Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-04-26
THE SHADOW OF THE BALKANS
A Situation Which Is Most Disturbing
to the Powers,


The desire Of the powers to put an
end to the war between Italy and Tur-
key is easily understood. They may
not have a high opinion of either BEL
ligerent; they may regard Italy as a
firebrand; they may have thought that
when last autumn, with scarcely any
notice worth mentioning, the Italians
threw a fleet and an army upon a
Turkish province they menaced the
whole European prospect Of peace.
Similarly the powers esteem Tripoli as
a barren region, Of little worth to Tur-
key. Turkey does not commend itself
to the highest considerations Of the
councils Of Europe, and among those
that will advise peace are nations that
would not have the slightest hesitation
in doing what Italy has done, provid-
ing conditions were favorable to their
greed. But no nation in Europe wants
to see the fire which Italy has set on
the North African coast extend, and
there is danger that sparks from 1t
may alight in a far distant quarter.
In the beginning Italy limited its
military operations to Tripoli and the
region Immediately adjoining, but Ia
ter it widened their scope, and the
bombardment Of Beyroot gave Europe
a shock. 1t was natural from the mill
tary point of view that Italy should
strike Turkey at every Vulnerable
point, but the implied understanding
Italy gave to the world was that 1t
would not wage war save in the re-
stricted district in which 1t began. Re-
Gently there have been reports or
Italian expeditions being prepared to
attack some of the Turkish Islands
near the Dardanelles. Such an expe-
dition might be preliminary to push
ing the Italian campaign In European
Turkey.
European Turkey has electric poten-
tialities; it borders on the Balkan
states, and the Balkin states are in
a condition of unrest chronically. Each
of them aspires to carve out a little
more Of the Turkish empire for It's
own benefit Italy is a sort of patron
of some Of the Balkan states, ana Is
dynastically allied to Montenegro,
which is endeavoring to enlarge lts
borders at the sultan's expense. If the
war. in Tripoli should take turn
markedly unfavorable to the Italians 1t
would be only primary strategy for
them to stir up trouble in the Balkans
to keep Turkeys hands full and TO
paralyze the efforts it makes to for
ward supplies and reinforcements to
the scene Of the North African con-
test. Italy would not from the strate-
gist standpoint be at all to blame II
It did set this backf1re along the from
tiers of European Turkey, but 1t would
anger some of those at the European
council board almost beyond endur-
ance. The Balkan question Is one that
European statesman dread to see rals-
ed The power that should precipitate
II would earn the ill-will OF the ma
jority Of the others. Hence 1t Is easy
to understand why the chancelleries or
Europe, which have been so philosophi-
cally Indifferent to the raid on Tripoli,
are now busy In an effort to reconcile
the combatants by arranging some
form of compromise In which Italy
shall get something, but not too much,
and Turkey shall make concessions
that will not bring about further par
ing down of the Ottoman Empire
Boston Transcript.