A Cry from Macedonia.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 251, 21 November 1903, Page 4

A Cry from Macedonia.

THB POLICY OF RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA. Dr. E. J. Dillon contributes to the Contemporary Review, under the ■heading of "Foreign Affairs" and the pessimistic sub-heading of "Finis Macedoniau ?" a very gloomy and sardonic account of the state of affairs in the Balkan Peninsula. The gist of his article is that the present insurrection, being purely local, cannot succeed ; and that Russia ami Austria have determined not to interfere, or to let others interfere, but to allow tho q-upstion to bo settled practically by the extermination of the insurgents. When the conspiracy which prefaced the present revolt was being hatched, Russia and Austria warned the Porte, and exhorted it to take time by the forelock. When M. Rostoffsky was murdered, the Russian Government, in spite of the clamour of the Press, refused to take coercive measures, and demanded merely an expiation of the offence. "Aided by the moral sympathy of Catholic Austria and Orthodox Russia, the Shadow of God will, perhaps, ultimately thwart this supreme effort of tho Slav Christians to gain their independence, and will uproot the Christian population as well and then the Macedonian Question, and with it the Near Eastern problem, may be consigned to the archives for a time. To open it up to-day would certainly—say the statesmen who make history there—lead to diplomatic misunderstandings and possibly even to war. And neither Muscovy nor Austria is prepared to run any such risks. Russia's policy is to gain her ends at the green table of diplomacy rather than on the costly field of battle. And what she has accomplished in the case of Manchuria she can certainly effect in Macedonia. In a few years Austria's position may—nay, must —change/and with it her ability to make good her present exorbitant claims to a share in the heritage of the Sultan. The lion's share will then fall to Russia, whose only rivals will be the helpless little States of the Balkans, whom she can feed with line words. Austria is even far less prepared for international unpleasantness than her northern neighbour. Her present internal ailments are as much as she can possibly bear, and even they may yet bring aljout disastrous consequences without any diplomatic troubles or armed intervention in the Balkans. Sleeping dogs had, therefore, best be left undisturbed. t!onsequently, come what may, the two Christian powers are determined to keep the peace, and guarantee perfect liberty to the Turk to deal with the Christian in his own traditional manner. Hence the murder of all the Muscovite Consuls in Macedonia would not cause the Czar to swerve one hair's breadth from the policy of interest which his advisers have drawn up, just as the massacre of all the Christians would not move Catholic Austria to raise a finger against the Ottoman Empire." Russia and Austria, says Dr. Dillon, are morally responsible for the present bloodshed. The only question is : How can their political interests be most effectually furthered? That problem solved, Christianity and humanity may be safely left to take care of themselves. Austria has now arranged with Rouinania that a portion of the latter's army is to be held ready to neutralise a considerable portion of the Bulgarian forces in case Bulgaria should interfere. And, in short, Consuls may be murmurdered, Christians massacred, and risings organised until the Christian population is thinned ; but the status quo in the Balkan Peninsula will not be changed this year. A MITIGATION IN MASSACRE. After which Dr. Dillon proceeds ironically to show how, although massacre may bo encouraged by the Christian Powers, they could by a slight sacrifice prevent some of its attendant horrors. He refers, of course, to the outrages on women and girls. The Porte, he says, wants only £IO,OOO to feed its own troops; not having this money, it quarters them on the Christians, and the soldiers, as usual, subject the women to bestial indignities. By all means, says Dr. Dillon, let the massacring go on ; massacre even the women, but spare them worse ; it will cost only a trifle to the two Great Powers :

"In qrder to sensibly lessen the number of these abominations all that is newied is that a certain sum of money be regularly advanced lo the Sublime Porte, for the sake of humanity, Christianity, or prestige of the two Christian Powers, whose vital interests are bound up with the success of the Turkish army. If, then, Austria and Russia between them agreed to make good the daily deficiency in the 10,000 Turkish pounds, many a Macedonian maiden anil wife would receive the bullet the dagger, or the lash of the Moslem with a blessing on her lips for the unseen but chivalrous Christian States which had sacrificed a portion of their revenues to save lii-r from dishonour. The cost of the ransom of these unfortunate human beings would be trivial when one reflects on the enormous budgetß of the two great Empires ; but if ihe Governments, from motives of strict economy, hesitate to allot the needful funds, would it not be advisable at least to allow public subscriptions to be opened by parish priests throughout the two countries, and thus, besides rescuing woinwi a/id children from tortures worse than death, to shod a certain decree, of lustre cm their respective Churches which have for a long time past been vainly longing for an opportunity of distinguishing themselves in the cause of hiimani'•}•, moraiit.v or religion ?" . . ' *" ' '