The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-11-29
the EASTERN QUESTION.
Uueasiness Of the Msee<ionians, Who As-
pirc IN Become Free.

UneasinesN Of the Msce<ionians, Who A.
pirc IA Become Free.
We have lately heard q great about
Macedonia. II is a name which al
ways seems 10 trouble the despots and
the diplomatists; for it is a namo not
TO their credit. any more than the name
OF Armenia. Without going into
minute geographical questions, Mace
donna is just now a convenient name
for certain lands which in 1877 s Rus
STA set fro from bondage to the Turk,
but which Europe, at the treaty Of
Berlin, thrust back into bondage. But
when Europe gave Macedonia back
to the Turk, it did at least make him
promise that he would give the land
institutions" Of some kind or other
which were to make everybody there
happy. How very simple Europe
must have been if it thought that the
Turk would keep his word. Plain peo-
pie who looked to facts and not to
formula. knew that the Turk had
made this kind of promise over
and over again, and had always
broken it. OF course the Turk
broke his word this time. too; Mace
donia is cruelty oppressed, like Ar
menia or any other land that the Turk
has got hold of And Europe"
which gave him the power TO do
wrong. has in no way stepped in TO
hinder him, or even to rcbukc him,
for this wrong doing. Europe IL
very angry when a people asserts its
rights against despot-it looks on
very calmly when dcspot breaks his
word to people. But the Macedon-
ian people, on whom the rub comes,
are less calm; they know that the Turk
will never do them any good; so they
wish TO get rid Of the Turk. They
wish 10 Join their free brethren, all
the more so since tho hal! free have
been joined on to the free. For this
they are called names in well Informed
circles, and their free brethren have
to walk very warily lest they should
be called names too. In no well in
formed circle is The grand Turk even
called names for breaking his word OF
doing any act Of oppression. For the
,
and an imperial majesty must not be
called names. Bat the enslavcd Bull
garian who seeks for freedom can at
any moment be called a turbulent
conspirator, and the free Bulgarian
who tries to help him can at any mo
ment be called foreign intriguer."
Thus, as we all know, The Eastern
Question" is still awaiting its solu
ton" 1t has been awaiting II
ever since the beginning Of record
ed history. Plain people, who look
at the facts, are apt TO say that the
solution will never come till the Turk |
is got rid of; sometimes they arc
tempted to say that it will not como
till the will of Europe" is got nd OF I
too. That means till the sovereigns OF
Russia and Austria can be taught TO
mind their own business, q process
which is likely to take good while.
Meanwhile The Times Of a recent date
has assured us that the treaty Of Der |
lin is a very good example OF what q
treaty ought not TO be-" IL Is some |
thing to be told that from n wei IL
formed quarter. To be sure, we are
also told that there is tendency IN
Macedonia TO resort 10 instructions, I
which would produce awkward com |
plications. No doubt there is such
tendency in Macedonia, but 1t j. not
peculiar to Macedonia; IL is common
TO all countries in all ages Of the /,
world which has been 50 treated as to
make instructions needful. And no
doubt the complications produced !
by such instructions have often been
awkward for those against whom |
the instruction has been made. The !
tendency to instruction has been at
different times shown very conspcu- |
ously both in Old England and in !
New. Something of the kind was done |
at Naseby, something at Bunker Hill. |
Whether the general results al Nascby |
and Bunker Hill down TO cur OWL day |
are to be looked on merely as ''awk |
ward complications" or as anything |
else must be left to well informed |
circles to determine. Edward A. Free
man in Kansas City Journal.