Year: 1876

The Conditions OF Peace In E"roPe'


The demand of Turkey is to be guaran-
teed from danger on the side OF Servia-
from danger in the form of regular repeti-
ton of the revolt of more or less dependent
subjects of the Sultan and in the form OF
foreign invasions for the support of which
Seryia if held inimically to the Sultan,
would serve as great natural bastion on the
Turkish frontier. On her part the material
points have been formulated, which, 1T is be-
lieved, will secure her if the points are ac-
cepted and made part of the law of Europe
by the recognition of the great Powers On
the other hand, and as against the Sultan,
the extreme demands are that he shall SO re-
form his administration in the Chris
tian provinces of his dominion that
rebellion will not be the necessary
and desperate remedy of oppressed
populations deprived of every other resort !;
and that he will so live up to the treaties to
which he assents that no occasion con arise
for the invasion of his territories by neigh
bors whose mutual jealousies will neutralize
their hostility, except when the need OF pro-
tecting men Of their own race from wanton
butchery merges their jealousies in larger
common sympathy. These are the extreme
positions on either side in the pending ne
gotiation for since the Sultan's government
has formulated his terms it may be safely
said that peace negotiations are fairly on
foot. The facts that it was thought would
secure the good conduct Of the Sultan and
the peace of that part of Europe were also
formally digestcd and laid down some time
ago in the famous Berlin memorandum,
which had the sanction Of Russia Germany
and Austria, and which would have been
accepted at Constantinople, but the re-
fusal of England to sign it encouraged the
Ottoman government to believe that it
would have her support in opposing the
pressure mainly directed by Russia where
fore it was rejected. Since the war began,
and discussion sought safe issue from it
rather than solid ground for the perma-
nent prevention of hostilities, but little has
been heard Of what might be required by
Europe of the Ottoman government and q
great deal of what Turkey would demand
and Servia might concede in the settlement
of their immediate issue. On this narrow
field the drift of opinion has been determined
by the direction of success, and it was at one
moment we'll nigh conceded that the bitter
judgment of .'un rictis" might be recorded
against Servia, and that the burden of
settlement must be upon her. The Porte's
order for a cessation of hostilities comes
however, at q moment when the tide that
appeared so irresistible two weeks ago
seems now trembling for the ebb The
consideration must therefore arise that Ser
via will be rs much entitled to guarantees rs
the Sultan, and this will restore the whole
subject to the ground Of tho Berlin note.
Europe was not in danger OF forgetting at any
moment that Turkey only exists through the
compromises of her neighbors in her behalf,
and this seems to have been especially re-
membered ut Berlin, where the Sultan's
peace conditions are characterized as a chal-
lenge to the great Powers. Thanks, there
fore, to the suddenly improved aspects of
Servia's position, the peace negotiations will
not skim the surface Of the difficult issues
of this conflict, but will go deep, and the
winter will see the Eastern question deter
mined on good basis, or, falling that, the
biggest war this generation has seen in
Europe will open in the epring.