Current:

Leader (1850-1860), 20th January 1855, Edition 1 of 2, Page 54

Page 54
Page 6
6 of 24

On this page

  • Text (1)

      Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

    • Untitled Article

      Untitled Article

  • Transcript

    • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

      Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

      Untitled Article

      BSsstrSSSsw | g £ g@ ^ Ktl war nierely % ? defence of right * be * au *** hat would iv ^ w ^ t to prmciple- ^^ we are . to go to war ^ SS tbere % a quarrel ^ anywh ^^ taka tfiM site which we believe to be . right . C" Nat *) . THE TURKS AKD TEHB MWJ 11 SH . WIiy what is the constant complaint we hear universally : that the Greek Christians are all opposed to the , Migmt ? We have been obliged to remove them from Balaklava , they were so hostile to the English ; . and even the Greeks in England have been so much opposed to the Eiiglish thAt they have been warned to be more capful' as to the expression of their sympathies with Russfe . Now , I want you to deal with this as an element in this case . We shall have this question before usfdr years to come , and I wish you to bear in mind that this will form a most difficult element in the settlement of it . You , are dealing with a question in which yo ^ haye a Government representing only a small nwn < M * ty , of the people . You have the Christian , papulartie © , ©* 'Turkey opposed to you in tbi& matter , and ; you ane > trammelled and . impeded in your operations ia the war because you get no assistance from , the populations .. Even in the Crimea—where there are a great number of Christian * resident—you get no information from thara ^ and they are the onlv intelligent people in the EaefcnandOheace it arises that at this moment your generate iai coannand hardly know the names of the generals opposed ; to- them , and nothing as to the number of the troops , they have to encounter . You cannot deal with Tustey , because when you have dealt with Russia lien will come up the internal divisions of Turkey ; and now-I * & » -wM you be able to settle them ? The proposition of ouD Government is this—that instead of letting Russia interfere to protect the Christians of Turkey , the fire Groat Powoer * shall ' together interfere for their protection ; but it appears to me that this involves the same princiffe (" -iVo , naV ) The Emperor of Russia , no doubt witk sinister objects in > view , and to serve his own purposes » entered upon this aggression . ( Cheeatv . y _^ But byj-qik adapting : the saaae principle that she has done you gfc . vajy far to justify , in the eyes of the world , the coues * she has been- pursuing . And mind , 1 do not uraqb , like the position we have occupied , because we deaLpaJjy . with . Gavernmentsv and we never look to the people ^ 7 ' Iff& . do JU ) t aiBow au . y uKterferenee 1 with ; a country where the abject is to . benefit a majority of the poporlatipa against a Government , however bad . We do not intermeddle with cases like that where you have interfei ^ qa to prop up . a badV Government , as in the case of thfl , J ? z « ttch- troops at Rome , and the Russians in Hungary—where , in short , it is to put down a people and nob to . aid them against their governments . There may be- peUey in all this , but , in my opinion , it tends to withdraw this question from the category of justice in which it has been placed ^ Much might be said upon this , aspect of the question- Will ray friends here hold o u * i « yea , that .-we ^ a re going to . do _ the same thing , which we are fighting against the Emperor of Russia for doing ? Mr . Oobden then , at some length , criticised the conduct of the Government with regard to the war , alii of which he considered grossly mismanaged . R # A 8 OSJ » yo » yJBAOB . Now , ia there no reason to suppose that there is a possibility of effecting a safe and honourable peace ? Is there- not ground * br supposing that , at the present mo-. men * , the- Governments of Europe have approximated by theto negotiations to such a state of things as may render it possible to arrange the terms- of an honourable peace ? And now I would address a word to my friends behind- me . They propose , I believe , to submit to this meeting'a resolution calling for the vigorous prosecution of the war . ( ' *¦ Hear , "' and cheers . ' ) I have , told you frankfn that it" the war is to be carried on ft must be canted on in a very different spirit , an <| on a very different Male flrom what it has hitherto been , but I woulft put It to my friends around mo , and I put . it to this meetings 09 representing so Important a community , whether yon may not be throwing an obstacle in the . patk- at peace-r-whethor you may not be frustrating the- ' objects which the Government may now hove in view in order to © fleet a peace—by passing in , the midst of this important constituency such a resolution as I underatand nae been prepared ? ( Loud and general cribs of ' " JVb , no / " } My own impression , drawn from those public- « oiurces"df" ! nfcnrmation which are open to us all ' , is that attempts are now'being made—which are not unHkory to P ^ roro sucoeasful 1 , if they are not thwarted by the public opfofcor of this country— -to arri v * at on honourable pMoe * 'and 1 ask : you and my friends behind mo , to co—tdw molt before yon say or do ono single thing that cftwtij * poseibiHty Impede the progress of those paciflo nogo « latlM » : JP » w » ' remaritu wero followed by on . eloquent dascrifltioi * ofthe nufl ^ rlii ^ endured by the British force larop ; qrttn . ea , &nd , tar « m appeolmroiiMt taking

      aebwtaii wUit da * fldfulilosa a £ lifcfc msjsaljr " -tar the THE POEICY OF EWGI-ANT ) AMD KTTSSrA TDEKTWAU You have heard of Russia's having taken territories from various countries ? Now * X will undertake to aay ; ifcat -for every square mile of territory that Russia , haa taken , from any power by fiwee of atfna during the last i' 50- years we have taken five ^ I am glad , to see you hear the statement with so much good humour ,, foe we should have gone very far towards , despotism , in thia country if a man was not listened to because he spoke the conscientious truth . We are told , moreover , that Russia has been encroaching latterly upon tha Turkisn empire—that is to say , the present Czar has had a very with what not his own

      strong disposition- to meddle was . ( Laughter . ) Now it is a singular fact , but a fact notwithstairfnig , that during the present Czar ' s lifetime he has not taken a slice of territory from Turkey , but one of the nartiea engaged in tbis . war forthe assertion , of justice has token a very large slice of tie Turkish empke during th& lifetime of the Czar . We know that in 1830 France seiaed upon Alters , and has kept it ever since . We know that Algiers was a Mahomedan dependency of Turkey ,, and I believe up to this moment England- hask naver wcognised the right of France to Algiers by sending consuls there ,, sim ^ because the British Gdveunnfteno did not like-to offend Turkey by recognising the appropriation : of her territory , (" ifear" and a laugh . ) I know what my friend Mr . Baines wi 31 say- He will tell you to talk in

      that it fa all very well fee Mr . Cobden . thi& way ,, but that two blacks , do mot make one white . Let me remind Mr . Baines that I set out with the position taken by some persons , that we were the judges and that the Gfcar was the criminal , and that we were doing ; justice in the interest of all Europe and of the whole civilised : world . I think before we mount the judgment-seat it is necessary that we should have Clean hands . I do not think a judge who was known himself to be given to pilfering as much as the culprit in the dock would be very likely to be sustained on the judgment-seat by p « Wie opinion , or that he would be allowed to exercise the- functions of a j . udge for a single day after his deUaqufincy , was- discovered ^ £ A laugli . ) That is . the predieasmeat in wluch we place ourrselves when w& come to this argument of justice . We

      ase taking a position : in which ; the world does not recognise us . Be assured , geatlefneu of the West Riding that however complacently- we may lay our hands upon our hearts , and thank Hea-yegL we are not as other men who invade and annex their neighbours'territory , other nations , recollecting that we have possessed ourselves in India during the last 15 iQ years of the territory of _ a Mahomedan sovereign—the Great Mogul—containing a population of 100 ^ 00 , 000 or 150 ^ , 000—remembering what we have done with the Dutch at the Ca ^ e , and with , everybody else- somewhere or other- — { great

      laughter )— -yvidl not regard us as the disinterested , . just , and perfectly immaculate people we allege ourselves to be . They believe we- ase just another Russia in that respectjust another Russia , nothing better , nothing worse ; we have taken territory wherever we thought it was worth having , and the parties who held it were not sufficiently strong to . prevent on * - taking it . Now , what is the con-__ . ____ . ^ ... ^^^ . g ^^^ j ^ . ^^ -- ^^^ - ^^ . ^ - ^ -- ^ . . ™ - knowledge our Afttbacity act a judge , but that the rest of the world dew net acknowledge it . That ia our anomalous position .

      Mr . Cobden then reviewed the aspecfe of other coraatriea with regard to the war , and remarked that as they were neutral they did oot , at alt events , agree with us . He then adverted to his ( Mr . Cobden ' s > former triumphs of unpopularity , his opinion against the anticipated French invasion three years ago , and his advice on the Don Pacifleo affair . These , and othee osuesy . made him most unpopular , but he was inrtcariably right in tho end .

      MINISTERS AND THE CffAR—PEACE . Wb . 00 tliO : secret confovence was going on at St . Petersburg between Sir H . Seymoui * and tbe C « ar , Lord John Russell was Foreign Minister foe a few months , and knowing * as he did , tho , proposition made by tiho Czar about the " sick wan , " he thua wrote toSw EL S « y ~ mQur : — ' Upo » the whoto ,. her MJ ^ eaty ' a Goveiument are persuaded that no course of policy can be adopted more wise , more disuifcerested , more bcttqiiqiuli to . Eujwpo than that which his . Imperial Majesty bos so long followed , and which will render his namo more illustrious thani that of the most famous sovereigns , who have sought immortality by unprovoked conquest and

      ephemeral glory . " That is the way Loud- J . Russell spoke of the C « or on the 9 th . of February , 1868 , less tban twoyeaw ago » after the socret and qlottdestuw proposition made to Sis H . Seymour as to whether wo should Ww to go shores for tho goods oX " the siukman ,, " Lord . Clarendon followed Loxd John Rusa ^ ll ; and h » w ; do «« h » speak after ho knows of this proposition o £ tho Czar , who ia now looked upon as the very iiwarnation and « mbodim ^ ai : of ovory thing wicked ? UCo says , — " Thd gouerous confldonqe exhibited by the Emperor "— -that is , ' the generous oonfldcuca witli whioh lie whupered "tha Sultan is going to die , will you go snacks with mo ?"—( gneat laughter)— " tho genew > u « confldonaa e ^ Wbitod hy tUo Exnuoror cytUitloa lua Jftmrarial Majesty to tlwmoat

      coidiaL d « alanttion of opinion «* tie pantofier . Majasty ' s GfiveranwBt , -who are rally aware , tbat in &a- * temk « f any vadtustmadmg with reference ta « totw » j » ntfat _ gencfesiiemg expedient , or ^ indeed , possibly the word of hornImperisL'Majesty would b * preftw » Mfe < t © at *^ con * TanJdoo ^ ai cfliiM ' be frafBfldT That is yote o ^ itiibn of the Czar as > ea ^ ressed ; by your Foreign Miafcter less than two years ago—mind , after tha aupprewSfcfc j 9 f lie PoKak Devolution , with aH its horrona , in ; 18 * 0—after- the suppresaion of the nationality of Cracow , an * after the invasion of Hungary— -after all these things , and after the Emperor had been nearly thirty years on the throne , this is the way he is spoken of by our Foreign Minister . Now what revolts me is the subsequent conduct of these men ^

      and that of J-ord John Russell ia particular , who has made speeches greatly calculated to rouse the war-epirit hi this country . I do not stand here for the Czar , because there can hardly be conceived ) two men on the face of the-earth ; who can so little sympathise with each other ; I regard him as a man of towering intellectual capacity , buit the very incarnation of physical force . i " Keep him bock : ' ) Keep , him back ! That brings me again to . tfee question , how will you keep back a power like thrit ? I am afraid the very course you have taken ia going to Sebastopol will' have the effect , wMch I will deeply reguet , of raising the prestige of the power of Russia ; in the eyes o £ all barbarous countries . ( " No , ao . " ) It will be said , notwithstanding the AJma and

      Inkernaan , that England and France came to invade Russia , but that she was more than a match- for them both . This arises ficom the Doistsfee of having-gone-there at alL . If you want tofigkt a nation or an itKBriduar , do not go w-heare you give ikem tenfold advantage ; rather go whereyou will meet them on equal terms . The language I have al-ways held is , that for purposes of aggression Bfissia is weak because she his poor ; but for the purpose of defence look at the Napoleon example . He lentered Moscow on the 14 & of September , 1812 . You embarked for the Crimea on the 14 th of September , 1854 and the mistake in both cases consisted in going

      , to seek the enemy among his owa impregnable fastnesses . Here is the opinion given by Lord Pahneraton on this subject : " There never has been a great state , whose power for external aggression has been more overrated than . Russia , She may be impregnable within her own boundaries ,. buL she ia nearly powerless for all purposes of offence . " Now , I hope , my dear friend , Mr . Baines , will not try to frighten us by telling what Russia is going to do provided we let nim take possession of-Turkey . I don't think it WQuM be ^ so easy a thing to take possesaioa of Turkey-- 'aQ difficult does Russia find it to move from homeiat ali . - Now ,

      I know my friend ' s argument _ exactly . -He ls . gping tq say , that if you allow Russia to take Turkey , then she will become so powerful , having possession of jsucli rich territories , that she will next come and take other neighbouring countries , and take possession of England also . That is the argument by witch we were recommended to go to war with Russia . Now Turkey is a . comitry that ha&been most barbarously misgoverned for the last 400 years , and it has been brought to a state that I cannot describe better than in the words of Lo . rd Carlisle , your late worthy representative ,, who hasjust Jbeen , ntTuckey ,, . „ . He _ S . ays ^ ; -. 'iBut wUeftyou

      leave the partial splendours of the capital and the great , state establishments , what is it you find over the broad surface of a land which nature and climate have favoured beyond all others , once the hom ^ . pf all art and all civilisation ? Look . yourself—ask tlv » se- who live there : deserted villages , uncultivated plains , banditti-haunted mountains , torpid laws , a corrupt administration , a disappearing people . " With respect to Russia taking possession of . neighbouring countries , I should like ; to , know how long it wiH be before , that Power could caasftuct the . roads and bridges necessary to enable it ; to . cross tha morasses and deserts that lie between it and the nations

      of Western Europe . It takes about seven , years to restore a farm to fertility thai has been left neglected ^ and I believe it would toko a century at least to cuable Russia to make any progress in such a direction as we are told it is likely to take . At all events , I cortainly do not like to continue thia horrid war , to avert dangers that , are not greater than the war itself . ( " O / t , oh I" ) Wo have got into the war now- It has carried desolation into your homes , from the palace to tho cottage , and could you have had much worse if all that my friend may state could possibly happen ? Seeing , then , that there , ia a prospect of peace , all I ask you to do is not to commit yourselves

      to the passing of any resolutions whatever . ( " No , no . ) I thank you for your kindness in having bo long listened to mo on this occasion , ospecially as I know many of you are adverse to the opinions I have expressed . I am . surrounded by men of all political parties , and I was led to expect great discord , but I never believed that among Yorkshiremen I should not have full freedom to axnims my honest convictions . ( jChoeraC ) . I folt that all they would look for from their representative w « a that ha should bo truthful and sincere in hia statements , and thafa so long as ho was so they would not jpcudge him thu ti » m ho had occupied in stating his opinions . ( Ch&era ^ Mr . J . G . Marshall tlion moved the folfowibgr res * - lution , wbioli was seconded by Mr Boiues mid supported by . Mr . Milnos .

      Untitled Article

      tBEJ * W B » ; £ gATPB » a . g 5 ,

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 20, 1855, page 54, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2074/page/6/