Evening star., 1916-12-24
Russia's Dream of Centuries for Free Outlet
SoutEaward and Recent Peace Proposals of Germany

great. but. notwithstanding the pro-
lection afforded the Turk through
century, they suffered after the ac-
cess1on of the Young Turks to power,
as hey had been suffering under the
for1 er regime, and all because of the
aggressive Germans. Having fought a
great war with Russia as an ally Eng
land would have to trust that ally after
the war. And besides, there would be
her sea power and her ability to back
up her claims.
France can reconcile her interests in
the near east to Russian control of
Constantinople. She has less at stake
than Great Britain, and she also always
has been able to get along better with
Russia.
In spite of this ability of the great
powers to reconcile themselves to Rus
STA in control of Constantinople, 1t Is
undoubted that they would much prefer
fnternationalfZation naturalization
of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles,
giving Russia the predominant place.
But the Russian statesmen knew tho
perflS OF such policy. The aspiration
and ambition of Russia for the outlet
to the open sea would not be fully
realized by such a plan.
The Berlin treaty was an illustration
OF how both victor and yanQuiShed may
suffer. Turkey lost a good deal of ter
ritory. but Russia did not get it, and
above all things was not able to estab-
lish herself the dominating power
at Constantinople. She had, 1t is true,
been making some progress in extend
ing her control in the Black sea, for.
during the war between France and
Germany in 1870 the czar had declared
that the treaty of Paris Of 1856, which
neutralized the Black sea by closing il
to vessels of war, was Lo longer effec-
tive since the building Of ironclads had
revoluttonized conditions of naval war
fare and made the Russian Black sea
ports liable to unforeseen attacks by
an enemy forcing his way through the
straits.
Prussia sided with Russia in this
contention. In the London treaty of
1871 the naturalization Of the Black
sea was abandoned. but the closure OF
the straits to warships was maintain
ed
Until the outbreak Of the present
war, the fiction was maintained that
the balance Of power in the Mediter-
ranean requires the Dardanelles and
the Bosporus to be closed to ships of
and Italy. in 1915, agreed that in a
definite manner the right of Russia to
the straits and Constantinople was es-
tablished. the balance of power in the
Mediterranean went to the scrapheap
Russia cannot be in control of the Bos-
porus and the Dardanelles unless her
ships of war control the straits 1t is
difficult to see how any international
agreement which conceded Constantf-
nople to Russia could modify the con-
troll which comes from ships of war.
This is the situation among the en-
tente allies. 1t assumes, of course,
complete victory IN the end over the
central powers and Turkey and Bull
garia. 1t means that the Turk really
will be driven from Europe and that
the map Of the near east will be re-
made by victors with unlimited power
to do what they please.
The program on paper is quite COM
plete. but the course OF events must be
followed step by step to determine
whether there is any possibility OF
making it effective.
But, while Russian statesmen have
dreamed of Constantinople as the gate
way of a vast commerce to the open
sea, the mass of the Russian people
have dreamed of its possession as the
realization of a religious dream-the
cross to replace the crescent on the
dome of the mosque of ST. Sophia. And
with them sentiment is more than
trade, and naturalization with COM
mercial concessions would not satisfy
this religious sentiment