The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-08-17
Russia's Hand in It.

The ,European powers have become so
accustomed to Russia's violations OF the
treaty of Paris Of 1856 that, when she
orders a portion Of her Black sea squadron
to menace the sultan and force adequate
payment for the killing of her consul, M.
Rostkovski, at Monastir there Is COM
paratively. small excitement. 1t Is pro-
posed to exact an indemnity which Will
make the Turk squirm.
There was time when a threat to send
a Russian squadron into Turkish waters
would have raised the mischief in Europe.
After Russia found, in 1871, that she could
run her sword thru the treaty of Paris
with impunity, she has practically ignored
its restrictions. In 1871 she demanded
at the London conference the abroga ton
Of the naturalization Of the Black Sea and
got it, and obtained the opening Of the
Dardenelles and Bosporus to friendly and
allied powers, whenever it appeared
necessary for the maintenance. OF the
treaty" The treaty had forbidden Rus
STA to keep any vessels of war In the
Black sea and required her to raze and
keep RACED the Notifications Of Sebastopol.
the head, and, as a. result Of the vast ex-
penditure Of the crimean war by the allies,
England, Francs and Sardinia, and the
bankrupting Of Russia, Russia is In.
finitely stronger and able practically to
defy Europe in the far Orient and in
southeastern Europe.
The Bulgarian government. In their
statement to the powers, Just presented,
touching the farce Of Turkish reforms In
four vilayets of Macedonia, exaggerate
nothing. Turkish reforms initiated by
order Of Russia and Austria could mean
nothing else but rapine and horrible
butcheries on the part Of the Turks, &C
companied by the equally atrocious work
Of insurgent bands Of Bulgarians and row.
ing robbers and butchers under the direc-
ton of the Macedonian committees. Rus
sian tactics generally follow this course.
Russia's way Is to make the situation in
tolerable and bring on a great Turkish
massacre Of Christians or few Russian
officials and then demand satisfaction as
she is doing at present. How far she
will utilize her Black Sea squadron in
Turkish waters remains to be seen. She
may not use that squadron very decisive
ly, but she may push the demand for in
demnty for her dead consul to the extent
of precpitating a costly conflict with the
Turk which may draw into it the hypo-
critical, self proclaimed peacemakers OF
the Berlin congress, who few weeks
after that treaty was signed, declared that
the document represented 1.-The last word
Of Europe on the eastern question"
The diplomacy Of Europe, however, did
not speak the last word.'' 1t has not
spoken 1t yet The specter is not laid
and. will not be, until the last vestiges OF
the Turkish empire are removed. More
too, than the expulsion Of the Turk is re-
quired. Something besides driving the
Turk across the Bosporous and the Dard-
anelles must be done. The so-called lib
Grated portion Of the Balkan peninsula
which. came under the judgment of those
hideously hypocritical peacemakers who
sat in Berlin in 1878, needs revision. That
region contains peoples who have no true
conception of human liberty, civil anG
religious Many of them are no better
or not good as the Turks. When lo
of people of the same nationality and diff
fering religious beliefs are wedged to-
gether, they are not likely to enjoy much
libertyif, as among Bulgarians, they per
secute2 each other. The Protestant Bull
garians are prosecuted by the Bulgarian:
of the independent Greek Bulgarian
church and the Greek Patriarch of Con
stantinople claims supremacy. They neet
tuition in the elements of liberty. TIL
Servians to-day are as much a menace t.
the liberties of the Balkan peoples as ar
the bashi- bazouks and other Turkish e1e
ments. After the Turk is well out of tn
way, the Balkanese need to know what ar
the very best principles Of human liberty
= With about 900 immigrants to diges
this year and the prospect that as man
xt-{I hoe =,