The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-03-13

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NAI1ONS
New Turkey ofssrs Rare opportunl.
tIss for American capltat-A Uss
% the PtsS That Does Not Rebound
% Hooer % Country.


~ WILLIAM U. KILLS.
Tarsus. Asia Minor-One Of the
great gardens and granaries Of the
world 10 this famous Cilician plain
round which bloom memories Of 'The
glory that was Greece and the gran
dsur that was Rome"
Today Il 10 Of interest % . feature
fn The new life Of awakened Turkey
and q q rare neld for the employment
of American capital and the sale Of
American goods. The commercial
spDortunitiss Of new Turkey are en-
bodiod In the situation which II found
here. n tho new order In the empire
A 70 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 ye>rs. Upon great threshing
floors. open 20 the sky handicapped
grain is threshed by oxen and hails.
and vinnowsd by tossing It into the
air. Two women may still be seen
grinding at q mill. Instead Of hotels
the wayside khsns arc Of the type
which the beautiful Bethlehem story
has made familiar to the world. About
the roadside wells the herdsroep still
gather their docks. and women with
Jars draw the water. II 10 all primi-
tive. pastoral. petrisrchal. The next
twenty-five years will transform the
old order here. even as the like period
: of time has dono In Japan.
Why Americana Are Favored.
Hitherto obligations and finances
have gone hand In hand In Turkeys
experience with foreigners. Conces-
sions have had diplomatic significance.
simou-purs business has been kept out
Of tho country to make way for the
promoter who In supported by the ON
cialdcm Of some European govern
msat New Turkey IL tired of this.
She must have money for internal de-
velopmeut Only by the inflow OF for
sign capital and modern foreign meth
ods can the people be helped along
the road which the government haS
planned for them. In their hour of
need tho ofScials are sincerely turn
ing toward America for help. have
oesn told directly by more than one
cabinet minister - well 90 by minor
odloials. that since American capital
lists are not tie forerunners of danger
cus governmental policies. they are
TIE most welcome In this country.
The oaedad Railway.
The Bagdad railway In an illustra-
ton Of how business and diplomacy
90 hand In hand. The concession for
this great highway has been secured
by the Germans. II is q master stroke
of policy. There IL no exaggeration In
declaring that this Bagdad railway 10
the most important bit Of railway con-
struction now under way anywhere on
earth. IL may be looked upon from
several angles. Some persons see this
line stretched from Berlin to Bagdad
as q mailed hst shown In the face OF
India. Others regard II as an out
stretched hand for the golden COM
merce Of the far east Others sec In
Il only peril TO the British and Rus
sian influence In Persia.
The ordinary business man, who
does not meddle with politics. IL con-
tsnt to note that II opens up the fer
tile plains OF the Tigris and Euphrates
% the German trader. Construction
has already proceeded to Burgulu and
before this winter IL over II will be in
operation we'll INTO the foothills Of the
Taurus mountains. There, engineering
dimculties will hold II for few years
but the Cilician end of the line is also
being built. The maps of tomorrow
viii not ignore this new route over
the most ancient highways of the
world.
But the railway Is practically polit-
ical. Germany says that II New Tur-
hey increases her taxes. as she means
to do. the money must be applied to
the building OF the Bagdad railway.
Great Britain aud Russia declare that
the taxes may not be raised IL they
are TO be used for any such purpose.
Between the contending forces of d.
piomacy. poor Turkey is held at a
standstil Small wonder that she
has looked favorably thus far upon
the Chester railway project which 10
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
fsing enterprise to throttle II 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 ofrer 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 Viltyet of Adana-a pro-
sressiye young turk who was put In
bV tho Reform Vovarnmant aftar IN 4.