New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-02-06
THE M|D-EAST
Railway DipIomacy-The Ger.
man Emperor's Coup.
London. January Is.

settle the balance OF power IN Europe,
So much is admitted by alarmst writ
ers. who are following Mr.. Gsrvin',
moderate cue. The Triple Entente re-
mains unimpaired: the relations OF the
Foreign Offices Of St Petersburg. Paris
and London arc as cordial as before. II
the Triple Alliance has gained prestige
through tho German Emperors SUCCESS
In making a working arrangement with
Russia outside the circle Of the Balkan.
nreiudIce has been excited against " IN
Constantinople. where the Ottoman gov
ernment jealousy guards its exclusive
sovereignty over Asia Minor and Meso-
potamia.
The prejudice must be quickly sllayei
| or Germany's influence will be weakened
at Constantnopic, where the interests OF
the Near East and the Middle East
meet: and in that event the Western
powers will derive an advantage from
Potsdam diplomacy. subtle and astute as
+. appears Baron Marshall Won Bic
berstein has promptly disclalmed any
intention Of challenging the dignity OF
Turkey: but it is not probable that the
suspicious Of Rifaat Pacha have been
quickly dspelled.
1t is a long reach from the period
when Lord Beaconsheld looked upon
Germany as the serviceable friend and
upon Russia as the treacherous enemy.
creating strife in Afghanistan and plot
ting against the peace OF India The
anti Russian diplomacy was modified by
the great Lord Salisbury. and the For
eien Offices of London and ST. Peters
burg we're brought together in opposition
TO Turkish misgovernment. After King
Edward had restored cordial relations
between England and France he sue
ceeded in effecting complete recon-
citation with Russia. An agreement
respecting zones Of interest in Persia.
with a neutral belt between them, was
the satisfactory outcome Of this AMIGA
bic diplomacy.
When the Turkish revolution occurred
and the annexation OF Bosnia and
HERZEGOVINA followed the declaration OF
Bulgarian independence. Sir Edward
Grey supported Russia with disinterest-
Cd loyalty Owing 10 the menacing in
tervention Of Germany at the critical
moment. Russia. exhausted by her in
glorious war with Japan, acquiesced in
the triumph of Count Aehrenthal in the
Balkans There is no evidence II SINH
lar pressure in this new instance; but
II seems 10 be true that Russia has al
lowed Germany to guarantee her secu-
rity in Il sphere of influence conceded
to her by England in Northern Persia.
The alarmsts assert that Germany has
received in return a Russian guarantee
of free hand in Asia Minor. Clearly
that is an exaggeration, since the new
agreement relates exclusively TO railway
construction and the linking of the Ger
man and Russian systems in Persian
territory. The missing link between
Bagdad and Khanikin Is left in the air
and cannot be supplied without the con-
sent Of the Ottoman government Turk
ish acquiescence will probably he OBJ
tanned in due time. especially as Russia
has the exclusive right to construct new
lines in Northern Asia Minor outside the
Bagdad concession; and yet neither Ger
many nor any other power can be prop
erly said to have a free hand in the
Sultan's dominions. 1t would be more
accurate TO state that Germany. by vir-
tue Of the agreement with Russia, has
gained an advantageous position for
forcing the Western powers TO make
fresh deals with her. The Bagdad line
and other projects are likely TO be taken
up energetically and to become promi-
nent in European diplomacy. The Ger
ran Russian agreement marks the be-
ginning of a diplomatic tangle which
may not be completely unravelled for
many years.
The Bagdad railway was originally
projected by General Chesney. an OPP
timistic Englishman, who wrote a book
about it, but failed to interest either
statesmen or financiers in what seemed
a visionary undertaking for uniting Con.
stantinople with the Persian Gulf and
opening n short route TO India Abdul
Hamid, in order TO crafty the German
Emperor's vanity. granted a concession
10 a syndicate financed by the Deutsche
Bank British capital was invited, but
was not drawn In. owing 10 the failure
of negotiations conducted by Lord
Lansdowne for the control Of the enter.
prise With a nominal capital OF t6Oo,-
600 and with a guarantee Of annual IN
terest payments by the Turkish govern
ment on every mile actually completed
the project Of extending the railway sys-
tenn fourteen hundred miles from konia
to Koweit at an estimated cost OF tlZ,-
600 600 has been undertaken. A single
section of one hundred and fifty miles
has been finished as far as the Taurus
Mountains. Basdad itself is long way
off, with Khanikin on its fank-the
starting point for the loop with the inn
aginary Russian lines from the CASPIAN
The Potsdam agreement is friendly
arrangement by which Russia and Ger
many allow each other free hand IN
their projects of railway construction IN
the Middle East Whenever the German
engineers reach the Persian frontier
from Bagdad, the Russian contractors
are to have exclusive control Of the ex-
,anelo,, Of tho limo IA 'rpheran IL Is a
sensible compact. by which controvers!
and pickering will be avoided in the
fttt