Year: 1876

The announcement by cable that Turkey
will be compelled to accept the conference
by the representations of England is Of the
more consequence inasmuch as 1t is evil
dent that Turkeys objections were the re-
suit of English inspiration. In themselves
these objections were preposterous. They
held that the Sultan could not negotiate on
the internal affairs Of his kingdom because
this disputed his sovereignty. while it is, OF
course, known to the world that only the
internal affairs of his kingdom are or have
been under consideration. But Turkey was
put forward simply to make an objection
that England might recover ground lost
through blunder.


There is scarcely any doubt that the pres
ent threatening aspect of the trouble is due
to the blundering of the diplomatists. Eng
lands present demand, as indicated by Earl
Beaconsfeld, is for the terms of the Treaty
of Paris. Turkey also demands that the
negotiations shall proceed on the basis Of
the Treaty Of Paris. That treaty puts under
the protection Of the signatory Powers ''the
independence and integrity of Turkey"
This is very different from the requirement
made by England that Russia should
assent that the conference proceed on the
basis ofthe Integrity ofthe Turkish Empire. !"
That the word independence" was not
dropped from that formula by the inadver.
tency of the reporters is shown by the ex-
tract from the Nord, the Russian organ at
Brussels, as well as by the London Times
article published by us yesterday. The
Nord adroitly calls the attention of Europe
to the fact that the English Foreign Office
had only demanded the integrity Of
the Ottoman Empire" 1t does this under
cover of complimenting Lord Derby for the
moderation and practical wisdom of his
demand The Times declares that the Brit
ish government closes the way to the con-
ference by a demand for impossible conces-
of the Ottoman Empire was not impossible,
for it was really made by Russia.


England has, therefore, evidently made the
demand that Russia should also as q condi-
tion of the conference agree that the "inde-
pendence" of the Sultan should not be en-
croached upon. Russia has peremptorily
refused that demand; and if England should
insist upon that war would be inevitable.
This attempt on the part of England to
revise her own conditions was probably
made before the dinner at the Mansion
House and the British Premier with that
taste for the theatrical in politics which is
an inseparable element of his nature, fancied
that if the British lion should seem to be
stirred up and should roar grandly on that
occasion, it might alarm the Russian
capital and secure an immediate accept
ance Of his terms. How thoroughly he
erred in that particular is now evident. He
went, in fact, only from blunder to blunder;
for to take the world into case that is be-
tween cabinets is to render it scarcely possi-
BILE that cabinets con again secure the en-
tire possession of it. 1t is possible always
for cabinet to retire from position it
finds untenable; but if the head of gov
ernment has declared itself before the world
retreat is impossible, and this is case in
which some one must retreat, or war results.


The despatch referred to seems to indi-
cate that Turkey has been instructed to re-
cede from the preposterous position taken
in the name of the Treaty of Paris, which
treaty is a dead letter. AS Turkey thus re-
cedes England may conveniently say, as she
did with regard to the armistice, that she
spoke as the friend of the Sultan, and can
not object to what satisfies him. This,
therefore, gives the situation more pacific
aspect