Show NEW PROBLEM it now appears that a secret euln understanding e has existed between russia and austria tor for more thin than a year or since the visit of the emperor francis jospeh to st petersburg in april 1897 1807 according to which the balkan states roumania Rou manla nania servia bulgaria montenegro and turkey are divided into spheres of influence over which the two emperors have agreed to maintain peace and the status quo ager A german explains that it Is not a political agreement but merely a state treaty signed by the emperors and countersigned counter signed by the foreign ministers by its terms the balkan peninsula is in divided into two spheres of influence each of which contains 9 an ain inner sphere and a wider one servia eiris belongs to Aus inner sphere and a large part of macedonia falls in her outer sphere bulgaria is Rus sias inner circle and the outer one comprises european turkey east of austras Aus sphere the two emperors it is said have hae agreed that no warlike complications occur in their spheres and that nt agitations affecting turkey and thus dius threatening peace shall emanate from servia or bulgaria to gain this ead each of the two states will intervene in its own sphere with or w previous agreement should friendly intervention prove futile and serela or bulgaria wish to bring on war the state to whose sphere the peace breaker belongs will be entitled to intervene th arms I 1 it if the report may be relied upon that hat such a secret treaty exists exist sIts lie publication at this time may be regarded of the utmost importance it is nothing I 1 less than a notice to europe of the thea al dimate intention of russia and austria to settle the turkish ques question tiow reference to tie the interests of the ilie other powers generally regarded as merd members of the european concert the boiten ostensible we object of the alleged compact to la US at stated to maintain maint kin peace and tb the status quo but it also provides stales t that at to la case of war in the balkan stater it shall be the duty of russia or austria to intervene each in net her 0 own sphere of influence and it can hardly toe be doubted that the result of such intervention will be in the interest of annexation a in one form or another it Is really a secret searf t treaty for the ultimate di division aslon of turkey in great britain the alleged treaty la 18 not looked upon in a favorable light it is believed to be a of the intention of the empera empe roya ars yrs to iscol exclude u tz e england from the settlement of t the eastern question and that c country therefore ther etore is ted by a arloua blobs problem the british government cannot recognize Rue russian elaiR influence e in j but by what means tan can it be prevented from making itself V felt what would be the position of france and germany in a contest between russia and england for supremacy in a sphere of influence comprising constantinople with problems of this thip kind to solve europe undoubtedly will gladly leave to the united states emd spain to settle their little difficulty without undue interference |