New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-10-01


| that any country would provoke a peaceful
nation Ike Turkey TO war. and, never ex-
/ pecting 10 engage IN combat with foreign
enemy. his country did not trouble much
/ about maintaining a large naval force.
/ The acting consul general said that prob
ably many OF the 10000 Ottomans in New
| York city would volunteer their services
/ 70 the Sultan. although no precipitate move
| 70 that end could be discovered In the Otto
man colony In lower West and Washington
| streets.
Greece Will Remain Firm.
Demetrius y. Botassi. Greek Consul Gen.
/ eral, who Is one OF those interested In the
! remote contingencies OF the Turkish
/ Italian conflict. said that the Greeks would
never consent 10 abandon their claim TO
the island OF Crete, as Turkey would have
them do.
Greece" said Mr.. Botassl. will not
| preciptate matters, but will remain hrm.
Ever since Crete came under the pro-
tectorate OF several Of the European pow
| ers Turkey has persisted In laying claim
| to the little island, which has about three
/ hundred thousand inhabitants Greece, on
/ the other hand. having fought Turkey In
/ 1897 over Crete. has consistently main
tanned that Crete IL essentially Greek and
/ within her sphere Of influence. Mr.. Be-
/ tass said
! Greek is the language OF Crete and
/ two hundred and fifty thousand Of its peo-
! pie are practically Greeks. about fifty
/ thousand being Mussulmans. who also
speak Greek Nobody IN Crete wants 10
! disturb the claim OF Greece. and whatever
| IS said against our influence there is due
/ to professional agitators"
Socrates A. Xanthakv, editor OF the
/ Pan Hellenic" and a student OF Euro
/ pean politics, said he believed there was
! danger 70 Turkey in the latter's contem-
| plated invasion Of Thessaly. The editor
expressed the opinion that in the war
/ against Turkey Italy was proceeding with
! the assurance from Germany and Austria
/ that she would have a free hand with
/ regard 10 TrIpon. He said:
1T may seem out Of the question that
| Turkey, with her present trouble. viii seek
/ more trouble. But Turkey has a large
/ army which is useless against Italians in
/ Tripoli. as Turkey cannot get its army
! from Northern Europe. So you see that It
| is not at all impossible that Turkey will
/ try 20 create some more trouble with
/ Greece"
| Mr. Xanthaky said it would not surprise
/ him to see several Of the European nations
embroied in the conflict begun by Turkey
and Italy.
Oscar S. Strauss Views.
/ Prompt mediation between Italy and
/ Turkey 20 prevent the spread OF hoslilites
| and the possible embodiment Of other ma
/ lions was urged yesterday by oscar 3.
/ Straus. former United States Ambassador
! 20 Turkey
/ II fear that tine war" said Mr.. Straus.
/ will not be confined to Trpoi and that It
viii cause uprisings in Turkey and conflicts
! with the Balkan states. In the face Of such
a possibility Il is better that the Offices OF
mediation should be employed now than TO
await such eventualities. which may bring
about conflicts that Will arouse the an
/ tagonism OF the powers not only against
J Turkey but against one another"
rs this war likely % arouse the an
/ tagonisir OF the Turks against all Chris
/ tians. Americans and other Europeans, as
I Well as Italians?" he was asked
/ That is quite possible" said Mr.. straus.,
/ There may be general uprisings Of the
people, and mobs make no discrimination"
Regarding the dangers OF internal strife
I IN Turkey, the former ambassador said
I that while he believed there would be no
/ civil dissensi, ms in the face Of external OPP
/ position the var might eventually weaken
/ the present ~egime Of the Young Turks
| party and bring about state OF anarchy.
with all its attendant evLs.
1.-THE head Of the army. schefket Pachs,"
continued Mr. Straus, sis as ane a soldier
as I ever met He is a man Of great ex-
/ ecutive ability and 2 gallant leader. lie
was head OF the army corps that marched
I from Salonca TO Constanunople and de-
posed the Sultan.
'The Turkish soldier doesn't know what
fear is He can 1--we on less and endure
more than any other soldier IN the world.
He Is an efficient fghung machine. and re-
lgion intensiaes HIS patriotism"
The Turks fatalism. Mr.. StraUs declared.
was a factor in his makeup 10 he reckoned
with in assessing his value az a fighter.
The former ambassador believes that
Turkey would be most willing TO accept
offers OF mediation from this nation.
such an act he said would SIN fur
Their acceutuate the position Of the United
States. which mas taken the leadership In
promoting the world peace
Mr. Straus did not accede TO the view
that this country had no right 10 offer its
services as arbitrator uhul they Ners
asked bv the parties az war. "Our country,
he asserted. els not only perfectly 1usti-
fed 20 Offer It's good offices, but the very
fact that our country is not hampered ny
alliances imposes. as 81 we're that Obliga-
ton upon our government IL should be-
borne IN mind that these good Offices under
the treaty should bee offered by neutral
powers on their own initiative. and that
the exercise OF this right may be either
before or during hosti.lues. The treaty
further SAYS. This right can never be re-
garded bv either Of the parties In the dis
pute as an unfriendly act
Mr. straits declared that unless the ef-
fort OF mediation is made by some Of the
peWers an the good work Of The Hague
conferences Tor which the world had been
so grateful would be undone and efforts
toward International peace would 90 post
pOnpd flI generations
because Turkey hasn't a strong navy.
he said us hat a reason why Italy should
atteck herr II that IS the case no nation
Is any safer from conquest than us power
OF resistance"