New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-02-28
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE POWERS.

1t Is no light thing for man to become his
brother's keeper. 1t is a vastly more serious
thing for one nation to assume the guardianship
Of another. For a league OF Powers to take
upon themselves to direct the affairs OF another
State to determine what It's Government snail
and shall not do and what It's relations Win
its neghbors shall and shall not be. is to burden
themselves with responsibilities the gravity OF
which 1t is impossible to exaggerate Such re-
sponsibities now rest upon the Great Powers
of Europe in the matter Of the whole Eastern
Question and upon their discharge OF them they
are to be Judged by the tribunal OF humanity ana
civilization.
For the fixing Of this responsibility 1t Is not
necessary to go further back than the Treaty OF
Unkar Skelessi; nor, indeed. so far. The Berlin
Congress Of 1873 is far enough. But II IS well
to begin with that treaty, or with the tacit aDro-
CATION Of 1t, because then the control OF turkey
by the Powers first took definite and tangible
form. The negotiation of that treaty was Tur-
KEYS last essay at the untrammelled exercise
of the supreme functiors of sovereignty. even
though in the direction Of self-renunciation But
IT was not to be- The declining Power was not
permitted to dispose of itself as 1t would. The
abandonment of the treaty marked the en-
forced surrender Of Turkish sovereignty, or the
subsection Of 1t, to the will of the Great Powers.
From that moment the Empire ceased to be
governed at Constantnople and began 10 De
governed at Paris. at London. at Berlin, or wher-
ever the temporarily dominant diplomacy OF
Europe CHANGED to be centred. From that mo-
ment. too, the responsibility for its government
began to rest upon the Great Powers.
Upon them, or some Of them therefore. must
be placed the blame for the Bulgarian atrocities
Of twenty years ago: for lad they not baked
the Treaty Of Unkiar Skelessi Russia would have
ruled the Balkan lands and those atrocities
would never have occurred. They must be
blamed for the incomparably worse Armenian
massacres of last year and the year before, be-
cause IL they had not interfered in 1878 Ar
menia would have been removed from Turkish
control In like manner they were accountable
for the Cretan troubles Of thirty years ago, for
1t was through their bolsteri3g up that the Otto
man Power was then still in existence; and they
are responsible for the whole of the present
troubles for that same reason, and for the add
tonal reason that 1t is because Of their inter-
vention that Greece and Crete have not long
since worked out the redemption OF that Island.
BY their conduct to-day they are reaffirming
and increasing their responsibilities in the mat
ter. They will not let Turkey restore order and
govern Crete in her own way. They Will not
let Greece do It In her way. They will not
let the Cretans settle the question among them
selves They insist on interfering and arrang-
ing settlement to suit themselves and TO serve
the ends Of their own selfshness and JealOusies,
They have no thought Of settling the matter ac-
cordlng to Justice and equity, but according to
Austria's designs upon SalOnica, and Russia
interests on the BOspOrus, and Frances ambl-
tons in the Mediterranean, and Englands well
fare in Egypt and India, and the German En-
perors personal pride. To such considerations
are the legitimate aspirations of the Greek race
and the prosperity and lives OF the Cretan peo-
pie made subject. 1t Is fearful responsibility
which the Great Powers assume, Of which the
leaden footed but ironhanded Nemesis of Time
will not be disregardful