The sun., 1897-05-31
The Proxy OF Europe.

Federated Europe, having given the Sui
tan full power of attorney in his action
against Greece, is beginning to experience
considerable embarrassment at the result.
Europe's proxy finds himself in possession
of the property he was entitled to seize,
and not only shows no intention of deliver
ing it up. but defies his principals to de-
prive him of it until they come to an agree.
ment about it, or one or more of them de.
eide on dispossessing him. Having no in
tention of evacuating Thessaly volunta-
rily, and having apparently no belief that
any one will be allowed single-handed to
put him out, the Sultan is pouring rein
forcements into the reconquered province.
The Phurka Pass, on the main road leading
into Greece from Thessaly, is in the hands
of his troops, and the Greeks have only a
rearguard at Lamia, on the north side of
the Sperchius River. The seizure of an i'm.
mense quantity of grain that had been
stored up in Thessaly and the near approach
of the harvest in the parts of the country
that have not been devastated by the war
will enable the Sultan to feed his troops for
some time at no cost to his treasury, and he
seems to have all the cash he needs for other
disbursements. We read of contracts being
signed with various German firms for sup
plies of artillery, rifles, and ammunition of
the most modern description, and generally
the Sultan is made to feel that nothing sue
ceeds like success.
OF what is passing in Greece we hear
nothing Trustworthy The stories of what
is going on in political circles in Athens
and in the square in front of the palace, that
come from Constantinople and other dis
tant centres of news transmission, are either
born of the thought that is fathered by the
wish, or are like the jests that used to pass
between the gallery and the pit in the old
fashioned theatres. They are only to fill up
the time between the acts of the play while
the actors are arranging themselves for the
next scene.
The news that Bulgaria has offered its
alliance to the Sultan in return for his rec.
ognition of its independence may be true,
but the offer seems to have been made
at wrong moment. 1t is not likely
that, after having given a crushing
blow to one of the former vassals of his
empire. he Is going to make another vassal
into an independent State. East Roumela,
though annexed to Bulgaria, is technically
still under the sovereignty of the Sultan,
and Bulgaria itself only vassal State.
BY the Berlin treaty he has still the right
to occupy the Balkan passes with his
troops II he should 80 decide, and were
he to do SO 1t is certain he would
have the support Of some one of the powers.
Unless the Bulgarians are making up their
minds to force an issue, they have not
chosen an opportune moment for their pro-
posal. Prince FERDINAND, however, has
been to Paris, where he was closeted for q
long time with NJ. HANoTAUx, and of
what took place there and then not even a
conjecture has been given to the public,
though 1t would be so much more interest
ing than any of the inventions about things
that are not happening at Athens. As to
the attitude of Germany toward the Sultan,
and the Sultan's reliance upon the Emperor
WILLIAM. there is more than one valid ex.
PLANTATION.
The late RUsTEN Pasha, when Turkish
Ambassador I'm London, was once re.
preached for the want of confidence shown
by his Government in England and the
ostentatious preference given on every
occasion to Germany. His reply was strictly
logical and to the point: "Why," he said,
"should we not favor and listen TO Ger
many9 Has she taken any territory from
usi Does she meddle in our affairs in any
wayf Look at what you English have
done; you took Cyprus from us under
false pretences, and now you are in Egypt
Austria has taken Bosnia and Herzego-
vina and wants more. France has taken
Tunis, and Russia has been our enemy
for centuries. Only Germany has taken
nothing and only asks for the same com
mercial favors we give Others" Thus
RusrEM Pasha explained the secret of the
German influence at tConstaptinople. While,
therefore, the German Emperor exercises a
predominating influence in the European
concert, he will do the same at CONSTANT
nople; and that is sufficient to explain why