Politics & government > Political speeches in Scotland in 1890

IN THE MUSIC HALL, EDINBURGH.
89
ever since it was attached to Eussia, it has enjoyed—what may he
called a legislative independence—not in all things corresponding
with the Home Eule we ask for Ireland—but still it has been a
system of great freedom, great liberty, which has given complete
satisfaction in Finland, and has made Finland most loyally attached
to Eussia. A powerful party in that country, whom I consider to
be the first cousins of the Tories and Dissentients in this country—
a powerful party in that country is endeavouring to put down the
independence of Finland, and to cause Finland to be governed from
St. Petersburg, just as Ireland is governed from London. Gentlemen,
I heartily wish ill to all such schemes.
Turkey.
But there is a sorer subject still, and that is the state of Turkey.
The state of Turkey, I fear, with regard to what remains of Turkey
in Europe, and with regard to parts, at least, of Turkey in Asia, and
especially to Armenia, seems to grow more and more hopeless. We
are not perfectly informed as to details. I am not going to censure
Lord Salisbury, because I can well conceive that his power in this
matter is much behind his will. We are not going to censure them,
but there cannot be a doubt that the Government of Armenia, the
government of our fellow-Christians in Armenia—and, if they are
not fellow-Christians, they are our fellow-men, which would be just
the same—the Government of Armenia is marked with oppression,
with plunder, with violation of women, with reckless disregard
of life as well as of liberty, and is more and more sealing what
will at some time perhaps be recognised to be the doom of what was
once the great and powerful Turkish Empire. I turn for a moment,
gentleman, from that melancholy spectacle, with respect to which it
may become our duty to stimulate the Government, if we can, to
some greater activity—I turn from that to a spectacle of a very
different kind—the spectacle of Bulgaria—of a country once ex¬
hibiting to Europe the most horrible specimen of Avhat cruelty and
reckless inhumanity call accomplish against a people. Now, there
is a joyful and complete reversal of all those painful features. I
have in my hand a letter from a most intelligent friend, who gives
me in a few words—that is, I will only give you a few words of the
account which he gives me of the present state of Bulgaria—com¬
pletely realising all the anticipations that we ventured to hold out at
the time when we were told that it was a monstrous offence against
the balance of power to speak a word for Bulgaria, and that it was
useless to speak of self-government in that country, for they were