Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1905-08-17
TREATIES THAT HAVE
MADE HISTORY IN
THE LAST CENTURY


It was November, 1914, that the fam
GUS Committee of the Eight Powers
Austria, England, France, Prussia,
Russia, Spain, Portugal and Sweden
met at Vienna under the presidency OF
Pronce Metternich to draw up a treaty
which was to be henceforth the writ
ten law of Europe. The necessity for
such a treaty was pressing. The mo-
ment seemed propitious. In the law
less grasp Of Napoleon Bonaparte
Europe had become a conglomeratlon
Of states without fixed boundaries or
acknowledged rights to political ex-
istence. The old landmarks had been
swept away, the balance OF power des-
troyed, a strong state had become
weak, weak states had become strong.
The armies Of Russia won in occupa-
ton Of Poland. Austrian troops held
all If Italy except Naples, English
and Swedish troops held Holland and
Belgium. English and Portuguese
troops held a large portion OF Spain,
the Prussian troops held Saxony, the
troops of Wurtemberg and Baden
held the Rhine provinces. At length
the hand which had wrought all this
confusion was believed to have been
effectually paralyzed. The sooner the
normal state of things could be re-
stored the better.
1t was Poland that formed the first
stumbling block in the way of con-
cord among the Powers. That unfor-
tunate country had been torn into
three fragments in 1772 and divided
between Austria, Germany and Rus
sia, the latter having the lions share.
Russia was now in martial possession
Of the entire country. 1t a the chiv-
slric dream of the Russian Emperor
Alexander l. to repair the partition
and to replace the Poles in their con-
dition as a free and constitutional
kingdom under Russian suzerainty.
But all the other Powers objected to
the proposal. Their combined weight
won. Finally a compromise was ar.
rived at. 1t was agreed that a por'
ton of the Duchy of Warsaw should
be divided between Austria and Prus'
STA, and the remaining portion, save
Cracow, which was to be a free city,
receiving a constitution, and being
united to the Russian crown as the
kingdom of Poland. Thus the sane,
ton of a great European treaty was
given to a great European wrong.
The Italian question might have be,
come the subject of a prolonged dis.
cussion but for a hostile movement
made by Murat, then King of the two
Sicilies. This simpliied matters,
Naples, with Sicily, was delivered over
to the house of Bourbon. Austria re,
tanned all her possessions in Italy but
Piedmont and Genoa, which, with Sar.
DINA, were given over to the house OF
Savoy, while Tuscany and other north
ern provinces were distributed among
petty princes, dependent, some upon
Austria, some upon the house of Aus
tria. 1t took 1S59-1S60 and the com,
bined efforts of Napoleon ILL.,, Charles
Albert and Garibaldi to begin the
righting of this third wrong.
The treaty of Berlin was concluded
in 1878, between Great Britain, Ger
many, Austria, France, Italy, Russia,
and Turkey for the settlement of af
fairs in the East after the war be,
tween Turkey and Russia. It's chief
provisions were that Bulgaria should
be an autonomous and tributary prin'
cipality under the suzerainty of the
Sultan to be ruled by a Christian gov
eminent, and that Eastern Roumania
should remain under the direct mill
tary and political authority of the
tsar. Bosnia and Herzegovina were
to be occupied and administered by
Austria Hungary. The independence
of Servia, Roumania and Montenegro
were recognized.
Lord Beaconsield made his greatest
diplomatic hit at the Berlin Confer.
ence. He always addressed the con
gress in English, and the combination
of dignity and power which marked
his best style in speaking seems to
have made a profound impression on
the group of Continental statesmen
1t was largely due to his influence
that the congress simply tore up the
preliminary treaty of San Stefano ex
torted by Russia from Turkey, which
would virtually have annihilated Tur'
key in Europe. Rather than consent