Year: 1878

tectlng In Europe the Christian suDJects %
the Sultan and England protecting the
Jews in Palestine. the lArmenians in their
mountains and mongrel Cevantines every
where from the Sultan, and the Sultan him
self from everybody else that distressed
monarch may reasonably regard himself as
definitely shelved and his kingdom as laid
up in lavender Let Engand's latest COM
pact with the Sultan be added to the treaty
so nearly completed at Berlin, and we
may see pretty commentary COM
pleted by tho Powers themselves on
their pledges made to the poor
Padischah in 1856 With what magnificent
confidence in themselves and in the future
did twelve plenipotentiaries of the great
Powers pledge Mt Paris in that year each
that his own government should respect for
its own part and compel others to respect
the lind ependence and territorial integrity
of the Ottoman Empire!" England, Russia,
Prussia, Austria, France and ITALY solemnly
guaranteed that pledge by general obliga-
tion, and England, Austria and Franco by
separate secret treaty agreed to regard its
violation as cause of war against the vio-
!
has become Of that solemn compact? Rou-
mania and Servia, then parts of the Sultan's
Empire are free States, and from the Pruth
! to the Balkans, it is now admitted, there
shall remain no vestige Of Ottoman author
ity. Bosnia and Herzegovina are handed
over to Austria to be kept from harm. Mon
tenegro is free, and the Sultan is recon-
mended to make liberal terms with his
Grecian subjects, while the next slice to be
taken from the little left him in Europe is
indicated by the outline of the new subject
State to be defined in Roumelia. This for
Europe, and now England plunges into the
scramble, throws her arms about all Asia,
and declares greedily that she means to
guard it all for herself and her dear friend
the Sultan. BY such steps has the
Sultan's wonderfully guaranteed EN-
pire been dismembered, disestablished
and brought to naught. And still
the process of guaranteeing goes on. Who
shall guarantee that the little limits left
and the rights preserved are not as shadowy
and perishable as all that has been guaran-
teed hitherto?


England's secret treaty with Turkey is
announced as made in consequence of the
consent Of the Congress that Russia should
have Batoum. ''In view of Russia's reten-
tion of Batoum" are the words of the de-
spatch. Now Russia could not retain
Batoum unless the Congress upon full ex-
animation of the subject had judged that 1t
was wise and right to give it to her. Russia
could not hold Batoum in defiance of the
Congress-, unless she had repudiated its
labors and withdrawn; and that she
has not done. England, therefore,
has not taken this step as against
the Russian policy and pcrsistency,
but as against determination de-
liberately taken in the Congress. In this
may be seen more of that sort of contempt
of the Congress and practical Reputation
Of its action, which was 80 strikingly shown
in the secret compact made between Eng
land and Russia as to what points they
would mutually agree not to oppose. Eng
land declared that Europe must decide all.
With great clamor she secured that the
representatives Of Europe were gathered
in one room and about one table, in order
that they mighUdecide all. and when they
had done it she said very innocently that
since they intend to decide it that way she
must take guarantee against the will of
Europe, and straightway went out into an
other room and decided it for herself
1t has from the first been the one parrot
cry of England that no settlement could be
| regarded as valid which was made by any
one or two Powers between themselves or
with Turkey in regard to the concerns Of
the Ottoman Empire. That was the great
objection to the Treaty of San Stefano and
Europe hold the objection well taken, and
Russia herself finally assented that Eng
lands objection on that ground must
be respected. Yet England herself is the
one Power that now repudiates the decrces
of the Congress, and when they are made
goes outside to secure herself against them
by counter agreements with Turkey. Eng
land was so stanch q champion of the
theory that Europe assembled could
alone change the relatNns of Turkey
with other Powers that when Russia
requested her to state her objections
to the Treaty Of San Steiano she refused to
formulate them, on the ground that to do SO
| would be to prejudice the action of the only
body competent to deal with the case-a
Congress of the Powers yet to guarantee
her own interests against the judgment Of
Europe she has made one secret treaty with
Russia and another with Turkey.


BY the treaty made. England secures for
herself not merely an equivalentfor Batoum,
but more than an equivalent for all that all
other Powers taken together will gain by the
disintesration Of Turkey. II Russia, in
stead OF making tho Ottoman Territory
north of the Hcllospont independent of the
Sultan and series Of FREQ States, had nctu-