Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-22
ENVER PASHA TELLS WHY
TURKEY ENTERED WAR
Young War Minister Says 1t Was
Only Course to Prevent Being
Led to Slaughter Block.
NOW IN FIGHT 10 BITTER END
Nation, Like Germany and Austria,
Determined to Win-Will Emerge
From Conflict Truly United and
Stronger Than Ever.

From Conflict Truly United and
Stronger Than Ever
CONSTANTINOPLE. April II tvia
London. april cot am glad that
you ask that question. This is not n
war Of the Turkish sovernuent. but a
war Of the Turkish people," said Envcr
Iasha. the most remarkable man in
turkey, who at the age of thlrty-t three
years is War Minister gcn.ralissino
OF IN" ottoman army, to the ASsocia | cd
i'ress correspondent in the first inter
view ever given to III" American press.
tndoubtedly the world finds dGi-
Guilty in understanding that the Turkey
or to-day is no. longer the Turkey of
me past but that. nevertheless. is "a
iact which should be apparent to all
impartial Observers he continued.
IN" worlds youngest commander in
Ihlei typlhcs the Young Turks in intel
lectual attainincnts and ideals The
conversation with him was carried on
IN German. and besides having thor
ough command Of the German language
h" speaks excellent French
When the correspondent entered
Envcr pasha shook hands cordially ana
SAID; Il ann sorry to have kept YOU
waiting. but ! am very busy all day
on have come to Interview me. Well
VIII make AN exception In your favor.
What do you want
ticipating in the war; was the reply
You refer, no doubt" said Euver
Pasha, ITO the assertions In the news
papers Of Great Britain. France and
russia that Turkey entered the war
10 help Germany. That is very true
nj this moment; not when we modified
To-day Austria Hungary and Germany
help us: We help them. But We
modified because there was no way
out.
Long before we took this step, Rus
fia had grown ugly on tho Black Sea
and In the Caucasus. invading our ter
ritory there. while England had already
operated against Mesopotarnia. and had
concentrated II feet before tn" Darda-
nei1cs. We We're unwilling. To start
the ball rolling, and even after the
russians attacked our fleet IN the
Black Sea We still waited one week
before war was declared
we knew that Turkey would again
be led 10 the slaughter block Being
unwilling that this should happen we
took the only course open. We Turks
feel that We have right TO exist. as
pecihlly when the best OF us arc strain
ing every effort and are catching up
with other countries in intcilectuality
and material development.
PEOPLE begin TO FEEL.
THEY THEMSELVES ARE TURKEY
There was "A time when Turkey was
merely government clique which was
y the people arc beginning TO feel tina,
they themselves are Turkey. think
that this Is the hcalthicst sign here to-
day and there also is the promise that
the progress OF all civil LIE Will be
rapid
We arc taking care OF our troors TO-
dag. hence their loyalty. Formerly a
man was given n rife and had to shift
for himself as hr.'t he gould; to-d2y We
see that his land .A- Cultivated an his
absence
This measure has 'beassfnh SO effective
that the area OF cultivated land Is 20
per cent greater than ordinarily
When a man is in the field we see
that he Is cared for, simply, perhaps. but
sufficiently. The Turkish soldier. more
over. now knows how To shoot well: this
Is nstilling the confidence he formerly
lacked"
To the question as to who was re-
spGn!Shlc for the bette, quality OF
troops, which has been so apparent
Enver Pasha replied:
when reached the head of the
army discharged on my second day in
Office about 5000 old soldiers. who for
ucrly had been merely burden on the
Ottoman military establishment Next
] made every effort to have the common
soldier feel that he was part OF the
service, instead OF the subject of it, II
can hardly hc believed the difference
this made The .ncn now have ar
esprit de crops"
How did YOU manage TO mobilize
your army of almost g;oo0. 600 with lin
TIED resourCcs%' he was asked
- That was problem. course. hut We
overcamc IL. We had u lot of old Snidci.
:rihcs ready for the jnnk market Tines G
j caused to be distributed among thu.
gendarmerie taking from them their
modern rifles. There was formerly =
large Eendarnerie force in Turkey
nov = y not 50 great---we do not need
H. SO We armed many men with new
rifles. To-day, every 'nan at the front
is well armed"
REPLIES AS TO PRESENT
STATUS Of CAMPAIGN
Replying to questions as TO the PRES
eht status of the campaign the gem
eraliSsino said
Conditions in the Caucasus are more
satisfactory. Regarding The situation
in the Dardanelles. | viii say we arr,
iuiiF conhdent that il has been demon
strated that fighting down the forts
there will be \ huge task for tho al
lies But even should that happen. we
Wou!d still be masters of the situa
tloh there by means Of howitZcrs mine
snnd fleet. IN allies coming un The
sstrait would be obliged 10 move in sin
5SGic hie, and the effectiveness of our
Gent"
- In view OF the -fact-that some excite
ts1nent has been observed in Turkey he
-eauSc OF the export OF munitions from
Ss1he United states TO the. allies, Enver
.FFasha was ask edsfer his views on This
subject and replied:
The matter has occupied us for some
time-cven the populace-but you may
have noticed that there has been no
anti-American outbreak on that ac-
count. Since the elimination of the
capitulations. this was the first situa-
ton in which the Turkish people might
express sentiment IN 4 drastic way, but
our people realize that this traiIic in
favor of a few manufacturers is not the
fault of those Americans living here.
and therefore our old good relations
continue.
I'VE are not savaEes who hold tbo
innocent responsible for something not
their fault. There are still living in
this city under the nominal nrotn.t ;on