Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-09-02
Brewing a HelIish Mess.

Gdzette, fortnight before the enforced
abdication of Prince Alexander, thus
significantly alluded to the recent meet
ing OF the Austrian and German En-
pefors at Gastein:
1t is not yet given to the outside world even to
suspect what lies beneath the polished exterior
reiatlons OF the two great Emperors and their
even greater Chancellors who have been passing
the days in ceremonious meetings at the little
Austrian bath. The Austrian dresses as a Ger
man. and the German dresses as an Austrian
and Prince Bismarck and Count Kalnoky put on
their best black; but what does IL all mean
peace on the Balkans. or war; Count Herbert
Bismarck. German Secretary for Foreign Affairs,
is there too and so L. the director of the Arch.
Ives Of Vienna. lis it. in Faust's words that
they brew some hellsh mess or are they in
tensifying the circle of fire which shields the
genius OF international peace, like another Brun-
hide, from all assautss Ii will not be long be-
fore we know, but il the Balkan peninsula is
calm this time next year as 1t is now, then the
wisest diplomats of Europe will have added
another mare's-nest to their records. The signs
apart from this meeting, we mean-are almost
all disquieting.
The ''mess" that was brewed has at
last began to ferment aud boil up.
The two Emperors were hardly back
at their capitals, when, without warn
ing, like bolt from a summer cloud.
came the news of the abdication of
Alexander and the formation of a pros
visional government for Bulgaria Under
Russian influences. 1t is followed up
by declaration of the Bulgarian troops
and peasantry in favor of Alexander
and the formation of an anti-Russian
provisional government at the ancient
capital of Tirnova, and this in turn by
the overthrow of the government of
the conspirators. There are symptoms
i.>f al -,
Roumelia is in an uproar. There are
risings against Turkey in Macedonia.
The Servian pretender is renewing his
efforts to drive out Austria's protege.
Milan. The mess is brewing all over
the Balkan peninsula.
What will come of it all? The ques-
ton cannot be answered intelligently
until the Powers have replied to Tur-
KEYS circular She has asked them
point-blank what they think of the out
| rage upon her vassal and what they in
tend to do in view of this attempted
rupture of the Observation-Disclosures
union which they have solemnly GUAR
anteed. Meanwhile the signs are omin-
Gus of trouble. Looking beyond the
| probability of civil war in Bulgaria be-
| tween the Russian and anti-Russian
factions and of trouble with Servia and
other Balkan provinces, there is another
possibility of graver moment-nameiy:
| the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of Turkey. If the
ascendency of Russian influence in Bull
garia has been determined upon by the
| joint action of Austria, Germany, and
Russia, Turkey will be helpless. She
has but one ally in Europe, and that ally
is neither in a political nor in military
condition to help her. The loss of
Bulgaria, which may be followed by
that of Eastern Roumelia, means the
| speedy establishment of Russian power
at Constantinople-the goal of Russian
ambition almost from time immemorial.
If the assumption of the renewal of the
triple alliance be true, it means the
death blow to Turkey, and we may soon
hear of her division among the three
Powers This would mean ultimate
peace in Europe and the only permau-
ent solution of the vexed Eastern ques-
| ton.
! The reverse of the situation means
general European war. There are as
many indications that Germany and
Austria will look with disfav0f Upon the
| Russian scheme as that they gave their
assent to it at Gastein. In recent
conversation Gen. Ignatieff declared
that since the Berlin treaty Germany
! had shown herself unfriendly to Russia,
and he added: Bismarck is more
dangerous enemy 10 us than Napoleon
|. was, and we must be on our guard,
| for war between us and Germany is
inevitable. Germany. however. will
| find that it was mistake TO forfeit
Russia's friendship, for between us
and the French she will be between
two fires" The tone of the whole
Russian press is warllke. and the
French papers are contemplating with
! coinplacency the possibility of Franco
Russian alliance. In France says:
''When the German armies before
Moscow encounter the fate OF those of
Napoleon l, then the French Republic
will step forward and reclaim Alsace-
Lorraine. . The Correspondence Repub-
licaine says: 1T is evident that the
day Russia marches upon Berlin the
chassepots will go off of their own ac-
cord" For long time the Russians
have proclaimed that they were duped
by the German alliance. There is
dangerous dissatisfaction between them.
1t adds to the complication that Ger
many has been the protector and ad-
wiser of Alexander, and that Austria's
and Russia's interests IN Southeastern
Europe are irreconcilable On The one
hand, therefore, the ACKNOWLEDGMENT of
Turkey is threatened; on the other,
European war, which, once commenced,
may drag all the Powers into it. What
the immediate future may disclose can
not DO predicted, however, until the
Powers have shown their hands. The
unexpected turn affairs have taken will
hasten a declaration of some kind.
The "hellish mess" cannot simmer
much longer without boiling over
Chicago Tribune.