The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-10-11

1uopdItulell III llllliu 1uu tIuS lOl CHI
barass the postal employees who are
obliged to refuse all information con-
corning mail matter over the phone.
1t would seem that the rocky, al
most harborless shore of Tripoli would
be an uninviting scene for military
conquest. Not only is the shore in
lhospitable, but the land is chiefly
mountains or desert. Nevertheless, it
has been a bone of contention since
long before the birth of Christ. 1t
was on this northern shore of Africa
that the kingdom of Carthage rose to
the height of it's power, meeting its
doom in the ambitious campaign OF
Hannibal against the Romans. Later
| it become roman province and. it
was the union of three Roman cities
which gave to Tripoli its name-Tri-
poll, three cities. The large majority
of it's Inhabitants are Arabs, who yield
but slight allegiance to any govern
ing power. There are faithful Moham-
medans, however, and their fealty is
more to the head of their faith than
to any temporal government. For cen
turtles the Barbary coast, of which
Tripoli is but part, was the home of
the most audacious pirates. Charles
the Fifth of Spain conquered the coun-
try, but the Spaniards held it but a
brief time when it reverted to the
Turks. For many years they held
but nominal control, but later the
north African coast was more direct
ly under Turkish control and was gov
|erned, or rather taxed, by Turkish vice
regents. 1t was the United States
which first broke up the piratical prac.
tees of the buccaneers. Millions for
defense, but not one cent for tribute"
was the ringing reply this country
gave to the demands of the pirates.
The reply was backed by men and
ships and the practice of piracy soon
came to an end. During the last cen
tury by treaty, the north African coast
was divided among the European pow
ers for friendly penetration This
was but guise under which England
gobbled Egypt, France, Algiers, Ger
many Morocco and Austria Herzego-
vina, and now Italy comes in to de-
mand it's "drum-stick" from the dis
membered Turkey in the shape of
Tripoli.
No one can deny the barbarous prac-
tees and the low standards of the
"unspeakable Turks" Nevertheless,
| it would not seem that the so-called
christian nations have set very high
standard. To some of us it would
seem more christian like to let the
Mohammedans live their lives accord
ing to their own standards and their
own customs. Certainly poverty strick-
en-, beggarly Italy has not proven such
a wonderful success in governing it.
| self that it should be encouraged to
extend it's psuedO civilization to an
other land. 1t would seem that Italy
had it's hands full with it's Malta, it's
cholera, its ignorance and its general
delapidation. Not since the partition
of Poland has there been more strik-
| ing example of European greed, un-
less it was shown in the opium war
imposed upon China by England. We
are still far from the days of universal
peace when one nation is allowed to
help itself to the territory of a weak
err nation with no more excuse than
that offered Italy by the Turks.
The war will be a good thing for
Italy in that it will divert the atten-
ton of its people from their internal
woes and inspire a perverted patriot
ism. Perhaps it will be a good thing
from the standpoint of trade and COM
merce and Caucausian civilization for
the Italian is perhaps a shade higher
than the Turk, but it is not an illumi-
mating example of brotherly love or
christian magnanimity and it does not
speak we'll that reign of reason which |
we are told is soon to succeed the |
reign of force.
The great danger from the Europe
an standpoint is that the war is apt |
to spread. There have been so many |
false alarms of wolf, wolf" that we
have commenced to think that there
can be no end to European peace, but
the whole continent is like a powder
The Balkan states are
eager to revolt. All the European
nations are watching each other with