The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-03-19
TIME FOR PLAIN WORDS.
10 Says Mr.. Gladstone Of Eastern
Question.
THE GREAT LIBERAL THEN PRO
CEEDS TO SPEAK THEM.

The Boy Emperors of Russia and Ger
many Come in For Notice-Greece's
Brave Action He Says Has Conferred
Great Service on Europe.
London, March 1s.-Under the title
1.-The Eastern Crisis" 16-page pamph-
let by Mr.. Gladstone will be issued to-
morrow. The pamphlet is in the form of
letter from Mr.. Gladstone to the Duke
of Westminster In which the ex.Premier
says:
Events in crowds have been occurring
In the east at short intervals the past
two years of such a nature as to stir
our common humanity to Its innermost
recesses and lodge appeal from official
to personal conscience. Upon the most
recent dates the transactions have seemed
to awaken NO echo save in England,
but now light has flashed upon western
Europe and uneasy consciousness that
nations as well as cabinets are concerned
has taken strong hold upon ithe.. public
occurred upon scale of intensity and
diversity Of wioksdness beyond
all modern If not historical experience,
All this has been done under the eyes
of the six great powers represented at
the Porte by ambassadors who thought
their feeble verbiage a sufficient counter.
potse to instruments of death, shsme and
torture, provided in framing 1t they all
chimsd in with enc another"
The letter reviews the eastern question
since 1878. Mr.. Gladstone recalls the
fact that his ministry in 1850 organized
. European concert to procure a fulfill.
ment Of the treaty Of 1873 in regard to
Montenegro and Greece. The forces
of moral suasion had been exhausted,
and the squadron Of warships of the
six powers assembled on the Monte
negro or Albanian coast. 1t was soon
found that to the several powers the
concert of Europe" meant a toy deinon-
stration not intended to pass for reality.
.'We did not waste any time to galva-
continues, "but framed plan for the
seizure of.impertant ports of the Sultan's
dominions. We found rs our princi pal
support the wise and brave Alexander
II, who then reigned In Russia. The
effect was perfect. There was no war
in Europe, though this bugbear would
doubtless have been used had our proceed
ings passed beyond privacy. Our plan
became known to the Sultan and with
out Is single difficulty Montenegro OBJ
tanned her present considerable Ell
sion and Thessaly was added to Greece
later.
''It is time to speak with freedom. At
this moment the two great states with
a European population of 1000, 600, are
under the government of two young men
each bearing the title of Emperor, one
wholly without knowledge or experience
and the other having only such knowl-
edge and experience. in truth limited
enough, as have excited such astonish-
ment and some conformation when an
inkling of them has been given to the
world. In the concert of the powers, the
powers fight steadily against freedom.
But why Is our governments pinned TO
their aprOns?"
Mr.. Gladstone reviews the history Of
Greece and Crete, and says: "We have
before us David facing six Goliaths.o
He argues that Ottoman rule In Crate
is thing Of yesterday, but that Crete was
q part of Greece and tho Cretan people
were part of the Greek people 5000 Years
ago;
ties ever broken or relaxed" he says
"years and centuries will come and when
this bad dream Of Ottoman Dominion
has passed from Europe that union will
still subsist. Greece, BY her bold action.
has conferred great service upon Eu.
rope. She has made 1t impossible TO pal-
ter over this question a. We paltered In
Armenia. The nations of Europe are In
various stages Of their training, bptI
do not believe 1t is the European penple
whose judgement will tolerate the pnr-
ishment Of Greece for the good deed she
recently performed. Certainly, 1t would
not be The French, who 90 iir reely oou-
tribUued TO the foundation Of the king
dom, not would 1t be the Italians, who
are SO mindful OF what their fathers
lish, who. If the road were open to them
by the dissolution of parliament, would
show how they are minded by returning
q parliament which upon this question
should speak with unanimity."