Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-24
BALKANS A POWDER MILL
Slightest Spark Likely to Cause Ter
rife Explosion.
YOUNG TURKS IN TROUBLE
Brought on War With Italy and
Now Do Not Dare Accept Pro-
posals for Peace.
Foreign Correspondence Of The Star.

LONDON, October 16. 1911.
The Daily Telegraph's Vienna corre-
spondent says that whether Italy, by I'M
duly extending her military operations,
VIII. Willingly or unwittingly. kindle
tremendous confiagration in the Balkan
peninsula is the burning question which
preOccupies the leading European states
men. They are anxious about Albania.
wrathfu1 about Persia. apprehensive of
what may happen in Smyrna or Saloniki.
They see the door thrown wide open by
the Marquis di San Giuliano to lot of
chance occurrences any one of which
may eliminate in irremediable disaster.
An outburst. for example. against Ital-
ians in any Turkish vilayet. accompanied.
as it probably would be, by deeds of vio-
lence and brutality against defenseless
Italian women, would thwart in a twink
ling the best-laid schemes Of diplomacy
to put an end to the hOsitlities and re-es-
tabl.sh peace The Italian fleet might re-
talate by dispatching warships against
Saloniki or Smyrna. and il Is not impossi-
bic that Austria would tolerate reprisals
up to a certain point. But she would GER
t. Albania
Zeal Danger Elsewhere.
None OF these contingencies. however.
is probable. The real danger turks else
where. The Balkan bowlder was set roll
ing when Italy declared war against Tur-
key, and 1t may well prove to be the
nucleus of destructive avalanche. All
that one can at present do Is to wait and
observe what effects are produced by Il
cause which cannot now be rendered mop
erative. That cause may subyert the TURK
ish empire and bring about that hope
less chaos for which the great powers
have for decades been eagerly waiting
and laboriously preparing, but which. for
some among them, would be most mop
perfume today.
The new grand yizier. whatever his po-
litical leanings may be, is the nominee of
the committee of union and progress, and
the committee IS become Superlatively
unpopular in the country It's name is
Ottoman empire, the expulsion of the
Turkish race from Africa and the humtl-
iat ton of the Moslem religion in the eyes
of the world. However open Italy's re-
cent procedure may be to incisive criti-
cism. it cannot be gainsaid that it was
the Turkish committee OF union and prog
ress which gratuitously furnished the
handle for the AK with which the Italians
are uprOOtng Ottoman rule i'll the most
Mohammedan of the Moslem vilayets.
Regarded as a Crime.
And all political Turkey regards this
notorious fact as a crime. and is making
ready to chastise those who are RESPONSE
BILE for it. Austria. whose relations to-
ward Italy. under Count AehrenthaIs
concfliatory government. had become more
cordial than at any time since the crea-
ton of the triple alliance. displayed her
friendship for her ally and also for Tur-
key by earnestly advising the porte to
abandon a policy of chicanefy against
~,
the porte was made aware of the baleful
consequences which persistence in
policy of Insult and injury would sooner
or later engender. The sultan'S ministers,
mittee of union and progress turned
deaf car to these friendly representations
and salutary admonitions.
And now the prophecy of evil has come
true. The committee and its friends. hav-
ing soWn the wind, must reap the whirl
wind. Peace must he concluded by their
nominees under their direction. No other
party will consent to sign away the most
orthodox vilayet in the Ottoman empire.
Impossible Peace Terms.
Painfully aware of this appalling neces-
sfty. the Young Turks are moving the
powers to obtain peace on terms which
would corcede the actual possession and
administration Of Tripoli to Italy. but re-
serve the nominal sovereignty to the sui
tan. Now. no Italian government would.
or could. conclude peace on this condition.
. They and all Europe know too we'll
what significance is attached in Turkey
even to the fiimsiest simulacrum of SOW
ereignty left to the sultan. They have
not forgotten Bosnia. which. although
Austrian for thirty years. was still re-
garded as Turkish province when
Count Aehrenthal translating palpable
facts into plain language, declared it to
be an integral part OF the dual monarchy.
And they also bear wildly in mind the
leechlike tenacity with which Turkey
clings to Crete, from which she has long
been severed. Italy, therefore, at the
present conjuncture. cannot be expected
to assent to any terms but the absolute
annexation of Tripoli.
On the other hand, the Young Turkish
party. whose policy has led directly to
this national disaster, whose opaqueness
and obstnacy disregarded friendly warn
ing and rejected helpful advice. and
whose instinct of self-preservation will
now move 1t to sign away the Moslem
province. can hardly hope to survive. 1t
has played its part But Hamidism has
no serious chances of being ever re-es-
tablished. Unless the party represented
by Col Zadlik Bey in Constaantinople
and by Renal Ismail Bey and Cherif
Pasha in Paris can save the country
from the consequences of the Young Turk
ish blunders. the chaos may become SO
hopeless and intolerable that the foreign
powers must intervene. Then Europe will
be in the throes of that tremendous crisis
which Austria Hungary has been sys-
tematically and perseveringly laboring to
ward off. Therein lies the most formi-
dial bile and imminent danger of the present