Year: 1876

Turkey and Europe.


Lord Derby, the British Secretary of For
eign Affairs, yesterday received two delega-
tions of remonstrants against the Turkish
authorities. He made quantity made
qunte defence of England's position when
he said that the British fleet was sent to
Besika Bay before the outrages were COM
mitted. This everybody knows, for the out
RACES followed the sending that fleet as
effect follows cause, and therefore neces-
sarily came last But it is in policy which
produces such results as this that Lord
Derby intends to persist He has not been
changed in mind or purpose by the Bulga-
rian atrocities. The Ottoman Empire, it is
his belief, must be maintained, and all the
power of England is to be used to maintain
derstanding between the Porte and the
English Ministry it is not surprising
that the peace news from the Turkish
capital has little encouragement in it.
The significant announcement by cable
that the party in favor of imposing severe
conditions on Servia has the ascendancy in
the Turkish Ministry indicates the peril in
the present crisis of European politics. It
is very natural that the party referred to
should at this moment be supreme in Con-
stantinople. This is what was to be expected;
yet it was to be hoped that moderate counsels
would find favor, and that it would be recog-
nized, even in the presence Of Turkish VIC
49, &C. La :ko1 ~
power, and therefore should be to the pre-
tences of those who wish to have no terms
with the Christians but the test Of strength
and determination: But the moral condition
of the Ottoman nation is just now very much
like that of Western people under the in
fuence of great revolutionary impulse He
who in q revolutionary time advises modera-
tion or respect for any other ideas than those
of the dominant party is traitor, and is very
fortunate if he escapes from the mob in the
streets or the guillotine on the public square
For the first time in many generations a
Moslem people has waged successful war
against Christian people in Europe, and
the spirit and inspiration of success in a
holy war has spread wherever fanati-
cism has still any vitality throughout
the dominions of the Sultan. This spirit is
fostered by those who utilize it to force
themselves into places Of power or to beat
down their adversaries and get the control
of the government and that they are now
in the ascendant simply means that revi-
val of Moslemism possesses the Ottoman
people. But when the men who have fos-
tered this spirit come to deal with the
great Powers they will be driven on to ruin
by it In their demands made at Bel
grade or Vienna or St. Petersburg they
must assume the same tone which they
have held at Constantinople in pan
dering to the fanatical fury; other
wise they will 60 down as recreant. He
who had 'the devil behind and the deep
sea before" was in a pleasant place by COM
parison with the position of Turkish Minis
try which is the instrument of the Moslem
spirit, and is driven by the Softas of Con-
stantinople and confronted by the Czar of
Russia. They cannot take a moderate posi-
tion for fear Of the power behind, and if they
take any other they insure war with
Power that will be happy to repay what has
been done in Bulgaria. These views are
illustrated by the telegram which an
nounces that the first condition of peace rs
laid down by the Sultan's Ministers is the
new investiture of Prince Milan as the vas
sal of the Porte. This is intended as the
repeal or withdrawal of that recognition of
the Servian Prince as hereditary reigning
sovereign, in virtue of which Servia had
practically lost the character of Turkish
dependency and had almost taken its posi-
tion as an Independent State. Against this
demand by Turkey the Servian Prince will,
of course, plead the Treaty of Paris. Arti-
Gle 2S of that treaty declares that Servia "is
placed henceforth under the collective
guarantee of the high contracting Powers;
that it will preserve, consequently, its in
dependent administration. The PROPOSE
ton of the Porte is, therefore, in contempt
of that treaty, and this alone would be suf-
fcient to secure its rejection; but it remains
to be seen whether England will follow Lord
Derby's logic to its logical consequences,
and in upholding the Turkish claim pro-
duce the war that is SO much deprecated.


THE CLUB AGAIN.-Policemen use their