Evening star., 1914-10-31
berlin CONTENDS
| RUSSIANS FORCED
TURKEY INTO WAR
German View Is That Ottoman
Government Had No
Other Choice.
EYES OF THE WORLD NOW
TURNED TO THE BALKANS
Attitude of Greece, Bulgaria and
Roumania Becomes of Ab-
sorbing Interest.
ITALIAN WAR SPIRIT GROWS
Military Experts Think Campaign
Against the Turks Will of
Necessity Be Carried
Into Asia.
ITALIAN WAR SPIRIT GROWS

| Turkeys attack on Theodosis
was a natural sequel to the out
rageous Russian attack on Tur.
keys integrity. The breach o.
peace was Russias S work.
The Tageliche Runsehau say:
that Turkeys action had beer
expected for a long time by the
whole world after the Anglo
French effronteries against the
porte"
Turkey is to be congratulated
on its honorable decision, con
tinues the paper. 1--WE sought nc
allies, but we welcome the heart.
ier one who takes our part from
recognition of his own best ad-
vantage"
| Hard Blow for Russia.
The Tageblatt says that the first blow
struck "in defense by the Turkish fleet
| in the Black sea hits hard at Russia
which at the end Of the last century held
out a threatening hand to seize Armenia
and also asked Germany's aid"
The paper adds:
| "The second blow of the Turkish feet, II
is hoped. will be aimed at England. which
for a long time has pursued an ambition
for weakening Turkey"
One version of the fighting in the BiacK
sea between Russian torpedo boats wmcn
were attempting to prevent the TURKISH
fleet from steaming through the Bos-
phorus to the Black sea is that four Rus
sian eunboats and one torpedo boat were
sunk by the Turks.
Break Is Believed Absolute.
| LONDON, October 81. 10 am.-Specula-
ton as to the effects Of the position taken
| by Turkey varies widely. In some quar-
ters it is argued even that the acts OF
the former German cruisers Goeben and
Breslau will be disavowed by the porte.
hut the well authenticated news Of the
departure of the Russian ambassador
| from Constantinople seems to commlt
| Turkey beyond recall. DELAYED teie-
grams from Constantinopie lndlcateo as y
| late as last Wednesday that the British
ambassador there had received assur-
ances that Turkey was determined TO pre-
serve her neutrality
The action of the Balkan states in TINS
phase of the crisis Is awaited here with
keen interest. Greece Is expected i'm
mediately to throw in her lot with the
entente powers. Great Britain, Russia
and France, and 1t is felt here that
Roumania probably will follow the
same course. But Bulgaria, whlcn re-
Gently regained much of the prestige
lost in the second Balkan war. pre-
| serves a stubborn silence. Revenge
would impel her to an alliance with the
Turks, but Sofia seems determined to
maintain neutrality unless the borders
of Bulgaria are crossed.
italian Interests Menaced.
| Roman newspapers aver that with
Turkey in the arena the conflict is nc
jlonger European, but Mediterranean il
scope. 1t, therefore, threatens Italy's
interests in North Africa, and raise:
the century old question of the contro
of the Mediterranean, which must com
pei the Italian government to inter
vene on the side of the entente powers
Italy, as 4 first step in her evident de
termination to be factor in the con
troll of the Adriatic, has landed; an ex-
lpedition On the Island of Saseno, which
commands the entrance to the harbol
of Avlona, in Albania
| According to one report the entire
Turkish fleet left Turkish waters unde-
Ifended, and the various ships are no"
Icruising about on the Russian coasts
| The Petrograd correspondents in thei1
discussion of the situation remark that
the Turkish army is not altogether t.
be desp:sed, especially as il is entirely
under the command OF German omcefs
of the highest rank.
The Times Petrograd correspondent
says there are a thousand German otii
GERS in Turkey at the present time. Tht
"a German. while Gen. Liman Won San
Iders commands the ottoman troops.
Without News From Porte.
The correspondent of the Daily Mail il
Petrograd says that the Ottoman charg
daffaires is still there and processes t.
have no information regarding the ac
tion of his government. He also declare
that the Russian ambassador at Con
stantinople has as yet not been hande'
his passports by the porte. which onl.
a few days ago assured the ambassado
that Turkeys neutrality was firm. 1t i
assumed, this correspondent concludes
that Germany has found some means t
force Turkey into the war.
The only message from CONSTANT
nople to an early hour today was de
layed Reuter- telegram sent from Con
stantinople Wednesday before The re
cent eventualities changed the face o
affairs
The Reuter- message declares tina
war was fartEest from the thoughts O
the Turkish government 1t says:
The grand vizier has renewed hi
emphatic assurance to the British am
bassador that Turkey will not embar
on war He plans to send Hall
Bey, president of the chamber of depu
| ties, on a mission to Berlin. Vienn
and Bucharest. The object of tn
mission is to obtain correct view o
the status of affairs in Europe and t
convince Germany of the necessity tina
Turkey shall moi depart from its pt 81
tion of neutrality. Hall Bey is also t
confer in Berlin with Ibrahim Hakk
Pasha, former grand vizier, who ha