The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-10
England's Position On
Turkish Question.
The Earl of R0Sebery Gives
His Views on Matter.
European Concert Can Alone End
the Sultan's Atrocities.


last night. 10 listen TO the Earl of Rose.
berry. the retiring leader OF the Liberal
party. 1t was his agreement TO speak
al this meeting which precipitated Lord
Rosebery's action in resigning. In his
letter TO Mr.. Ellis, the first Liberal whip,
Lord Rosebery said in explanation OF
his resignation: When l speak, which
do this week. must speak my mind
without reference 10 party"
The earl was pale with suppressed feel
lg when he arose TO make his address.
lie said that he had resigned because he
could not sacrifice national interests 70
personal ambition. He welcomed the
national agitation in Great Britain or
behalf OF the army, because II would con-
vince foreign governments of Great
Britain's unselhshness. and integrities
would strengthen the hands of the gov
ernment
But the present agitation, Lord Rose.
berry pointed out, differed from Mr.
Gladstones Bulgarian agitation. Then
Great Britain was supported by Russia.
Now we have Russia and her armies
against us. Russa's declaration on this
point are absolutely conclusive. More.
over. then we had to force the hands OF
an unwilling government, while now the
government is animated by the same
wishes as ourselves. They possessed un-
printable details, the speaker said, OF
crimes. in horror surprising all he had
ever read. Their ferocity and cruelty
seemed TO transcend the imagination Of
very fiends By device of the powers,
they had first doubted these massacres,
but the more recent Constantinople mas
eacres made il impossible to deny them
After referring to the unspeakable
government of Turkey. Lord Rosebery
pointed out that partial measures would
rot suffice. The whole Eastern question,
he said. was raised. In dealing with the
various remedies proposed, his lordship
said:
"The mere deposition OF the sultan
would be no remedy, as the asylum, and
not the man. must be tackled. More.
this would be impossible without con-
cert of the powers. and If the latter were
attained II would be better to call upon
1t to deal with the larger issue involved.
The proposal to withhold the Cyprus
tribute is impracticable, as this is paid
to the sultan's creditors, and not TO the
sultan, and II would be like tickling the
tortoise's back to make 1t laugh"
Regarding the proposal to place the
Dardanelles, or Turkey, In the hands OF
Russia. Lord Rosebery pointed out that
neither of these was Great R:itain's TO dis
pose of, and Russian methods, he said,
were not so ideal as to warrant us in ac'
Quiescing. He also differed with Mr..
Gladstone's proposal TO cut off diplo-
matte relations with Turkey. but they
differed. he added, as friends. A warm
eulogy of Mr.. Gladstone followed. But.
the ex-premier continued. he even depre-
Gated the proposal of such thing. as II
would not only deprive Great Britain OF
all her influence with Turkey, but might
drift us into war. and its failure would
leave Great Britain in the same position.
plus the public humiliation of confess.ng
her impotence.
Lord Rosebery also differed with Mr..
Maidstone, he said, in his contention that
Great Britain was bound, in honor By
the Cyprus convention, to intervene.
This convention, he urged, had been a
Mead letter ever since II was signed, and
neither the sultan nor Great Britain had
ever fulfilled their pledges, rs they found
1t impracticable and futile to do So He
cited as an instance In support OF this
argument the tripartite treaty between
Austria, France and Great Britain, of
1856, guaranteeing the integrity of
Turkey. But this had never been car
ried out.
II attach no vaule," he proceeded to
cay, strategic or otherwise, to the re-
tention OF Cyprus. but To whom should
We give the island? / should regard tho
abandonment of Cyprus as a cheap price
to pay to secure the concert Of Europe on
this question. 1 cannot agree with Mr..
Gladstone that the possibility of war is
q phantasm. My knowledge, to a very
recent time, was that n liked and res
olute agreement existed Of all, or nearly
all. the powers. TO forcibly resist any
single handed Intervention by England
In Eastern affairs. l earnestly protest
against policy involving the horrors OF
European war, preceded, as this GER
tainly would be. by the determination OF
the very Armenians. in whose behalf IL
would be waged Such a war would
transcend 20 Flodden fields. and the
ghastly phantom of the death angel,
which legend says appeared over Edin-
burgh on the eve OF the battle of Flodden,
would appear to every hamlet. village
and town OF tlW kingdom, TO summon
the flower of your youth and manhood.
20 sacrifice their lives in a European con-
nus dAiDns my tHkdklIB III
such war. except from the direst neces-
sity, would be o criminal TO his country"
Enlarging further upon this topic.
Lord Rosebery expressed the opinion
that the British colonies would take the
same view OF II as does the United
States. which he added, although
willing TO join in diplomatic action.
would ceprecate invoking the arbtra-
ment Of the sword on n question not
directly concerning their vital interests.
Peace" Lord Rosebery affirmed. "is a
necessity OF our empire For the last
20 years you have been laying hands,
with frantic eagerness. on every avail
able and desirable tract Of territory.
The amount thus brought into your
possession, or sphere OF influence I'm the
last II years, is 100000 square miles.
This policy has produced two results:
First. the exciting Of an almost intolcr-
able degree Of envy In the other COLOMBIA
ton nations. entailing their malevolence
a - 49,.