The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-07-28
EUROPEAN POLITICS
ARE VERY QUIET
Monarch and Diplomats Are
Taking Vacations
SPAIN MAKES SHIPS
Just Recovering From War With the
United States-Castles to Be Sold
at Auction-Situation in Por-
tugal Soon to Be Changed
SPAIN MAKES SHIPS
By FREDERICK WERNER


yacht and every European monarch of
Importance as we'll as all the leading
diplomats are taking 1T easy so one
Is entitled TO conclude that no polit-
ical complications are apt to disturb
the peace of Europe at least for some
weeks and but for the everlasting Tur-
co Italian war, few skirmishes on
the frontier of Portugal and the gen.
eral unrest in Turkey, all Europe
would be one great Arcadia with wolves
and lambs resting peacefully together.
OF the minor clouds that are floating
| in the political summer sky the most
serious is the unrest In Turkey. where
many things seem to indicate that the
military movement which originated at
Monastir is seriously threatening the
continuation in power of the commit
Zee of union and progress.
l make this assertion on the strength
of statement made to me by the AL
banian leader. Ismail Renal Bey for
mer governor of Tripo1i, who during
the last few years has strongly OPP
posed the new regime because of Its
tendency toward Jacobinism.
"TheS cause of the whole trouble,
he said, lis to be found in the polit-
| ical conceptions Of the committee. Up
| to the present time Turkey has been
a confederation of communities and
groups, each of them having q strong
| individuality of itself, either ethically,
nationality or religiously. and being at
liberty to develop its particular char
acter under the supremacy and lead
| ing of Othman's successors. Brought
up in the tradition of western radical
ism, the men of the new regime have
started with the idea of absorbing
into highly centralized state all the
particularisms. They have only sue
ceeded in breaking up the empire. since
they are severing the bond of tradition
and common interest that holds togeth-
er the different pieces of the fabrics.
Among the groups within Turkey, none
is mere fond of its ancient privileges
than the Albanian. With Abdul Hand,
who, as a rule, was very careful not 10
interfere with the interests of the nation
al and religious bodies in his COMMONS
| they were real favorites. The change has
been all the more unbearable for them
since from Constantinopie so-called re-
forms have been pressed upon them; the
| taking of a census, the imposition or new
taxes the establishment of n sort OF COM
pulsory service, as consequence OF
which they have been sent at times TO
lxulehs or fortified houses. and so forth.
Having opposed the new policy, they
have been made the victims Of three punt
tive expeditions during the last three
years.
Today. with a view of retaining Euro
pean sympathies while changing nothing
in their drastic methods, the Turkish min
| listers are taking steps to secure the APP
pointment of an English official as In
spector general of Macedonia. The Sig
nificance of this will be clear to all who
remember that the present regime owes
| its very existence to the protestations
| that arose in Turkey when the Anglo
Russian programme, including among 9TH
| er items, the appointment of foreigner
as inspector general was made known.
| 1t amounts to a plain avowal of failure.
The only way left open is the way of
battle The Alabanians, UP till now d.
yided between themselves, and separated
! In rival clans, have united in face of the
| common foe. They will not disarm before
measure of large provincial autonomy
allowing of their development on national
lines has been conceded to them.
1t has taken Spain nearly IA years to
recover from the blow of the war with
Uncle Sam, but now at last she intends
to make serious effort to replace the
vessels lost at Santiago de Cuba and
Cavite.
The first Spanish dreadnausht. the Es-
pana will be commissioned in November.
and will be quickly followed by two 9TH
ers. These vessels each carry eight 3o.5
centimetre guns. mounted in pairs in bar
bettes.
Great sums have been spent in putting
the government arsenal at El Ferrol In a
fit state to turn out vessels of this
type and thus establish afresh nation
Ill - -.
decay. 1t now becomes obvious that on
the completion OF this initial programme
fresh work must be given to the arsenal
or the workmen will have to be dishanded
(and inevitably they will emigrate). and
the fruit of the nations sacrifice will be
lost Thus fresh construction becomes
inevitable and the government has m
principle decided upon the enlargement
Of the naval programme by the addition
of three more dreadnaughts of 10000 tons.
against the Is, 700 tons of the Espana and
her sisters. ~
Meanwhile. no provision has been made
for the manning of the ships OF the 1910
programme, much less has provision been
taken for the three bigger ships to be
shortly laid down.
DIR. Felix Somary, an economist, dis
cusses Germarys food supply in war
time in a suggestive article In Professor
Schmoller's ''jahrucher.'' He foresees
grave peril from the "encirclsng'. of the
| fatherland by hostile armies and fleets.
and advocates the novel project Of build
| Ing forthwith gigantic warehouses for
the storing of at least 100000 tons of
wheat He estimates that the cost Of
purchasing and outstanding of wheat, in
Guiding the construction of steel and &C.
ment storage vaults would be in the
neighborhood of s10O000.0no, which he
thinks would be cheap investment
viewed from the standpoint OF the vital
emergency 1t is sought to meet. The &c.
co., 900 year interest which the project
involves, If carried out with borrowed
capital. Is dismissed by DR.. Somary as a
bagatelle. He thinks Germans are con-
centrating their attention too exclusively
on the purely military side Of a great
European war, and neglecting the vital
question Of physical sustenance.
The tragedy of the Archduke Johann
Salvador, who quilted the Austrian i'm
perial family over 30 years age as Johann
Orth, and afterwards disappeared on
sea voyage without leaving any trace.
the official declaration of his death was
issued measures were taken for the sale
of his possessions. Five ccstles Of the
lost archduke near Gmunden, namely, the
Castles OF Orth. Seeschloss. Stoeckel and
Toscana. and the villa Toscana will be
sold. The auction takes place from the
middle Of October to November. and the
preparations Tor the sale are now being