The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-04-27
DISCORD
BY OTTOMAN EMPIRE

ny Ia MAnauIsE DE: FONTENoY.
4 MoNG the most active factors on
IN pptuasned 70 mat friendly under:
Po,wors. which must necessarily
precede the realization Of the aims or
me me ~,GTnasion peace movement. are.
ana after that certain smaller Stmtes
OK Europe. which rely more or less for
.neir independence upon the jealousies,
me rlvalries, and the cnmitles. exist
ing among the Great Powcrs.
Turkey could have been time and
aGaln compelled to reform her ways.
duriNE the reign OF Abdul Harnid. had
not me latter. by cleverly fostering
niscord between the Great Powers in
me Orient. prevented any united com
peiiing action on their part against tho
Snnilme Porte. Identical consilcrn-
IONS nave enabled Ferdinand OF Co
hurS 10 assume tho throne OF BnlgRria.
20, renounce his allegiance to the Pad
ishah. as one OF tho ~latter's ycssals.
and 10 proclaim his country an inde-
pennent kingd9m. In Defiance OF tho
,s7S 70 which Bulgaria owes her cman-
cipatlon from tho ordinary OWLS OF
2 mere Turkish province.
switzerland. too, enjoys to-day n
far larger amount OF Independence than
that or which she waa able 10 boast
during the FIRST half Of last century.
when mo Great Powers were moro or
'8n u'i'NN', Olt or IIE manifestations
OF that union being tho so-cailcd Holy
Alliance. Thus. Switzerland was on
several occasions. between 1873 md
1850, menaced with being hcrmeticai-
y ~olockaded BY her %neighbors. That
s TO say, they threatened hnr with cut
Ting her OFF from all intercourse with
the outnr world. so that neither per-
sons nor yet produce could either on
ter or leave tho country.
This threat WINS presented for tho
hrst time In the form OF an %ultimatum,
In 1884, by all tho surrounding States.
and, by moro distant Great Powers,
lest aEainst nor action In permitting
her territory to become headouarters
Or revohitionists engaged In projects
cor inc overthrow OF tho regularly
tries. The thing which brought mat
tcrs to q head was the hlibnstcring
e2penltion,, composed OF soldiers of
fortune and political scum OF various
marlno led from switzerland into
savoy for tho purpose of overthrowinr
the sardinian govern ment there. Switz-
cfland was obliged by this threatened
not only. 20 cxpel all Romarlno's as
sociates from her soil, N also to close
her frontiers against himself and his
followers when they attempted to seek
refuge there after being routed by
the Sandman troops.
Two years later, that la to say. in
! S36, France took the lead In n ooali-
ton that threatened to seal up Swit2er-
land Dramatically, unless she adopted
~eficacious measures to prevent her
territory from being the rendezvous OF
political refugees and ndventurers.
bent on disturbing the peace of the
other nations Of Europe. and associated
In this threat with France were Great
Britain, Austria. Prussia. Baden. Bav-
aria, sardinia and Russia, the French
statesman Theirs. then Premier and af-
ter 1870 President Of the Republic.
showing himself particularly bitter In
tho matter against switzerland or
and wholesale cXpulsions OF Foreigners
took place. while pledges were given
for greater watchfulncss In the future.
In 1850 an International conference
was actually gathered at Paris, In
order to put q stop. once and for all
time, TO the trouble to which Switzer-
land was Bubjectlng her n~eighhors, by
Offering refuge and hospitality to
against the duly constituted govern
c OF other European States, and I
may add that she never came so near
losing her independence as on that oc-
.%casion.
Fortunately for her, Louis Bonaparte.
afterwards Napoleon III, was at the
head of affairs In Franco as President
OF the French Republic: Ho had not
forgotten tho fact that le himself had
found refuge in Switzerland, as n poll
teal adventurcr, bent on tho over-
throw OF the government of King Louis
Philippc; that he had spent his youth
In Switzerland, had serve In tho Swiss
army as a Swiss citizen. and that at
ono moment, namely, In 1888, France
had threatened to invade switzerland,
If nc were allowed TO remain on Hell
vctian soil; he himself Immediately
leaving Switzerland thereupon on his
own accord to avert any further trou-
Bile to the land which had afforded him
her kindly hospitality. AT his instance,
and thanks to his friendly interview
ton, the international congress Of
another solemn pledge by the
Federal government that It would
not permit any longer It's terri
tory to become the centre OF hostile
agitation against the tranquility of
Since then, there have been repeated
protests by individual Powers. For the
Swiss government was either unwill-
ing or powerless to keep It's promises.
I%nternatIonssl anaEe pS h held its rs Son nr
hlndrance. and with no attempt Mt con
cealment; while tho NihIlists made
Geneva and Zurich the chief bases Of
their activities, openly printed. and
propaganda. and made all the arrange
ments there for the shocking murder
of Emperor Alexander II.
But in spite Of this, there has never
been any concerted action by the Great
Powers against Switzerland, nor has
there been and coalition with n Wow to
n blockade OF that country. A COM
blned movement against hnr has be-
come impossible. owing TO the jealous
fes and riyalries snonE her neighbors.
ers of Europe. II thoro were such q
coalition, Switzerland would he obliged
10 submit, as sho hnS been forced to do
In times gone hy,As long as the Pow