Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-04-30
Would Get Sultan and Bul-
gsria Out of War and
Rumania in 1t.
MILLION SOLDIERS
BEING KEPT IDLE
Diplomats Debate but in
the Meantime the Troops
Do Nothing.
(Rv JOUN l.. EALDERSTON)

(Copy right 1916, BY Mcclure Newspaper
Syndcate).
ONDON. April 9.-Nearly two mil
II lion soldiers are n the field in
the Mediterranean and Asiatic Turk
ish theatcrs of war, and very few OF
them are fighting. A curious inter
play of political forces has had much
to do with paralyzing the activities
of great armies at a time when liie
and death struggles are taking place
in Europe.
The whole subject. at this time. is
tabooed in the entente press. because
actual or potential msunderstahd-
ings between the members OF the en-
tente are responsible for the hitches
that have recovered. The entire facts
will not come out until after the war
but by piecing together Information
gathered from many sources during
the past year a general statement OF
the position can be made Whlch l
know to be accurate in It's main de-
tails.
The military position at the, mo-
ment is this: There is at Salonlka
an army, according to the Germans
numbering 25O,000 men, of whom
fifty thousand are British ana Two
hundred thousand French. Az COR
IN. is the Serbian army of l5O,oOo
,ecuperating and refitting while the
italians have a small force at Dur
azzo in Albania. The BritSn nave
according to German estimates. three
hundred thousand men IN EgNpt ana
the current estimate OF the to,aI
strength of the Russian armies uhuea
Grand Duke Nicholas. operating III
Armenia and Persia, and of the irit-
ish forces in MesOpotamla, is three
t.,c3roJ tbnnSqnl men. InlS means
that the entente has one million men
In tbe near eastern theater. Against
tbia host are arraved six Austro-ter-
man divisions Of 10000 men IN Ine
PoItans three hundred thousand But
garions and between five and SIX
hundred thousand Turks. total OF
rearly or perhaps quite a nnll.on.
Certain military activities OF Srea,
,mnortance may be looked for in the
near future from the British ana
Eronch troops. The Russians, after
cnnturing Erzerum, have pusheu
tbeir campaign in Armenia with great
yigor The cooperation between tne
allied forces. however largely depends
y an the efforts of the diplomats 10 "r-
rive at an understanding about certain
moot points. ,o,,s ho.
There is conflict OF interests % ne,
tween England and Russia concerning =
Persio. for Great Britain will not tot
crate. if possible the building oi hus-
sian railroads that would facili'ate
descent on India. This is an ola quar- I,
rel hut in view of the present soou
feeling will doubtless be settled witn-
ont friction by a partition or iersia'
The difficulty Is that Russia Is uh-
derstood to desire more laVorapie
status there than existed before the
war. ,, ,r cyria
while Sir Arthur Evans has let very
bir cat out of it's bag by his revelation
of tho fact that by secret treaty the
entente agreed to let Italy take GER
tain districts of Dalmaua ana otneI
spoils from Austria Hungary, wnlch
should racially belong to greater ser
bia. This treaty was the price OIL
Italy's entry into the war.
Biggest Problem.
All other questions, and there are
many others are dwarfcd by the PROB
lem of Constantinople. A year ago
before the attack on the Dardaneiles,
Britain agreed that Russia shoulo
have the straits and the coveted CITY
Tho attack failed and the whole wal
in the near east. as the result OF tha'
failnre wears a different aspect.
The British and French point o'
Wow about Constantinople was sum
med up for me by diplomat as foi'