The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-04-29
EASTERN QUESTION.
The Great Struggle Of Races
and Religions, Which Has
Been Going On for Centuries.

| one must begin by understanding that that
country is the great battle-ground of races and
| religions, and has been 30 for centuries. and
that the CONTESTANTS. instead of marching of
the ground at the conclusion of each great
battle, have remained encamped there, and pre-.
pared to renew tho fight at the first favorable
opportunity.
The country around Constantinople Is the
meeting point of three continents-Asia, Africa
and Europe-and the races, religions and sys-
TENS Of all three have met and struggled there
for tho supremacy for moro than 1000 years.
First, Greece got possession of the whole
country as far east as the Ganges. as far south
as the southern boundary OF Egypt. as far west
as Sicily, and a. far north as the southern part
of Russia.
Through all this broad area the Greeks
settled in large numbers, and carried their
letters and civilization. Then came the Ro-
mans sweeping over all like Mississippi
freshet, but still leaving the Greeks in control
of much of the country. Only in Rnmana
north of the Danube and near to Constanti-
nople did the Romans make extensive settle-
menis Those were of their disbanded soldiers,
who built up powerful community, which
survives to this day, and perpetuates modi.
fed Roman speech and ideas.
Then the Roman Empire fell, but the eastern
part, which became wholly Greek, survived for
centuries, with Copstantinople as its Capital.
While the Eastern Empire was slowly decaying
the Slavs, Of which the Russians are the FORE
most type. swarmed in great hordes into the
valley Of the Danube and filled it, from the
outskirts of Constantinople TO those Of Vienna,
with their peculiar race of dull, stubborn,
plodding people.
Finally came another race food--the fanatic,
fighting, conquering Turks, who swept over all
the previous races, took Constan tinople, made it
their Capital, and extended their conquests
nearly to Vienna.
Thus we have three utterly distinct and diff
ferent races in some places super-imposed upon
one another. The Turks are tho rulers gov.
errors, landowners aud soldiers; the Greeks
are the merchants, traders. sailors. accountants.
scholars, and business men the Slavs are the
patient toilers Of the soil, the shepherds, and
the drudges.
The.Od Roman element is most numerous in
Rumania; the Slavs in RumeIia, Servia, Bull
garia, Herzegovina, Montenegro and eastern
Austria; tho Greeksar in great preponderance
in Greece proper, theislands of the Archipelago.
Albania, Thessaly, and Macedonia. They also
form large proportion of the population of
and other Turkish cities.
The best estimate gives about 6, 00O, 900 Greeks.
of whom only 100000 are in Greece, and the
rest are under Turkish rule. There are be-
tween 100000 and 100000 Slavs-Bulga-
rians, Servians, etc,-in what was formerly
called European Turkey" The ruling Turks
are only about 1000 00O. The rest are Arme-
mans, Jews, Gipsies, Arabs, etc. The Turks
rule these races by terrorism, and by playing
of their mutual antipathies against one
another.
The Turks are, OF course, Mahometan; tho
Rnmanians are largely Roman Catholic; the
Armenians arc Christians after their own FASH
ion, while the Greeks aud SIavs belong to the
Greek Church.
1.-THE EASTERN QUESTION"
Now comes the perennial Eastern Cues
tion," which has been the international ache OF
Europe for centuries. Constantinope is one of
tho most important commercial positions in the
whole world. 1t absolutely controls tho trade
of the teeming millions of western Asia: it
controls all the Black Sea country has large
influence on Egypt aud northern Africa. and
dominates the commerce of southeastern
Europe. This makes the city an object of in
tense interest to all other countries Of Europe
Russia wants it intensely, aud has been striv-
ing for more than 200 years to get it, because
it's possession will give her the control of this
large commerce, will give her access to the
Mediterranean and to tho Atlantic and will
strengthen her power in Europe
For these reasons all of the rest Of the nations
are strenucnsIy oppressed to her getting it.