The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-12

break-up of Turkey and the delimina-
 tion of spheres of influence which will gradually talks place
 It has seemed plain to me for years and has been pointed out by me frequent | " in journals and books, that the aim | of Germany has been long to run Asi- attic Turkey as England managed Egypt | under Lord Cromer (though she has
 now almost ceased to aim at doing sol, | It Is a big purpose, by no means easy to
 achieve. The Turks still possess a re-
 serve of patient, stubborn persistence
 and endurance, which means. power. l Other races in Turkey possess alertness,
 vivacity, and aspirations, which might
 under skilfu administration, have been combined with the steadfact patience of | the Turk. For time 1t almost seemed 1 that the Young Turks might achieve the | combinations. So long as there was a
 possibility of Young Turk success, Ger
 many aimed at, and succeeded in, making | herself favored power.
 have never doubted that German counsel quietly and secretly contributed | materially to the success of the Young Turk march on Constantinople and the | second revolution in April 1909; whereas | Englishman statesmanship was managed dS to piOuuce iHe Impression on lurkS and on the people of many other nation alities in Constantlnople that we desired | to see the failure of the Young Turks and that the impression still remains strong in spite of disclaimers and pro- fessions. The permanent success of the Young Turks would have prevented the | realization of the German purpose to
 manage and control Asiatic Turkey. Ger
 manophobes will soon begin to declare fnrac fI,a fof1 f1,,- O. 1,
 Young Turks, and counseled them
 with the intention of ensuring their fail ure. For my own part I am simple and credulous enough to believe that Germany was perfectly ready to wait and to let the Young Turks have a fair chance of success, and to aid them so | long as they had any chance, only aim ing at being recognized by them as their friend Gas she really was).
 Now, when it becomes clear that they cannot succeed. Germany is proceeding to develop her plans regardless of Turkish feelings. There will doubtless be. and have probably already been. diplomatic explanations that the making of Russo-German arrangement regarding future railways in Turkey without so much as saying to the Turks: By your leave,' means no discourtesy to Turkey. and implied no dlliminution of Sphere
 
 Turks know what has happened It has at last been shown them that Germany is their part heir, heir over all the dis- tricts controlled by the Anatolian An goro and Bagdad railways, leaving to Russian influence and inheritance all Turkish territory to the northeast and east of those districts He who owns the railways controls the region served by them. That is an elementary princl- pie of modern social development The present possessor does not at least fin the Orient. love his heir it has been the rule in Asia and Turkey that the sovereign hates and fears his heir
 The new Russo-G German agreement seems in essence to be the same as what
 was long ago agreed upon. When the German railway was reaching Angora, about 1S95 Russia claimed the right to control railway development further east in that direction. Germany yielded to this claim and sought new line of develop ment by way of Konia and Adam, which has been in process of construction by stages ever since. Tie new agreement
 ratified the old one; but 1t is mortify- ing to the present Turkish government to find that it has made no progress to-
 wards being consulted or humored in the
 matter, but is simply set aside as no
 account. Abdul-Hamid had some part
 to play in the old bargain. but the
 Young Turks played no part in the new
 ratification of that old bargain.
 The impression produced on the Turks in Constantinople--the rest do not count by this agreement has therefore been very deep, however, 1t may be mln- imised by the Turkish press, which Is strongly Germanophile. The impression
 was intensified by the contrary tide of previous feeling. England was at heart loved by the Turkish people as their friend and as the enemy of Russia and helper of Turkey against Russia. The press of Constantinople has for a good while been dinning into the popular ear that the entante between Russia and
 England was clear proof that England had abandoned Turkey and joined the enemy of Turkey. The Anglo-Russian agreement as to spheres of influence in Persia was declared to prove the change in English policy, and to be a step eo- wards the occupation and partition of
 Eastern Turkish territory adjoining Per sia, viz. Mesopotamia.
 Then came the question of the loan When France refused to grant the loan to Turkey it was matter of public
 knowledge that an English financial com
 pany was ready to give it and was for bidden by our foreign office to do so ; that is, was advised not to do so. Out siders don't know the exact form of the r prohibition, but all the world knows the essential facts. Then Germany made the loan, and was hailed the only friend of Turkey against the Anglo Fran co-Russian entante. which was bent on di- | viding up Turkey as 1t had done Persia. | In all this there Is the underlying and | certain fact that England claims 10 control the Persian gulf. and that much | of the gulf coast belongs to Turkey.
 And now. after all this ralk in the press | and the society of Constantinople. it turns out that the first overt step toward | the division of Eastern Turkey is made,
 not by the Anglo-Russian entante, but | by the Russo-German agreement. That
 is only the first step, but others will be
 made as the time passes and matters | rinen