Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-11-18


coniu nave any doubts whatever.
but however ready Austria may be to
aggrandize herself at Turkeys expense
she Is lar nom desiring the absolute ex-
C!hcuon OF the Ottoman power. In fact
she mas a twOfold interest in wishing to
keep u as least nOminally alive. Jeal-
ousy OF Russia is of course her upper
most motive, as it has been ever since
CounCYon kaunitz invited Frederick the
dreat to unite with Austria in checking
the southwark march OF Catherine II.'s
VICTORIOUS armies. But even were Rus
ela,s pretenslons to ConstantinOple alto
getner laid aside, the House of Hapsburg
would still have good reason to dread the
possible disappearance of the crescent
standard from SeraglO Point. Austria
mas almost as many Slavs among her sub
Jects as the Sultan himself, and the words
~SlaY nationality" uttered anywhere in
Eastern Europe at the present day are
apt 10 produce very much the same effect
as the whistling of ''Vinegar Hill" or
"Ihe Boyne Water at an Irish fair. The
semi-independent position already
achieved by Servia and Bulgaria, and the
sun higher privileges attained by
houmania, have established dangerous
precedent. Should this be supplemented
by the total collapse Of the Turkish En-
pre- and tbe resurrection of the various
SiaY tribes under its sway as Independent
Kingdoms or principaiities it is not easy
10 say where such a movement might
end. All the eXcitable Slav populations
OF the North would be ablaZe in mo-
ment. The CZechs of Bohemia a nation
IN themselves, would instantly demand
th1 distinct political existence which
tney all but attained In 1860 under the
leadership of Count Hohenwart. The
turbulent Ruthenians of Galicia, the
lerce CrOats and Wallacks of the Lower
Danube, would claim similar privileges
WIN even greater audacity. The
Dalmatians, who supply the Austrian
Navy with its best seamen, would add
fourth insurrectiCn to the three which
have convulsed the Adriatic seabOard
within the last 10 years. Moreover, any
general anti-Austrian outbreak among
the Dalmatian SlaYs would unquestion-
ably bring into the field their formidable
brethren of the Black Mountain, the ter
rible Montenegrins, against whose rocks
the tide Of Turkish conquest has dashed
itself in VAIN during four stormy cen
turtles, and who-as anybody who has
talked with one of them for five minutes
must have discovered for hlmself-are all
on fire for stroke against Austria. such
possibilities as these are not to be lightly
encountered.
Ao KhGARDS hOUMhLlA ITSELF
the most prejudiced observer must al
NIT that it is we'll worth quarreling
about. Emerging from the savage gOrges
OF the Balkan, one looks upon the great
plateau that stretches away to the south
and east in the glory of the sunshine as
far as the eye can reach, with its trim
little gardens, and leafy orchards, and
quantity picturesque hamlets, and white
walled fOrtresses, as a kind of earthly
paradise. And such it would be were 1t
held by men of sense and industry instead
of brainless and indOlent fanatics. The
tittest description OF Turkish rule would
be the parody of well known epitaph
placed over a famous English author:
There was almost nothing that he did
not touch, and he touched nothing tnat
he did not spoil" The vast Roumelian
plain that stretches from the dark slopes
OF the Balkan TO the shining waters OF the
Agean, fertllized by the rich soil which
has been crumbling away for ages part
from the sides Of the mountains, was for
merly one OF the finest provinces OF the
Greek Empire. Even now, when tyranny
and neglect have done their worst upon
it, one may see by tue magnificent roses
that brighten the market place OF Adri-
anOple and the splendid figs and dried
fruits which fill the stOrehouses Of Esk1
auspices. But no one who knows what
Turkish provincial rule really is can Won
der that the wild grass should now be
growing breast high on the soil that once
produced corn enough to feed an entire
province.
One example may suffice as fair spec
linen Of the whole. A certain province
on the Lower Danube was so grievously
infested by robbers that the government
could hardly obtain paistre OF revenue
from the whole pashalik. The ruling
Pasha was accordingly removed, and an
other official of considerable reputation
sent down in his stead. On the morning
after the arrival the new Pasha called to-
gether all the head men OF the various
districts and addressed them as follows:
sEThe Padishah Sultan has sent me here
to put down brigandage, ana mean to do
it. Now, am going to double all your
salaries on condition that the next time
a robbery takes place in any part of this
province the head man Of the district in
which it happens shall be put to death
forthwith. Are you contentT The honest
Oficials-wh0, as the Pasha mad shrewd-
ly guessed, were themselves in league
with the very banditti whom they had
been sent to put down-eagerly assented
TO this novel proposition, thinking much
more Of the double paw than of the &C
companyIng threat, which they supposed
to be q mere empty form. They were
speedily and terribly Undeceived. A few
days later q government convoy was
plundered in broad daylight, and the head
man Of the offending district, appearing
before the Pasha with face OF well
feigned regret, was Just beginning to say
that he would do his utmost to hunt down
the criminals. when the Pasha's stern
voice broke In with Put him on the
hook" In another minute the wretched
traitor was writing out his lie upon
sharp steel hooks, and from that day forth
not a single robbery occurred in that
province during the Pasha's whole term
of office.
"YOU CALL US ROBBERS
Said an Arab chief whom met on my
way through Syria, "but does not the
Grand Vizier himself squeeze money out
ofthe Pashas, and do not the Pashas In
their turn plumber the people! How are
we worse than they areY' How, tndeedi
had a good chance Of seeing how this
system worked when l was in Arabia
with the Inflated Yemen expedition OF
1871, where biscuits absolutely green
with mildew lover which the filthy
Arabs who discharged them from the
TRANSPORTS hold had walked barefoot
again and again were served out TO the
starving troops to sustain them IN their
long march across the desert, while the
Pasha was selling for his own profit the
hest OF the stores and medicines. But
happilv the scoundrel himself died before
he could reap much gairfrom israscali-
ties.