better if he were left alone. The
evangelical, anti-slavery, peace.at-any-
price English people were Mortified at
the idea of Poland-crushing Govern
ment pretending to have any human
sympathies whatever. Those who dis
.cussed the question, Whatever might
have been their nominal sentiments,
knew, that Russia's sympathy for the
oppressed Christian in Turkey was a
pretext under which was concealed a
long-cherished plan for driving the Turk
out of Europe. The English protest
against an assault on feeble Turkey was
protest against Russian conquest of
Turkey. 1t was not made because Eng
land loved Turkey, but because she
feared Russia. In all the diplomatic
verbiage which clouded the question for
weeks, there was only one tangible
point-the dread that Russian arms
would ultimately exclude British infiu-
ence from Turkey.
Now that the war is over, and pour
parlers have displaced shot and shell,
the old game of diplomacy is renewed.
The treaty of San Stefano was extorted
from Turkey by promises and threats.
The Sublime Porte was in the attitude
of man whose foe is on his PROSTATE
form, and who is not in condition to
make terms, but to take them. But it
should not be forgotten that Turkey
was, at the beginning, naughty and de-
faint, while Russiai threatened. Whats
ever may be true of the alleged inter-
view between Safvet Pasha and the En-
glish newspaper correspondent, it is
undoubtedly true that the Turks
felt that they had been egg
ed on to the fight, but had not
been sustained by the English influence
which had urged them forward. Mr..
Layard challenged Safvet to say in pub
lie what he was alleged to have said in
private-that the English had betrayed
Turkey, and that henceforth the natural
alliance of the Turk was with his an
Gent enemy, the Russian, not with his
Facilitating sympatizer, the Englishman.
Every body felt that this was true,
whether the Pasha said it or not. 1t is
ludicrous, however, to note the present
attitude of Turkey. She is like cour-
tesan who gives her favors to the strong
er bully of the two. Her ancient 'pro-
tector" stood by and saw another win
her regard by beating her. England's
rage over the result is the rage of an old
beau who sees his paramour going off
with another man.
But the fierce courtesies of the Rus
SLAMS are received with timidity and
alarm in Constantinople. England de-
sires to defend Turkey; Turkey does
not want to be defended. With a pistol
at her ear, she exclaims that she is per-
fectly satisfied. Indeed (under what
domestic pressure we can not tellJ ,Tur-
KEY has put forth a card, so to speak, i'm
forming the world that she accepts the
results of the war-but hopes to be let
nnn,- Rnasia discussing her DESIGNS