The sun., 1899-06-13
The Struggle for Asia Minor.

Recent news from Constantinople conveys
the impression that the question of the
Near East that has vexed Europe for the
best part Of the century is again coming
to the front Since the Armenian massa-
cres OF 1895 and 1896 the elements OF
disorder then let loose in Turkey have re-
mained unchecked, and reports arriving
daily at Constantinople are said to show
that the social, economic and administra-
tive condition Of the whole of Asia Minor is
worse than ever. No hope appears to be
entertained that any change for the better
can come under Turkish rule, and the di-
rect inference Is that foreign intervention
in some form Is necessary, and must come
soon at that II the country is to be saved
from the worst consequences OF the anarchy
now prevailing.
The Sultan himself Is fully alive to the
dangers Of the situation, but he is power
less to control it, and awaits with the
liveliest apprehension the result Of the
return Of the Armenian refugees from the
Russian Trans-Caucasus to their homes,
from which they fled during the time of
terror. AS n precaution he has ordered
preparations for the enlistment of the whole
arm-bcaring population OF the empire,
something undertaken only in view OF a
great national emergency.
Another event has created the liveliest
sensation in political circles in Constanti-
noplc. This is the agreement reached be-
tween the Deutsche Bank OF Berlin and tho
Anglo-French Imperial Ottoman Bank, now
more French than English, to join their
forces for the prolongation OF the Anatoian
railways to the Persian Gulf and in other
directions. In order to prepare the way
for the enterprise, special commission OF
inquiry, at the head of which is the German
Consul-General at Constantinople, is about
to traverse the country to study the
economic conditions Of the Tigrls and
| Euphrates valleys.
The Russian Government found that the
route selected from Svas to Baghdad ran
| too near to the boundaries Of what ia de-
scrbed In German paper as the Russian
| sphere Of interest, but offered no objection
to an alternative line further west and
| south. AS a line from Konieh across the
| Taurus Mountains to Biredjik, on the Fu-
| pirates, presents many and formidable OBJ
stacles, it is thought probable that II middle
| line will be adopted. The Sultan however
would prefer for military reasons the more
| northerly Of she three routes and would like
| n branch to ErZinghiun, the headquarters
Of the Fourth Army Corps, west of Ere
rOum. 1t is for this reason that the Russian
| Government objects to the construction of
! the northern line disturbing, as it would
| lie, to the existing military conditions on
both sides of the frontier in Asia to the
prejudice of Russia.
But Russian interests are not the onlv
ones involved In the proposed extension Of
| the Anatoian railways. The English Smyr-
na-Aidin Railway Company is in danger Of
| being squeezed out by tho Franco-G German
combination, which aims at bringing all the
Anatolian railways into one system Taking
| advantage of the financial embarrassments
of the English line, the German Anatolan
Company made 1t certain proposals favor
able to the debenture and bond holders.
| They, however, were rejected, because tho
control OF the line would have passed out
of the hands OF the English company. The
| FranCo-Gcrman syndicate will now, it Is re-
ported, try to bring the English company
to terms by establishing rate-cuttng
campaign on the rival lines under their con-
trol. In the meantime an application for a
concession to build railway from the
Syrian coast to Baghdad has been made
from London, but ConstantinOpe palace
circles predict that il will not be granted
the German influence being used aGalnstit.
So the struggle for supremacy in Asia