Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-29
FIGHT FOR THE DARDANELLES A PHASE
= q. OF STRUGGLE TO DEFEAT GERMAN AIMS

disagreeable consequence. Italy was
she was also their rival in the near
east She dreamed of restoring the en-
pire of Venice in the Aegean, and by
no means favored the advance Of Aus
kaiser at the Golden Horn. Accord
insly. when Austria annexed Bosnia.
ltaly's adherence to the triple alliance
was only to be had by the evacuation
of the sanjak of Novi- Bazaar and the
consent to Italian occupation of Tripoli.
The former of these concessions by
, Austria led to the interruption of Aus
trian occupation of the tiny buffer dis
trict separating Montenegro from Ser
bia, the latter led to the ruin of Tur-
key, for the Turko-ltalian war. in eN-
posing Turkish weakness brought the
Balkan states into an alliance against
Bulgaria. Serbia. Montenegro and
Greece attacked the Turk. and in a
brief war swept up practically all OF
his European territory.
This partition of Turkey. if it should
persist. was instantly fatal to the great
Berlin to- Ba gdad dream Between the
Danube and the Golden Horn there now
interposed three compact states. joined
by alliance and increased by large ac-
cessions of territory and population.
Unless they were separated they could
not be attacked safely, because Italy
would not join her Austro- German
allies in such an attack. and the triple
entente backing the Balkan alliance,
would be a force beyond the powers of
he Austro-German armies. who would
have also to expect the possible ap-
pearance of Italy in the ranks of the
foes.
Reread Bernhard, and it will in
stantly be seen how completely he rec
ogniZed the extent of the disaster incl
dent to the Italian attack upon Turkey:
indeed. he ventured to say that it would
hos hiatt For ri nd r.
many to have supported Turkey and
attacked Italy.
Austria's Last Gamble.
In this situation Austrian statesmen,
supported by German, made last des-
perate gamble and succeeded in break
ing up the Balkan alliance. Bulgaria
was persuaded to attack Greece and
Serbia. who together closed the road to
the Aegean, to the Golden Horn, the
road of Austro-German ambition. Bull
garia victorious would become wholly
dependent upon the will of Vienna and
Berlin, who could alone protect her
| from Russian anger. To Bulgaria would
fall all of Macedonia, the roadway of
Austro-German empire.
But the Austrian plan ended in dis
I aster. Bulgaria attacked and was de-
| feated. Now Macedonia was divided
! between the Greek and the Serb, and
| two vigorous little states closed the
| door to the east More than this, Ru-
mania had changed sides and was no
| longer a sure friend of the central
! powers. Italy, too, had shown still fur
| Their hostility and the new state of Al
| bania had in few months developed
| into bone of contention between
| Vienna and Rome. 1t was no longer a
/ mere question of opening road from
| the Danube to the Sea of Marmora, 1t
was a question of preventing Serbia
| from repea ting the exploits of SARDINIA,
| and sweeping up all the southern SlaNs
t from cattaro to Trieste.
| 1T was still possible, if Serbia were
| crushed. to open the road. but If Serbia
| We're left to consolidate her gains. with
| the Slav populations of Austria becom-
! ing more and more FESTIVE, with Russia
| daily growing stronger, the time was
I certain to come when all hopes OF the
expansion of the central powers
| through the Balkans to Asia Minor
would be at an end. France had acqulr-
ed Morocco; Italy. Tripoh: Germany
| had won some square miles of kongo
swamp as the price of her consent TO
the French occupation of Fee The last
| real opportunity for Austro- Germah
| expansion was slowly fiickering out.
| The road from Berlin to agdad would
| soon become impossible to follow. AL
ready Great Britain was making bid
| for the Persian Gulf terminus.
| There were too many intricate and
| pute of 1914 to permit il to be SAID with
accuracy that any one precipitated
| Arma geddon, but the importance OF the
| Austro- German dream of hegemony in
| Asia Minor cannot be overlooked.
At the Dardanelles.
| Having thus recalled these facts in
much greater are the issues being
| ho ctr hln a
| on the surface. The last chance of
German colonial empire hangs upon the
| Turkish lines of Pasha Dagch and Achi
Bahia. Already the o,itpostS of the
| kaiser from kiao-Chau to the Kamerun
| have been swept up. German Togo and
| Southwest Africa are memories. Ger
man East Africa is helpless and wait
| ing only for the coming of the invader.
If the allies shall succeed in bursting
| open the seward gate to Constantine
| pie, then Russian possession Of the
,, Turkish capital is assured. This would
| be but an inconsiderable reward for
Russian sacrifices for the long terrible
months that lie between the battle of
| the Carpathians and the fall of Csso-
wetz. To Russia, with the city, will
go the shore of the Sea of Marmora
including the GalliDoli peninsula. Once
| this is fortified by the power which
commands the Black sea with it's fleet,
| the door of the Austro German powers
opening into Asia Minor is closed and
the western terminus of the Bagdad
railroad will be in Russian hands.
But this is not all. 1t will then be
possible for the allies to settle the dis
putes between the Balkan states. The
peril to Serbia of Bulgarian attack
| will pass when Bulgarian frontier
| marches with Russian and Bulgaria n
| ports are at the mercy of the Russia II
! fleets. In due course of time the little
Balkan states will consolidate their
| gains and become strong. but always
| subservent to the sea powers of the
| Mediterranean and to Russia If the
| allies win the war, then Bosnia and
| the Dalmatian coast south of the Ma
| renta river will go to Serbia; Albania.
| save for the southern strip about ko-
| rita and Argyro-CaStro, to Italy. This
| latter has been occupied by Greece, is
| Greek in it's population and will prob
ably be left to the state which possess