Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-14

| ton with Russia, has changed her po-
litical compass. The question Of the Arab
interests England more than that of the
| Armenian. England. for a fact, has
taken Russia in with her. not because Of
any desire to share the spoils, but because
side by side with British interests Ger
man interests have been created.
The Bagdad railway Is not only an in
| dustrial enterprise: 1t threatens to be-
| come the vehicle OF German colonization.
1t Is only necessary to read the German
expansionist press to learn that the plains
| Of Adana are fertile and appropriate in
| every way for the cotton culture which
Germany proposes to establish along the
line of this Bagdad railway.
It is certain that if troubles arise in
southern Armenia German sailors would
be debarked Immediately to
Germany maintain order. soldiers
| would follow, and a German
"eauy. colony would thus be founded.
If the dislocation of Turkey in Asia be-
comes inevitable, 1t is certain that in any
move on the part Of q power to occupy
an Asiatic province Germany would be
| prepared to take her part.
| A note in the Journal des Debats OF the
10th ultimo has created no little stir in
/ -.
| title of Italian Penetration in Asia
| Minor that the Italian embassy at Con-
stantinople has established in concert
| with the consulate vast project of
| pacific penetration into the vi.ayet of
Adana, comprising the coast situated near
Rhodes. The pacific penetration" may
mean that Italy has taken the initiative
| in the dslocation of Turkey.
\ fc q
line of the Bagdad railway, is attracted
/ toward Little Armenia" and toward
Mesopotamia The note with reference
to Italy's pacific penetration to Adana
| has thus a double Significance.
Such at present is the Armenian side of
the Asiatic question. and side by side
with it lies the Arab question.
The Arab and the Turk are irreconcila-
BILE by nature. They are Incompatible.
and this race condition augurs i'll for the
maintenance of the Ottoman empire in
Asia. The Arab is the master of occi-
| dental Asia; he dominates the Persian
and Medina, the sacred cities of the Sum
mites; he is master of the Tigre and the
Euphrates From the plateau Of the Iran
to the Mediterranean, from the Armenian
mountains to the Indian ocean. the Arab
!, Is king.
In Syria. more than elsewhere in Asia,
the Arab is an element of progress and
| civilization. With the Arab the senu-
ment of race is stronger than the ties
4 OF religion. Christian Arabs and Mussul-
man Arabs are just now seeking to estab-
| lish q program of national federation.
Barring the nomads. and counting only
the sedentary and the fixed populations
of the cities, the Arab numbers 2.OOO,OOO.
i Syria is a long band of land more than
COO miles long from north to south and
100 miles in width. The Lebanon, which is
Catholic, possesses a particular Organiza-
i ton established by France, following her
int of a n
eral council and Well organized system
Of schools the Syrian has imbibed new
ideas and new aspirations which have
fitted him for a place among independent
and autonomous states.
| X
The revolution of 1908 produced through
out Syria a commotion which brought to
the surface the latent
/ Awakening feelings suppressed until
| then Journals sprang up
III 0yIAd. as if by magic. Beyrouth
counted more than a hundred printed in
Arabic and French. Syrian women. many
of them distinguished in literature, took
part in the movement with the idea of
the future autonomy of Syria. Unfortu-
nately some Of these launched themselves
on Utopian pillows, advocated socialism
sassin, Francisco Ferrer. and his criminal
| partisanS.
A general assembly met at Beyrouth at
the end of January. 1913. and established
la program Of reforms. which the
Arabic language was declared to be
thereafter the official language Of Syria
| In place of the Turkish, which had here
tofore been the medium of communica-
ton between the people and the Turkish
functionary.
Syria, it was proposed. should be
merged into a federation of states in
which each group would be given the
faculty to develop according to its proper
genius and it's economical and moral ne
cessities.
The French influence in Syria has been
paramount. 1t possesses considerable
ways and schools. The rupture Of dip
lomatic relations with the holy see by
the radical socialist governments OF
France weakened French influence.
which the Italians have sought to seize.
The British influence in Syria. 1t was
feared. because of their occupation Of
Egypt, would tend to plant itself in
Syria Sir Edward Grey recently de-
clared that England had no intention or
political aspirations Of any sort in
Syria
ground in the regions Of Alappo and
Palestine. and it may be repeated along
the line of the Bagdad railway. :,
Inc RUSSIAN lnHuence Is Couiiieu
actually to its interest in the orthodox
church and Christian holy places. for
the defense of which, in 1S54-55 Russia
fought the battle of the Crimea against
the Turk, whose cause was espoused by
France, England and Piedmont.
Turkey may be mistress of her own
destiny and save herself from dislocation
if she were wise. But when was Turkey
wise?
Armenia has submitted a plan by
which the sultan should appoint Euro
pean governor general. with the assent
and control of the powers. The same
pan might be made to apply to Syr a
Turkey, perhaps would consent but Ger
many and Austria are reputed as having
already opposed the plan. 1t Is the
repet ton of the comedy enacted IN
Macedon a, and what happened in Mace
donia may happen in Armenia and Syria.
Il CHI CHAILIIE-LONG.