The Haslingden Gazette. — 1903-08-15 (Haslingden, Lancashire, England)

THE CLOUD IN THE EAST.  But for the cloud in the East, the final discussion on foreign affairs, in the last &rye of the session, would have been devoid of general interest. Unrest. outrage and intrigue have been raging in the remaining Christian provinces of Turkey since last Spring. Europe has become so accustomed to this state of things that it has ceased to feel any keen apprehension. The Premier's statement will, however. recall public attention to the seriousness of the situation. The British Government has from the &et rested les confide.ro on the ability of Russia and Austria, who are the Power* mcst concerned, to act the part of European firemen and extinguish the flames of war wherever they may arise. Regretfully the Premier has to admit that throatlook is not hopeful. We may take encouragem-nt to this extent, that the knowledge of Russia and Austria being united in the detereduation to keep the peace, and that they act with a mandate from 'Europe for that purpose, has served to keep down the smouldering fire. Ilut there is a fear, increasing every day. that the organised revolutionists, becoming desperate by repeated failure, may by some daringly criminal Mule succeeds in kindling the flames of war. Several such attempts have already been made, as witness the reskless dynamite outrages at Sslonica. This was one of a elms of outrages perpetrated by the revolutionary organisations svith the purpose, as the Premier himself admits, of provoking excesses by the Turkish trucpa, which would provide a necessity for European intervention. But the Porte, whose political interest it is to prevent such excesses, has been ex. cessful in restraining its exasperated soMiere from responding to outrage by massacre. That is the deplorable situation existing today. We have a sustained and consistent scheme cf provocation carried on under circumstances which may at arty moment lead to reprisals. All this is intensified, as the Premier has told nit, by the religious animosities which aggravate a deep-seated disease. Indeed, the two words "provocation" and ''aggravation" give the key-note to the situation. We have herein some fruite of the reckless and undisciplined p /icy of the late Mr. Gladstone, as exemplified ill that mad expedition. the Midlothian campaign. which plumped him into power, but wrought untold misery to millions of human beings. The general teaching of the Midlothian campaign was that the Turk was a fiendish fanatic, and the Balkan Christian a suffering saint. As a matter of plain truth, for sheer barbarity there was not a pin to choose between them. Then was inculcated the cult of atrocity. Since tluit time the peaceful Bulgarian, with a rifle slung on his shoulder and a bundle of knives Murk in his girdle; or the gentle Macedonian. cogitating how lie may extend the influence of Christianity with the aid of dynamite, or the pensive Armenian. considering what is the r heapest way of cutting his Turkish neighbour's throat without risking his own , neck, have been eliehing and plundering, murder! ing anti dynamiting. with the object of inducing Christian England to notice how their poor fellcw Christians were being tortured by the .• Unepeakable Turk." England does not respond as riotously as it used to do to these solicitations to the con. donatien of crime. Perhaps the hard-heartedness lof England is one of the reatons for the pressing danger of the momeet. If they cannot stir Eng. land's soft and Met heart, the revolutionary agita• tors may in sheer despair indulge hit a general boost' up. which will precipitate that consummation of chaos, which it has long boen recognised %mild be the ultimate end of the Eastern Question. It is the aim of wise pilicy to stave off the culmination of despair as long as possible, and when it occurs to take measures for securing that the wreck shall not provoke fresh warfare among the wreckers. It !seems to us that ouch is the policy of the King's Government. Whether that is so or not, the policy has been successful in keeping British interests , from being iiieolved, or British arms from being 'directed against one or other of the two parties for whom we have generous symputhy—the Turk because he is a stubborn victim of outrageous provocation; the Christiana, because they are Christians, and therefore ought to be that which they are not.