The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-03-19

a
ing to convey the impression that he
desires to treat with lenient conSidera
ton all the Christian provinces of the
Ottoman empire. But, as every student
of the Turkish situation knows. it is
not safe to trust the sultan's promises.
Abdul the Damned" as Gladstone
called him, is also Abdul the crafty
and deceitful and the same Abdul who
has time and again broken his pledges.
The reforms which the sultan has
promised are substantially these:
First-The establishment of financial
control over the collection of taxes in the
European vilayets and over the payment
of officials and troops.
Second.-The reorganizati ton of the gem
darmerie in said vilayets by the selection
of officers from the subjects of the neutral
European states-Belgium, Holland and
Switzer land.
Third-The signers Of this note are. de-
sirous that the sultan shall find it con-
venient to administer the affairs of the
disaffected vilayets through some high
parsonage who has a personal knowledge
of the requirements necessary in order to
govern without friction a, body of SUBJ
jects differing in religion, mode of life and
politics .s
If the sultan carries out this 'irre-
ducible minimum" of reform, the war
cloud that now hangs threateningly
over the Leyant is likely to be TEN
porarily dispelled, but it will be only
a temporary dissolution. At best it but
defers the inevitably coming storm
which must sooner or later break over
the Balkans like the sweep of a
mighty cyclone. changing the face Of
southeastern Europe.
Russia, which holds the key Of the
situation through its all powerful in
fiuence in Sofia, may check the grow
ing hostility toward Turkey among
the Bulgarians of Ferdinand's realm
and the equally growing sympathy for
their oppressed kindred and coreligion-
lists in Macedonia Even this can
not prevent continued irritation and
attendant disorder. But nobody is
quite sure that Russia wants to stop
the anti-Turkish agitation in Bulgaria,
even though she may not be ready just
now for another war with the Turk,
and it is wholly improbable that any
very drastic measures will be adopted
In Sofia to lessen the activity Of the
Macedonian revolutionary committee,
which has it's headquarters at the Bull
garian capital and receives at least
the tacit support of the Bulgarian
court, while the Bulgarian people are
ayowedly in sympathy with it.
The recent avowal from st. Peters
burg that while Russia is prepared to
safeguard the interests of the Chris
tians she twill not sacrifice a single
drop of Russian blood nor the smallest
portion of the heritage of the Russian
people if the Slav states should at
tempt by revolution or force to change
the existing state of affairs in the
Balkan peninsula" may mean much or
1t may mean nothing, just as the car
| and his advisers desire. It may be
taken to indicate that the Muscovite
bear is not yet ready Tor another tustle
with the Turk and wishes to hold in
leash the Balkan Slavs. who are eager
for the fray until he is better prepared
| to put his paw on the map of south
eastern Europe, though it may not be
CVllSlIuGu Dis lldI tuC SltiI las
| relinquisned the long standing ambi-
| ton of the Romanoffs to- worship at
the shrine of st. Sophia in CONSTANT
| nopie and push their fleets through the
| Dardanelles from the Black sea to the
Mediterranean.
| The situation in the Christian prov
inces of Turkey is almost analogous to
that existing Immediately prior to the
Crimean war. which arose through the
demand of Russia for a protectorate
over the Greek subjects of the sultan.
Though the protection. of oppressed
Christians, who then as now were suf
| fering beyond measure from Turk
ish tyranny, was Russia's avoWed pur-