The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-09-22
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New Turkey Offers Rare opportuni-
ties for American Capital-A Use
Of the Flag That Does Not Rebound
to Honor Of Country.
BY WILLIAM r. ELLIS.


to Honor Of Country.
BY WILLIAM T. ELLIS.
Tarsus, Asia Minor.-One of the
great gardens and granaries of the
world is this famous Chilean plain
round which bloom memories OF 1.-THE
glory that was Greece and the gram
deur that was Rome"
Today it is Of interest as a feature
In the new life of awakened Turkey
and as a rare field for the employment
of American capital and the sale Of
American goods. The commercial
opportunities of new Turkey are en-
bodied in the situation which is found
here. If the new order in the empire
Is to succeed there will inevitably be
great changes in the life of the peo-
pie.
Broadly speaking, the Asia Minor of
today mirrors the times Of the Bible.
There has been little change in two
thousand years. Upon great threshing
floors, open to the sky, handicapped
grain is threshed by oxen and fails,
and winnowed by tossing it into the
air. Two women may still be seen
grinding at a mill. Instead of hotels
the wayside khans are of the type
which the beautiful Bethlehem story
has made familiar to the world. About
the roadside wells the herdsmen still
gather their f1ocks, and women with
jars draw the water. 1t Is all pr1ml-
tive, pastoral, patriarchal. The next
twenty-five years will transform the
old order here, even as the like period
Of time has done in Japan.
Why Americans Are Favored.
Hitherto obligations and finances
have gone hand in hand in Turkeys
experience with foreigners. Conces-
sions have had diplomatic significance.
Simon-pure business has been kept out
of the country to make way for the
promoter who is supported by the off,
cialdom of some European govern
ment. New Turkey Is tired of this.
She must have money for internal de-
velopment. Only by the inflow of for
eign capital and modern foreign meth
DDS can the people be helped along
the road which the government has
planned for them. In their hour Of
need the officials are sincerely turn
ing toward America for help. I have
been told directly by more than one
cabinet minister as we'll as by minor
officials, that since American capital
lists are not the forerunners of danger
Gus governmental policies, they are
the most welcome in this country.
The Bagdad Railway.
The Bagdad railway Is an illustra-
ton of how business and diplomacy
go hand in hand The concession for
this great highway has been secured
by the Germans. 1t is a master stroke
of policy. There is no exaggeration in
declaring that this Bagdad railway is
the most important bit of railway con-
struction now under way anywhere on
earth. 1t may be looked upon from
several angles. Some persons see this
line stretched from Berlin to Bagdad
as mailed fist shown in the face OF
India. Others regard it as an out
stretched hand for the golden com
merce of the far east. Others see in
It only peril to the British and Rus
sian influence in Persia.
T:ne ordinary business man, who
does not NEEDLE with politics, is con.
tent to note that it opens up the fer
tile plains of the Tigris and Euphrates
to the German trader Construction
has already proceeded to Burgulu and
before this winter is over it will be in
operation we'll into the foothills of the
Taurus mountains. There, engineering
difficulties will hold 1t for a few years
but the Cilician end Of the line is also
being built The maps of tomorrow
will not ignore this new route over
the most ancient highways of the
world.
But the railway is practically polit
ical, Germany says that if New Tur.
key increases her taxes, as she means
to do. the money must be applied to
the building of the Bagdad railway
Great Britain and Russia declare that
the taxes may not be raised if they
are to be used for any such purpose
Between the contending forces of di
plomacy. poor Turkey is held at a
standstill. Small wonder that she
has looked favorably thus far upon
the Chester railway project which is
designed to open the eastern end OF
Asia Minor. This, however, is not yet
through, for the sinuosities of diplo
macy at Constantinople have twined
themselves about many another prom.
Using enterprise to throttle it to death
Business and Reform.
Apart from the question of mines
and railways. and these other larger
AFFAIRS which are roughly grouped as
concessions, there remain smaller en-.
terprises which offer no difficulties to
the American business man. Perhaps
l can best explain these by quoting a
long conversation which had with the
Vail of the Vilayet Of Adana-a pro
gressive young Turk who was put in
by the Reform government after the
massacres to rule this troubled terri
cory by an iron hand.
DENIAL Bey is an enlightened 7urk
Of the new order, liberal in his opin-
cons, intensely patriotic yet sensible
in the pursuit of reforms. He has re-
CURED compulsory education for all
children between and ii years of
age. He has forbidden loafng in the
Coffee Houses before the middle of
the afternoon and he has undertaken
to close out the gambling which has
become an increasing menace to the
life of Turkey. | freely translate the