Hawke' Bay Herald. THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 1895. THE PRESENT CRITICAL POSITION.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 10015, 13 June 1895, Page 2

Hawke' Bay Herald. THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 1895. THE PRESENT CRITICAL POSITION.

"ltOLr, up tha map of Europe!" ex■slainied Pitt, uf cur » declHlvo engagement ; and rollr (I up it rcuiiined /or yours, until Ktisula fell foul of thn "Sick Man," and the two foremost powers of Kuronu ranged themselves against the Bear. Then the map wan partially unrolled. Since that,

public opinion has never been able to finally roll it up again. The Franco\ustrlan, the Kusso-Turklsh, and the Franco-German war successively gave the signal for more anxious examination of the map. For no man conld tell what changes might not have to ba marked upon its old surface aa the resnlt of theße international dispute?, where boundary fences might not) have to bn pulled down and re-erected, where new delimitation of frontier might not have to be shown. For the past 23 years at least the world has been uneasy, watching keenly the relatiOQß of the Great Powers and striving to fathom the designs of this and calculate the defensive resources of that State, and to map out tha complications likely to arise from strife. The accumulation of armaments, the silent sullen watchfulness that have prevailed in Europe since the Franco-German war, have been a perpetual menace to .European peace and tranquility. And now the thunder of battle in on unexpected quarter hag just startled the world into a perception of what would take place, in )asß of the general European confldgra** lion which we all somehow feel to be imminent ; and now a little cntl of smoke In the Turkish dominions warns us that there is fire enough to produce a great blaza. In brief, the atrocities in Armenia called forth remonstrances from the Powers, These remonstrances not being effectual, the Powers have unitedly and peremptorily called upon the Porte to stop th< atrocities nnd grant permanent redress and reform to its Armenian people, It was generally expected that the attitude of England and her coadjutors in the matter would bring the Sultan to his knees. This idea, however, has been falsified. The Sultan has refused to comply with the demands. Under these ciroumstances, the next step of the Powers must be to enforce their demands, and thai means a war, the end of which not the wisent student of contemporary history, or of the birds of tbe times, can foreee. The position, therefore, is critical in the extreme. The position is peculiar as well as critical, in the Crimean campaign England and France were the allies of Tut key against Russia. Now England, France, and Russia have fallen into line against Turkey. Tbe position is thus levereed. The mission of England and France la the mission of humanity, with a decided flavor of commercial expediency, acd it probably suitß Russia to join them in the furtherance of her own designs. For the present, and so far as circumstances indicate, all are bent upon a humane and chivalrous purpose. That the purpose is a high and holy one may be seen at a glance. The Kurd soldiery, the most lawless of Mussulman troops too, murderous ond plnnderoua by nature, and intoxicated with the fiery Moslem fanaticism, have been let loose upon tbe defenceless Armenian people, many of whom profess the Christian faith ; and Armenia hae been the scene of atrocities that we shudder to contemplate. Murder of men, women, and children, the grossest violation of women, old, and young, tbe vilest torture cf pregnant women, the burning of homesteads, and the looting of towns, have been the dully record in that un> happy country. No Christian nation could took on piasively at such scenes, Hence tho action just taken by the three Great Powers mentioned, Combined action mast) now follow the Sultan's refusal, lb la easy to forseo and Turkey must go under. She will die hard, bub she must ba obliterated. Nc historian will pity her, Bstwein the blighting Influence of Mohammedanism, and the awful corruption that has beer eating the vitals of the nation for centuries, Turkey, though the home of ar Intrepid and intelligent people, has sunl into a state whioh would be pitiful if il were relieved by any flashes of humane 01 lofty thought] and aotlon, The country has long been a sort of cancer in the com munity of nations. The real danger to the peace of Europe however, will not lie in the combine! attack which will probably be made upoi Turkey. If that is well conducted it wil be of short duration. It is after the firlnj has ceased that the trouble will begin Knowing what Russia's designs bavi always been In regard to Tnrkey, we ma; be sure she will nob relinquish any advan tage which her participation in thi righteous war may give. She will demanc a commanding position In regard to con quered Turkey, the entree of the Bos phorua and the occupation of key posi tlons. These advantages tha othe Powers will assuredly nob consent to hei enjoying, and sides will speedily bi formed, involving probably every Euro pean Power. This affair of Armenii may then be as the appllcatioi of the match to an inflammabli heap. Under these circumstances wi cannot bat regard the position as ex tremely critical, and bbc news of thi next few days will be looked for pernsed, and speculated upon with ab sorbiuß Interest all over the clvilisec world. So far negotiations appear to bi still going on, and ib seems that under thi guns of the allies, the Sultan is beginning to yield. Certain it is that the atrocitlei are not likoly to be repeated' while tin muzzles of those guns are iv such nn pleasant proximity bo tha strongholds o! Turkey, and tha attitude of the Powers remains so determined Tho Porte is hardlj likely to find allies la Enrope though possibly the Austrian and German Emperor* may hesitate to throw their influence in against a brother despot 1 . Any movement of Tnrkey just now in the forbidden direction would suffice to precipitate war and it mast be the universal hope that she will make no such movement.