Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-11-19


about on his crutches again. Once
more Turkey is beginning to get its
share OF attention In the newspaper
! headlines. and somehow the present
European war secms to be more com
plete with the entrance OF the Otto
man empire upon the. scene. Within
the last century almost every war In
the East has seen Turkeys entrance.
and usually Turkeys defeat. Turkey
and Greece. Turkey ana Russia. Tur-
key and Italy. Turkey and tho Bal
kan states, young Turks and old
Turks-Turkey has certainly been Il
remarkably active patient for n sick
man. II has conscientiously pokcd
its nose into the affairs of the other
nations, and undcterred by the con-
sequences. has usually been ready to
| take it's chance at the next oppoi tu-
nifty.
ncver-failing Willingness OF Turkey to
fight with anybody or everybody, and
for their participation in this war. In
the first place. traditions that go bach
to the days OF the first great Ottoman,
Osman. the bone breaker" Secondly,
they fear the aggressions of Russia
| as does no other nation. and feel that.
unless Russia Is checked, IL will DO
only a question of time before Con
stantinople Is lost to them. Thirdly.
tlcS nave never forgotten the days
when the Ottoman empire extended
well into Europe. and. with their pres
cnt fragment of European territory
between the Black and the Aegean
Seas, their attitude is that In war they
have everything TO gain and very lit
tie to lose. The last and most i'm
mediate cause is the preponderance OF
German influence in Turkey, dating
from about 1850.
Turkish history goes back so far
and Is so complicated with revolutions
and foreign wars that It is impossible
to do justice to IL within the scope
OF newspaper article but the main
points may be summed up briefly. At
the end OF the thirteenth century there
flourished Osman. the bone break
or. bandit who rapidly forged his
way TO the leadership OF the nghting
hordes OF Asia Minor. From that time
until the present day Occident and
flict with each other, but for genera
tons Turkey found no opponents
worthy OF the name. The East over
flowed into Europe, taking in the fee
bic peoples along the shores of the
Black Sea, and among the Balkan
mountains. Vienna proved the FIRST
insurmountablc obstacle, while Oh the
| eastern line Russia was the barrier
The old Biographies had about the
right idea when they likcncd Turkey
, to real turkey with its neck stretch
ing along the Black Sea. and its wings
and tail spreading into Austria.
The latest phase OF Turkeys com
plicated relations with tile European
, powers began with the Greek war OF
Independence. about 1925. closely fol-
lowed by the Russo Turkish war
Then came the Crmean war. In which
Turkey was n bone OF contention. and
later the two other wars with Russia,
following each other closely In 1897
occurred the second war with Greece
this time over the status of Crete, and
then Turkey was comparatively quiet
until the outbreak of the recent war
with Italy. just previous to the Bal
kan troubles. In most instances the
results OF the wars We're indelinitc
Greece, OF course. gained her iniepen-
uence, and. RusSia proved successful
but the terms were largely left to the
congresses OF powers. who constituted
themselves a tribunal over almost
every dispute in which Turkey has
heen involved during recent years
Turkeys European territory remained
practically intact until the treaty Of
San Stcfano, when the Balkan states
were set up as partly independent
countries. under the protection of the
powers. This Topping off of n great
share Of its former possessions left
Turkey in Europe confined largely to
tho central part OF the old turkey.
shaped country. previously mentioned.
SO long, however, as il holds Constant
tlnople it remains in control of the
Dardanelles. the Sea of Marmora and
the Bosphorus. and effectually shuts
Russia off from the Mediterranean
Among the great number Of peo-
pies which have from time to timc
come under Turkish rule, 4 definite
policy of divide and rule" has always
mcen maintained by the ottoman Elm
'perors. Every sect is perfectly free
to maintain it's own, religion, and in
many cases its own form OF local gov
eminent. They are even at liberty to
start Instructions against each other.
so long as they do not interfere with
the Integrity OF the empire. by this
method. and by IN eifectual system
of spies, Turkey has been able to
prevent any OF it's conquered people
from uniting against the central gov
ernment. and has kept alive all the
racial prejudices and jealoustes among
them.
Constitutional government in Turkey
had ono brief trial before the rise and