We publish elsewhere an article dealing with the Mace- donian
question, but may mention here that a telegram from its Paris correspondent in Tuesday's Times states that there seems some hope that Russia and Austria at any rate have come to an understanding in regard to the unrest in the remaining portions of Turkey in Europe. If this is so, and if the two Powers chiefly concerned are agreed, there should be no difficulty in getting the other Powers to acquiesce in forcing the Sultan to improve the administration. Unfortu- nately, however, unanimity in the Powers is not always secured because there is no real objection to the course proposed. The temptation to a Power, anxious for various reasons to stand well with the Sultan, to refuse to make the necessary pressure unanimous is very great. The moment the refusal is given the influence of the Power in question becomes supreme at Yildiz. It was by this means that Germany's commanding influence at Constantinople was built up. Let us trust that the Emperor will not insist on maintaining it by similar tactics. Meantime we must never forget that the promise of paper reforms, and, indeed, of general reforms, to cover the whole Empire are useless when made by the Porte. The only hope is in the undertaking of definite and specific reforms in one place at a time. And even these are useless if they are not accompanied by some means of enforcing and maintaining them. The good government of the Lebanon would cease a week after the autonomous powers of the Governor were revoked and he was placed as directly under the Salton, as is, say, the Vali of Damascus.
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