Afraid of the “Sick Man.”
Little Macedonia is rebelling against Turkey, and the other powers in Europe are afraid that Turkey will start a war that will involve them all. They do not want to do anything against Macedonia, and they do not want to offend the sultan. Russia and Austria wanted to make some kind of representation to him, but waited till they could secure the assent of the other European powers; and then they mildly asked for certain reforms in his European dependencies that had been formally promised several times before, but which he never intended to carry out, and which he was hardly expected to carry out. It is feared that the sultan, knowing that his European dominion is nearing the end, feels that he is better able to fight it out now than he will be in the future. He has a formidable army, and can make a hard fight for a short time, although he has no navy. The czar has cautioned the Russian newspapers to refrain from publishing articles hostile to Turkey in the Macedonian affair. Of course the czar has designs on Turkey, but he is not ready yet. He doesn’t want any trouble there that will involve trouble with the European powers. And the European powers do not want the sultan driven out till it can be done without detriment to their interests. Since 1840 the Turkish Government has been living on the sufferance of the European governments, which is based on their jealousy and fear of one another—or rather of a general war. The present situation is very precarious, especially as Macedonia is full of fight. The Bulgarian Government is with difficulty keeping down a sentiment of sympathy with Macedonia. Some of these sympathizing revolutionists have had a fight with a Turkish command, and ninety of the latter were killed. In some diplomatic circles it is thought that when the sultan concludes that his efforts to set the European powers at loggerheads are futile, he will precipitate the inevitable conflict.