CURRENT TOPICS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 396, 23 May 1910, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS

* RUSSIA AND FINLAND. c ! It is impossible not to feel for the 1 weaker people when a struggle lor na- j - tional liberty is being made, and in re- ~ 1 gard to the position of the brave l'inns n in their relation to overpowering Rus- f ' sia it is saddening to observe mat . I Russia intends to crush out national- ( t ism in this subject country. Finland 7 D was annexed by Russia about one nun- , dred years ago but although it became f II a crrand-duchy, its cherished traditions { t and its own institutions were not sen- . v ously interfered with. The people are j a hardy, resolute and law-abiding, but, , i when in 1890 Russia showed a disposi- . tion to cut into their privileges ana to , e interfere with iFnnish autonomy, the 1, handful of people (there are only about t three millions of them) showed fight, at ' least in their antagonism to the threats i 6 of their great master. Up to the pres- ; ! " ent time the grand-duke—and for Russ sia's purposes the Czar is the grand- s i 8 duke—the country has been ruled by a < senate of twenty Finnish members all ' of whom are nominated by the Czar. ' t- There are four chambers in the Diet, t each representing the classes from ipeasLc ants to nobles. The Czar gradually cur •i. tailed the power of this Parliament, out ' six years ago, probably in order to phi- ' f e cate the people who were mutinous, he ie restored autonomy. The news that tho ie Czar now intends to destroy this autonomy, does not of course, mean that 3 " Finland's treasured Parliament will be , ' k abolished, but that Russian laws must ' ie overrule any the Finnish people may ' fa make. The 'Finns, in point of ambition, religion and habits, are antithetical to '° Russians., whom they regard very nntnr•d ally as enemies to their progress ?- and freedom. Finland has enjoyed in It a very marked degree many of the in- , stitutions that British people pride ' r themselves on. Russian laws mean miliio tary domination, the suppression of the is press, the control of the liquor trade by lj_ the Russian Government (which makes countless millions in the Empire by its le monopoly of vodka), interference with ie the Lutheran religion, and constant and is irritating police espionage. And the Finns have no more chance of fighting . Russia than a sprat has of killing a " whale. 30 ry TURKEY AND CRETE. be There are fewer than half a million IS . people in Crete, but they are a turbulent lot, and they rule their own island or although they are under Turkish suzer--3y ainty. The chief characteristic of the M [Cretan is that he is a liar of large; .._ magnitude, so that where a subject race a " differs so little in its chief charactera" istics to those of its masters, complicacy tions are bound to ensue. The Cretans! in a few years ago proclaimed their unton , with Greece, but, warned by the four| y protecting Powers (Britain, France, Italy! u " and Russia), neither country took anyi n- steps to give. Crete representation in the in Greek Parliament. All officials in the , island, however, swore allegiance to the _ King of Greece. All four Powers named id garrisoned the island, but withdrew, pa-' ly trollimg the waters with warships, unly der their promise to protect the Moslem islanders and to safeguard the rights of m i the Ottoman Empire. As soon as the id troops were withdrawn the hotheaded re Cretans at once raised the Greek flag. j e This created immense anger in Turkey, ' and it is seen by late cables that the in anger has not been allowed to die down, :>n ' the Cretans having sworn allegiance to al .the' King of the Hellenes and having ex,r. j eluded Mahommedan members from the ; Cretan Assembly. The Turks are as n " I hotheaded as their subjects the Cretans, Ip-'iand by a cablegram published this morn>r. j ing, it is seen that there is a disposi,j tion to oust Cretans from Crete, the y legal position being that Crete is Turkae ish territory, and the Cretes inurgents.' he The four protecting Powers have intiir. mated to Crete that it may be unpleasant for them if they do not allow Ma-' * hommedam members to sit in the As°d sembly, this probably meaning that the es Powers which are bound to protect the s t interests of the lOotoman Empire will not interfere with any punitive act on ve the part of Turkey. It is hardly to be !X- expected that Cretans should love the , m rule of Turkey seeing that the majority ot of the islanders are of pure Greek descent, and that they have always gladlv, ne seized any opportunity for rebellion and nd fighting. They rebelled furiously in y, 1897, and this led to the expulsion of, all Turkish officials and the establish- '■ ment of an autonomy under Turkish f e " suzerainty, with King George of Greece et as Commissioner. If the 50000 odd Mo-] jy hammedans in Crete cannot get repre-j , sentations, and Crete refuses to listen < J to the voices or Turkey and the four! lt " great Powers, some of the methods of iw subjugation that began in Crete B.C. ; n 65 will probably be used again. ae '