Year: 1876




tance as the one whose sessions began at
Constantinople yesterday. Commonly they
are called to give diplomatic form to con-
clusions reached without them or, II their
function goes further, it is to soften the as
pect of desperate facts and to save national
pride by contriying ways more or less grace
full in which the vanquished may abandon
untenable positions. This was the func-
ton of the diplomats who assembled at
London in 1871 to re-enact the Treaty OF
Paris with the clause in regard to the Black
Sea left out. Their purpose was to pre-
tend that England was not dissatisfied
with Russias action in that case, and
that the grimaces which England had
made over that action were not gri-
maces, but only smiles misunderstood.
Similarly the assembly which originally
made that treaty had but one possible issue
from the first hour of its existence, and its
only duty was to record as part of the law
Of Europe the result of Russia's defeat.
Success on one side or another has gener-
ally removed all doubt as to the proceedings
to be taken in conferences or congresses
called to make peace. In this respect the
Conference Of Vienna in 1856, in which it
was sought to find satisfactory issue from
the Crimean war, waged on the topic now in
dispute, differed from conferences gener-
ally and resembled the one now in session,
though it is TO be hoped this one may not
resemble that in its failure to reach effective
conclusions.


Although the protocols of the preliminary
conference have not been made public 1t is
presumable, from the circumstance that the
body now in session is called plenary con-
ference that it is practically without linn
itation of its powers in dealing with the
important case before it. 1t may agree
upon the terms of permanent peace, or,
dsagreeing, adjourn to the sound OF the
first guns Of a great war and, with such
possible issues to its action, the tendency of
its deliberations Is so little under the inf1u-
ence Of events-it is so free from the con-
straint of facts-that it is absolutely impos-
sible for any person to say, though that
person be in the English, Russian
or Turkish Cabinets whether the issue
will be peace or war; There has
been some doubt whether the conference
would be final, or whether it could only
propose or suggest course of action on
certain designated problems, and leave it to
Europe to accept or reject the suggestions;
and the fact that the body is still called a
conference rather than a congress has given
color to the notion that it is only body
with power to consult and recommend. But
this opinion was secuted with such energy
by the British press that it may be taken rs
certain that in England the body is consid-
cred as one whose decisions will bind all
the governments. Russia certainly takes
the same view. for it has been announced
formally that her representative has power
to commit her fully, whether the event be
peace or war.


AS the conference opens the Turkish Min
istry seems disposed to indulge in some ex-
travagant antics, the purpose of which is
made suspicious by their want of character
and good grace. Declarations unnecessarily
vociferous seem to be authorized, to the
effect that Turkey will not consider herself
bound by the decisions of the conference in
case they assume an aspect disagreeable to her
There is singular want of logic in these
declarations. Turkey. it is said, will not for
a moment consent to the occupation of any
of her provinces by foreign troops, since
this would be limitation of her sovereignty
yet what is the conference itself but an evil
dence that the Sultan is not sovereign in his
own dominions-that his fate and his acts
must be determined by others? And what
is to be thought Of Turkeys presence
in the conference by her representatives ex-
cept that she recognizes this limitation of
her sovereignty? Surely, if she admits that
the great Powers must judge on her case rs
really sovereign nations are accustomed to
Judge for themselves on their own cases, she
admits that her sovereignty has one great
and definite limitation, and, admitting
this, there is no just occasion for her to
pirate about her sovereignty, because the
Powers believe that the DEGREES of the con-
ference will be of no effect whatever if left
to be administered by Turkey. Her pres
ence at the conference, her admission of its
authority to deliberate and decide upon
facts that relate strictly to her internal ad-
ministration, would seem to commit her to
acquiescence in its DEGREES, whatever they
are I; and the fact that she declares she will
not abide by them in certain con-
tingency implies that she does not un-
derstand the nature Of the proceed
ings in which sho is engaged or that
she has 50 little respect for the will of united
Europe that she is prepared to treat it with
bravado and contempt


Certainly the intention Of NIidhat Pacha,
reported in our despatch from Paris, to
promulgate the new constitution as the
conference assemblies and with it pro-