Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-12-02
RUSSIA'S DREAM.

The Present Status of the Eastern Qaes.
ton and General European Politics.
| When Plevna fell, the object of Rus
sia. as automatically stated, was at
tanned. Bulgaria was in her possession.
1t was hers by conquest, and had she
stopped there she could have expanded
into European Turkey at her leisure
| and Europe would not have interfered.
But, as often before, her military Off
GERS and counselors-General Ignatieff
especially, who has always known how
to ruin success, and who was at that
time supreme-cast aside all prudence,
rushed across the Balkans in winter,
with the loss of twenty thousand
men, and were almost at the gates of
Constant;nople before aston shed Eu-
rope could act
At Buyuk Tchekmedje. the British
iron-clads saved the city. The approach
ing army could not avoid them. Russia
had broken the treaty of Paris, and was
building fleet, but had nothing in
readiness to enable her to appear on the
water. The army stopped. us stop it
must. For there was 4 point where
1.-The whale could fight 1.-The elephant"
but not the elephant the whale.
Then followed the celebrated treaty
of San Stefano, between Russia and
Turkey. March 8, 1873. So soon as
Europe had time to study the treaty,
and TO get at the geography of it, it saw
that Turkey had ceased to exist. The
fine phrases that showed the contrary
had no substantial meaning. England
demanded that the treaty be submitted
to a convention of the great powers,
signatories OF the treaty of Paris, and
received a courteous but naughty mega
tive. General Ignatetf had boastingly
said: ''J'y suis; v reste"
Lord Beaconstield had, in the mean
time, brought up seven thousand Sc
poys from India into the Med teranean,
as an intimation of the vast number of
Sepoys and Moslems at England's COM
mand. The war had already made I'M
looked-for demands upon the army and
the treasury. The indignation OF En-
rope was rising to a dangerous pitch,
and Russia changed her tone The
treaty was elastic, and would admit of
any notifications that the great powers
might deem necessary
Hence the great Congress of Berlin,
which required that Russia should with
draw all her troops from European Tur-
key within a specified time. Then the
delmitations of the treaty were materi-
ally changed, and the principally of
Bulgaria was organized. Unwisely. this
enterprising, thr fly and united people
was divided. by the Balkan mountains,
into two governments. The portion
between the Balkans and the Danube
was the principality; that south of the
Balkans, under the name of Eastern
Roumelia, remained nominally under
the sultan, but with great municipal |
freedom. The principally was made |
Its young patriots, /
many of them educated at Robert Col |
history and of the Constitution of the |
nation of the government, and greatly |
disguised the Russian agents. They |
chose Prince Alexander, and he gradu- !
ally fell in with the policy of these eager /
Young Buloarians. Russia's firm pur-
pose to upset this free government, and |
to expel the Prince, beloved by all the |
people, is the cause of the present Bull !
garian complication.
Our object has been simply to delin- /
cate enough of Russ as achievements |
and of Ottoman resistance to present /
the two powers as they now stand: the !
one, mighty and aspiring; the other,
bankrupt, discouraged
The one. during the long conf ct of
four centuries, has increased her terri
tory more than tenfold, and her popu-
Iation to a hundred millions. The 9TH
err has lost in almost every war, until
she has only a foothold in Europe; and
her Asatlc possess ons are growing
less. As combatant, she
has ceased to be. As an auxiliary, she
can still furnish splendid soldiers.
And yet the dream of Russia is not
realized United Europe stands in the
way. The possession of Constantinople
will, in time, if realized. make Russia
great at sea. She would have the
Black Sea. the Marmora, the Mediter-
.anean. She would next grasp at
Egypt and the Indian Empire: and
England, France and Italy would be re-
luced to comparative insignificance.
As she would then command the Dan
,be. and would crush the hated Hunga-
'ians, Austria and Germany have rea-
ION to look upon the future with solicit
ude. Putt ne off the evil day will not
ave them. The real contest is no
onger between Russia and Turkey. but
,etween Russia and Europe.
7dlnts7s, IN atlantic.