Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-10-16
THROUGH THE DARDANELLEs.

The success, @ short time ago, OF
Russia IN obtaining Turkish permits
sion to send warships through the
Dardanelles Is an event which deserves
notice By all who endeayor 10 follow
the current Of history The condition
was that the ships should not We
equipped with arms and ammunition.
Other nations, II Is thought VIII be
granted similar privilege and the
effect will be the opening Of that wat
erway to the world, though Russia wal
be the only power that will derive
practical advantages from this ar
rangement.
No foreign battleship has passed
through the Dardaneles since the
crimean war which ended IN 1856 with
the defeat Of Russia, by the united
forces of England France and Tur-
key. Then. by the treaty OF Paris,
Russia was prohibited from rebuild
ing the fortihcations at sebastopoL The
pardanelles were closed against all
warships except those Of Turkey, and
,he Black Sea was declared neutral,
This held good, until 1870 when Russie
was permitted 10 keep any number OF
warships In the Black Sea, though not
&c pass any Of them through the straits.
But a fleet bottled up in a compare
lively small lake is Of little advantage
end Russia has always had her eye
on the possibility Of obtaining egress
through the Dardaneles Russia's
Mediterranean squadron has had to be
brought from the Baltic and when
ever any of her ships there needed
repair she has had to depend ON facili.
ties dearly bought from any Of the
friendly powers with harbors in the
Mediterranean, Russia naturally re-
sents this. The permission obtained
from the Sultan 10 pass some warshlps
II rough the straits Is beginning to
tle removal Of the obstruction placed
there after the Crlmean war in 1856.
The story Of how the Car managed
this Is interesting enough. Grand Duke
Nicholas was sent To pay the Sultan a
visit on a Russian battleship, He came
fresh from the dedication Of a monu-
ment IN honor Of Russian officers that
fell in the war with Turkey In 1876, as
II to remind the sultan Of that Turkish
defeat. Among the ceremonies We're
field maneuyers, representing the rout-
ing OF Turkish troops by Bulgarlans,
and a banquet IN which Prince Ferdi-
nand OF Bulgaria, though vassal OF
the sultan. hailed Russia as the savior
Of Bulgaria After this edlfylng cele-
bration Nicholas went 20 STEAMBOAT and,
strange TO say. was received with dis
tinction by the Sultan. The inquiry
was then made whether the Sultan
would have any objection TO Russian
ships Of war passing through the
straits, Il the guns were unmounted
and the vessels reduced for the time 10
the inofensive condition Of merchant
men. There was no objection. On the
contrary the sultan seems 10 have
made use Of this request in order TO at
tempt TO drive bargain with Emperor
Nicholas. while the great powers Of the
world, instead OF protesting, remained
silent It is this attitude Of the pow
ers. "a well as Of the Porte. that has
seemingly induced the Gar TO deter
mine to waste no more time IN negotia-
tons,
The European powers Il seems, are
less concerned about the affair than
might be supposed they would be. 1t
is believed that another European Goa
gress may be called. The sultan has no
friends among the European powers
now. Great Britain owes Russia some-
;h.rg :cr her neutrality aas!as the