The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-04-29

| A large portion Of Austria IL in tho Dsnubian
Valley, the outlet to which Is Constantinopls.
Naturally, Austria does not wish Russia to con.
troll England has the most powerful com.
mercial reasons why Russia should not have
Constantinoplo. In addition to these. such .
| position would put Russia in easy striking dis
lance of the road to India.
| Germany does not want Russia, whom she
feels that she must fight At no distant day.
aggrandized any moro. She has also strong conf
mercial reasons for not desiring the control of
Constantinople to pass into other hands.
France and Italy have the Same commercial
reasons, a. we'll % political Ones ALI these
nations are striving for supremacy in West
Africa to which the Suez Canal is the key.
On the other hand, the Slavs are burningly
and the Greeks are as desperately eager to be
free from Turkish rule. and in addition to get
together into one nation, which will revive the
glores of ancient Greece. In this latter respect
the Slavs are divided. The majority of them
want to be entirely independent and form
little separate Kingdoms. Thore are others
who want to join their Russian brothers in
race and religion. and become part of the great
Empire of tho Gar. There are still others who
feel that they would fare better with Austria,
which has already several Slavic countries with
about II, 100000 population.
These are the conflicting influences and de-
sires which have made Constantinople storm
center in all modern times.
Tho policy Of the Western Powers for this
century has been that while they agree that the
Turkish Government is blot on the face Of
Europe, they could not agree as to how it could
be abolished, and the territory divided, SO as
to maintain the "balance of power" so they
would sustain it as it is. This is called "main-
tanning the integrity Of the Turkish Empire"
In spite of all their efforts they have not been
able to entirely do this.
Russia has periodically waged war against
Turkey, and though the other powers have in
tervened to save the Turk. she has still! gained
all tho country north of the Black Sea, and
pushed her acquisitions far around the ca stern
end Of the sea.
Modayia and Wallachia were detached early
in the century, aud erected into the independ-
ent Kingdom 6f Rumania.
Against the determined opposition of the
Powers, the Greeks began revolution in 1884,
and in spite of themselves tho Powers were
drawn into helping, and the little Kingdom of
Greece was constituted in 1929. with about
100000 people and little more than half of
the present territory.
This result was great disappointm ent to the
Greeks, who expected to have Crete, and much
other territory from which the Turks had been
driven. There have been frequent uprisings
ali If hot Cd 70 he nd
unite themselves with their brethren. The
Slavs have also risen frequently.
The result of the last Russo Turkish war
was that the Berlin Congress of 1878 made
Servia an Independents Kingdom. Bulgaria
was made practically independent. Montenegro
had its Independence confirmed, aud Bosnis
and Herzegovina were given to Austria.
Greece had expected to get Crete and the an
cient Macedonia, Epirus and Thessaly. She
was promised much, but got far less than she
expected, and Turkey refused to concede even
this. The Powers put pressure on Turkey to
compel her to grant all that had been conceded,
but were only partially successful.
This has been source Of continual irritation
to the Greeks. and the first movements were to
gain the territory which the Berlin Congress
had awarded them. but Turkey withheld.
The Powers acutely dread any disturbance,
for they have such strong interests in the
matter that they fear that any collision, how
ever trifing, may precpitate general Euro
pean war. Consequently, they have done their
utmost to repress the Greeks, and at the Same
time keep the Turks quiet. On the other hand,
a large portion of their own people sympathize |
strongly with the Greeks in their aspirations
for independence and unity. and embarrass the
course oil the diplomats and fnanciers.
The matter finally resolved itself into de-
cision to lot the Greeks and Turks fight it
out. and confne the fighting strictly to them.
hostlities were actually begun by the Greek |
troops advancing into the disputed territory.
Here the shrewdness Of the Turks ia maintain
ing boundary in the Olympian line of mount
aims was apparent. They had impregnable
positions from which they could descend upon
the wide plains of Thessaly. where their su-
periority in numbers would tell to the utmost
Both sides have fought with great fury and
inspired by religious fanaticism
on one side and patriotism and hatred of the |