New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-26
ENGLAND ND THE EAST.
SRTRY ANSWERED.

IIGT SECRETARY CHARGED WITH SihAN""i
RECKLESS AND UNTRUE REMABKs-THE i"" rs
STILL UNITED ~ SUSTAINING TIKI DECISION Rh-
LATINO To- THE GREEK FRONTIER
lFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRlBJNb'I
Lo>DoN, Dec. 14.-If anybody had said ten or
even five years AGO, that in 1850 Sir Charles Dixie
would be n leading member of Hell Majestys GoV-
eminent would have had the refusal OF n Cabinet
Office land put il aside IN favor OF friend) would
have become one of the most popular and respected
members of the House Of Commons, and would De
reported verbatim and IN the first person wheh he
addressed his constituents of Chelsea-if anybody
bad predicted even one Of these things he "oulu
have been thought unworthy OF serious at
tention. and surely have been laughed at as
soon as his back was turned. Yet all these
things have come to pass the last of them only last
night The speech. TO which The Times devotes over
three columns certainly deserves the sort OF com
pment implied by reporting it in full less from Its
rhetorical merits perhaps than from its sound abii-
ity and its clear and full statements on some points
of foreign policy on which definite information was
much wanted. SIR Charles Dixie has, 1T may be
said genius tor facts great industry in accumu-
lating them. and skill in arranging them IL Is
this which makes him so dangerous an opponent 70
Lord Salisbury.
As Sir Charles Dixie himself Gays. IN dealing with
the late Foreign Secretary there IS nothing like
facts 1t is not for the first the twentieth time
that Lord Salisbury has been brought to book; yet
repeated corrections leave HIM hardened offender.
SIR Charles Dixie applies 10 his language such as Is
not often applied in this country to men i'll the high
position of Lord Salisbury. They have not often
Land themselves open TO il. strangely reckless
talk" wholly nonsenscal" untrue" "wanton
language these are some Of the phrases dcsorlp-
tive aud. unhappily, accurately descrlptiye,o Lord
Sasbury's method of dealing with public questions.
1t was q favOrite charge OF the Tories while III
office against the Liberals while in opposition
that the latter allowed party zeal to
lead them into "unpatrotc" attacks upon the Gov
eminent Of the day Mr. Gladstone dealt with that
accusation n year go last November. in Midlothian;
dealt with it unauswerabiy; pointing out that
while the action Of the late Government upon the
Eastern Question began in the summer OF 1879,
" down TO the end Of the session of 1876. although
the Government had been adopting measures OF the
utmost Importance in direct contradiction to the
spirit and actlol of the rest Of the Powers OF Eu-
rope. there not one word Of hostile comment
from the Liberal partv.' ! thought then, and still
think. and Mr. Gladstone himself was inclined TO
admit that IT was much more difficult TO justify
the Liberal party for It's long silence than
to defend it for finally intervening as 1t did; or
rather the whole country did by that memorable
outburSt of feeling III August and september. 1876.
On the other hand. know not what can be said III
reply TO Sir Charles bikes charge that Lord Sails
bury has recently made speech after speech in
tended to weaken the authority of the present Gov
crnment--peecIes III which lac has dealt with for
cIgn questions IN a manner sngularly reckless in
late Secretary OF State for Foreign Affairs. Tie
general tenor OF Lord Sallsburys speeches - amIl
lar to the public; and the impression they have
made on the public Is tcrsely stated in that single
sentence Bur until now. Lord Salisbury has not
been met IN detail; and not until YOU follow Lord
Salisbury III detail. and contrast has assertions with
facts, can you form any adequate noton of that
great noblemau's imaginative way OF putting
things.
At Woodstock the other day Lord Salisbury ac-
cused the Government of " slaugLterng hundrgds
of Albanians" IN order to deliver over piece of
ALBANIAN territory to masters whose faith was
strangely repellant TO the Albanian people There
Is it appears discrepancy in the official accounts
of the number of AlbanIans killed by the Turks in
opposing the entry of the Turkish troops into Dull
cigno. The lowest estimate is five, the highest
thirteen the " hundreds pcrished only IN ihe
speech of Lord Salisbury, and by the stlll more
exact computation of Lord Cranbr0Ok who affirmed
that 700 had been killed. Lord sbury lays the
"huudreds" killed were AbanlanS who desired 10
defend their country. The five or eight or thirteen
actually killed in fact strangers 10 the district.
Lord Salisbury now cOndem the transfer Of Dull
cgno as an act opposed to the wishes of The trans
ferred district and because OF is supposed offensive
ness 10 the Albanian nationality. Yet, says Sir
Charles Dixie " he must have known that 1t was
unanimously adopted BY Europe, because the two
successive propositions 10 which he. when in Office,
had put his name had been found to be most oh
icctonable 10 the inhabitants Of the countries to
tI... nj, tho
cession of DucIgno did come from The people of
the district but from outsiders. The Montenegro
forces were cordially received on cntcrng' OF the
whole population, but ten hOusehodcTs Omitted the
town. and ihey are expected to return. So much for
Lord Sails uurys appearance the champion
of oppressed natIoDallties. quote but of the
several instances III which Sir Charles Dixie con-
victs him Of-tb use n mild term-groSs
instrumentation. But ! apprehend it will
not be difficult for the reader to sym
pathize with the feelings which inspire the remark
that lit Is trial to our patience when we know
that all our late difficulties in carrying ont the
treaty of Berlin come from Lord SalsDnry's harem
scarum hurry when he was Foreign Minister and
second Plenpotentiary of England. to stand by
and hear ourselves attacked by him AS though they
were Of our creation"
What Sir Charles Dixie says the Greek ques-
ton is sufficient TO prove how the late Government
has payed fast and loose with that question: Lord
Salisbury now rldcnles the claims of Greece as
shadow and unsubstantlal." HIS chief. Lord
Beacon siold said after the Congress Greece had
gained more by the efforts of Lord Salisbury than
had been acquired Ivy the rebelliouS Princpalites
Sir Stafford Northcote said these gains Large
and substantial" Up 10 this time Greece has re-
ceiyed nothing Her claims are claims for the full
6lment of the pledges of Lord Salisbury ana his
fellow chiefs and Lord Salisbury would doubtless
be right i'll describing these claims as shadowy ana
unsubstantial If they depended for fuiment upon
his good will or good faith. Luckily tor the Greeks.
the Torres are out and the Liberals in. and
among the Liberals they count the Under Secretary