The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1896-01-31
Russia's Grcnt stroke.

6iVe ana uefcnSlvc alilancc petWee
: Russia and Turkey, unless we accer
rs denial the statement put fort
from tho Turkish embassy at London
to which nobody seems to give credence
that there is no foundation" for tn
report,
The London Pail Mall Gazette
which first published the report, re
J iteratcs it and the London News sup
Elements it with statement from it
Vienna correspondent that Russia ha
fleet waiting and is sending an arm.
to Armenia's borders to realize tho plal
of Peter the Great for the partition
Of Turkey between the powers, Russii
taking Armenia and Constantinople
France taking Syria and Palestine ant
England taking Egypt and the eastern
shores of the Persian Gulf; tho re.
mainder of the Turkish Empire to be
divided among the other powers. II
such an alliance has really been
formed or if there is any agreement
like that indicated by the News, ii
will be one of the most important
events of the century. The Pail Mall
Gazette's story is that the treaty is a
repetition in terms almost of the I'm
kiar Skelesso agreement of 1888 which
gave Russia the right of Intervention
in the internal affairs of the Ottoman
Empire, by each power pledging itself
to render assistance to the other, not
only against the attack Of an externa
enemy, but whenever and wherever the
internal peace and security of its all.
might be endangered. Another article
declared that, in order to diminish the
burdens of the Porte, the Car would
not exact the material help to which
the treaty entitled him, but in lieu
thereof, would accept an agreement on
the part of the Porte that, whenever
Russia should be at war, the Darda-
nelles should be closed to the armed
vessels of all other nations
The furious opposition of France
and England made this treaty dead
letter and compelled Russia herself |
finally to renouncc it. But Russia
las never given up her historic pur
bose to get control of Constantinople,
The Bosphrous and the Dardenelles
md the entrance to the Black Sea.
ind the general European situation is
me to aid this purpose and so lend
to the report. France is
ow the friend of Russia and ready
o support instead of thwarting her,
s in 1888 and in the Crimean war,
nd her interests are obviously that
'ay. Ii there is such a treaty 1T is
kelly enough that the London News
tory is correct to the extent that
yria and Palestine shall be her share, 6
ut as regards Egypt, instead of the
gar giving" it to England, we
ould expect that the moment Turkey v
,comes a vassal of the Gar her in 4
uence is sure to be oyerted for tho t
lrpose of enabling Frenchmen to
lpplant Englishmen in Egypt. The Il
titude of Germany and the Triple
lliancc is more problematical. Aus :.
ia naturally would be strenuous :
.ainst such an extension of Russian =,
wer, without any offset for Austria :.
the Balkans, but the Hapsburg :
aiser is now bound hand and foot by 3,
G Triple Alliace, and whatever En- :.
ror William ordains will be the -
icy of the Alliance, and it is to be :,
nembered that it was the coopera
IN of Germany as well as of France Ut
tn Russia that forced Japan to evac -
te and retrocede the Liau Tung =
ninsula. 1t has been the combina W
n of the same three powers that NJ
ring the last four months has rem '
ed the British ambassador laugh =.
stock at Constantinoplc. =,
That Turkey should thus throw her oil
T into the hands of her old enemy is vl
at all incredible, as she has twice an
orc attempted TO do SO. Her situa- by
D is now as desperate as il was in an
3. Then Mahmoud ii had freed he
lself from tho mutinous Janissaries III,
exterminating them, and had re- tv
anized his army in conformity with If
military principles of Christian on,
rope. But his navy had been al STA
It annihilatted at Navarino; he had tha
n forced to renounce the sovereignty ulo
Greece; and in the great battles his ten
army had been beaten and nearly vii
troyed by lbrahim Pasha, the war nov
son of his rebcllious vassal, Me- tho
Jet who, already master of Egypt, tina
ia, and part OF Asia Minor, was
,atening Constantinople herself. L
lis extremity Mahmoud III. turned hor
,ussia, and at the palace of Unkair ian
lessi was signed a treaty between ec
sultan and the Gear, which practi- tina
, lowered Turkey to the position of rese
pendent state. With the volcanic we
litions under and around him on gov
y side, with internal fanaticism ana
atening his own throne if he in ures
res with the Armenian butcheries, bus
all his different Christian popula- poll
5 on the point of revolt. and his wifi
I'M of administration SO corrupt as coul
, helpless, with all the great pow Berl
efraining from making an end of our
rule only because they cannot liam
So A., n fla