Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1912-03-30
ITALY'S REAL REASON
FOR WAR ON TURKEY

! is now being PLAYED bN the European
powers and which William e. Ellis.
who has made a study OF European
politics at first hand. explains in the
March Lippincott's.
In this case. however" says Mr..
Ellis. the proverbial luck OF the
British has been with them. The
steady declie OF their historic pres
tige in the Near Fast was suddenly
arrested bv Italy's declaration OF
war. For more than a generation
Turkey has been the pampered enfant
terrible OF international politics. vio-
lating the conventions and propri-
cites with impunity; feeling safe
amid the iealousies OF the players ~
the great game" Every important
nation has n bill OF grievances 10
settle with Turkey Americas claim
for instances. includes the cath %
two native-born American citizens.
Roeers and Maurer, slain in the Ad-
ana massacre. under the constitution
Nobody has been punished for This
crime because. forsooth. 4 happened
in Turkey. Italy made n preteyt OF
cluster OF these grievances and
startled the world hy her claims mp
on Tripoll. accompanied By an ultl-
matum. Turkey tried 20 temporige.
Pressed she turned 10 Germany with
Now earn your wages Get me
out OF this scrape and call off yur
ally
And Germany could not. With
the taste OF Morocco dirt still on lis
tongue. the kaiser had TO take an
other unpelatable mouthful In Con-
stantinople His boasted power. Up
on which the Turks had banked so
heavily, and for the sake OF which
they had born so much humilia-
ton, proved unequal 10 te demand.
He could not help his friends the
sultan. Italy would have none Of
his mediation. for reasons that will
herein after appear
Then came Brltains vindicat'on
The Turks turned TO this historic and
pre-eminent friend for succOr. The
Turkish cabinet cabled frantically 20
Great Britain to intercede for them;
the people in massmeeting In an
cient 81 Sophia's echoed the same
appeal For grim humor the spec
tacle has scarcely an enual in mod
.ern history Besought and >entreat-
ed the British. who nc doubt APP
proved Of ltalv's mCve from the frs.
declined to pull Tuiko-German chest
nuts ont Of the fire Ask Cousin
William 10 help us was the ironical
Implication OF their attitude We'll
aid Britain know that II the situa-
tion were saved the Germans would
somehow manare 10 get the credit of
H. And II the worst should come.
Great Britain could probably meet II
with Christian fcrtitudc' TO- In that
evcntuality the nagdad railway con-
cpssion would be nullified and Brit
ain would undoubtedly take over al
the Arabian peninsula which Is log
ically hers. in the light of her Per
sian gulf and Red Sea claims Tho
breakup OF Turkey would settle the
Egyptian question. make easy the
British acquisition 81 southern Per-
sin. and put all the holy places of
Islam under the strong hand of the
British power. where they would be
no longer powder magazines 10 worry
the dreams Of Christendom. Far
SIGHTED moves are necessary In the
great game.
Small wonder that Germany be-
came furious and that the Berlin
newspapers burst ont In denuncia-
tons Of ltaly's wicked and piratlcal
land grabbing morsel % rhetoric
following so hard upon the heels of
the Morocco episode that il gave 10Y
to all who delight In hearing the pot
rail no the kettle The great game
is not without It's humors Bu. the
sardonic joke Of the business lies
decner than all this The kaiser had |
o1o0ly copuettcG with the sultan up
ON the policy Of substituting Turkey
for Italy in the triple alliance. Tur-
kew has potentially great army
the one thing the Turk can do we'll !
Is 10 FIGHT With a suspicious eve
upon Ncighbor Russia. the kaiser
figured It out that Turkey would he
more useful 70 him than Italy. es-
necially since the Ahyssnian episode
had 50 seriously discredited the lat
ter Then. OF a sudden. with a po-
etic Justice tina, is delicious. Italy
turns around and humiliates the ma
tion that was to take It's place, The
whole comic situation resembles no.
thing more nearly than supposedly
defunct spouse rising from his death
bed TO thrash the expectant second
husband OF his wife