The Republican journal., 1917-08-16
TURKEY.

The Turkish empire is ABOUT one-
third as large as the United States. Its
possessions lie partly in Europe, partly
IN Asia and partly in Africa. Turkey
in Europe is about twice as extensive
as the State of Maine and has a popu-
lation of about 100000. There are said
to be about 100000 people in Turkey
in Asia and some 10000 900 in Africa,
but no real census has ever been TAKEN
The Turkish empire was founded in the
18th century, and grew rapidly IN law
less way for about 300 years, when de-
cline set in which has lasted till now,
each century finding the old murderess
little weaker as she advanced IN years.
The word Turkey would have been strlck-
en- from the map long ago had it not been
for the jealousy of the powers OF Europe
The dismemberment of the Turkish en-
-nire was not undertaken because it would
have caused a general call to arms, to
wage fierce war for the lions share of her
provinces. Grabbing a little at time
was the slower but safer process adopted
by the greedy powers, until Germany
adopted Turkey, furnished her with
money to spend built few railroads
where they would help her protege little
and help herself much, supplied her with
guns and ammunition and taught her how
to kill Jews, Syrians and Armenians with
greater neatness and celebrity. When
Germany declared war and started for
Paris and London by way of Belgium,
Turkey found herself bound hand and
foot to her foster father The Sultan
was receiving an income of 81, $780, 600
wear. This would stop unless his people
could get money from Germany by loan,
or in exchange for rugs, meat, cattle and
gum He found German officers in COM
mand of his divisions, grim German gun
ners behind German machine guns and
the pockets of many of his own officers
lined with German gold. Turkey knew
that Austro-Hungary expected to be re-
warded for her part in the struggle, with
Turkish territory. She knew that she,
hSTSSIl, HluSI mo- CApCSL ICN alu, but Ii1oI
come victory or come defeat, vassalage
was to be her lot. In brief, she joined in
the war because she was in the grasp of
the merciless mailed fist.
The soil of Turkey is almost every
where fertile, but the people are too indo-
lent to carry on agriculture beyond the
Nv n
velopment of the mines has not passed
out of the primitive stages and such in
dustries as are undertaken are carried on
in the old traditional fashion. The people
are nomadic and predatory. They are
cunning assassins but not natural war
riors. AS fighting asset, Germany has
profited but little from Turkey. Turkish
troops have done little except to hold
British and Russian army, and prevent
them from throwing their strength against
Austria or the Hindenburg line. The
Kaiser smiles as the slaughter of Turkish
ferDops goes on and the debts of the ill
fated country grow larger When the
day of settlement comes the country will
be so weak in fighting power that the
foreclosure of the German mortgage will
not be contested. The Prussian dream of
world power has given the autocracy a
vision Of the easy acquisition Of Serbia,
Rumania, Bulgaria, and the other little
powers, once part of Turkey, then Tur-
key itself, and in the vista beyond the
Turkish railroads she has built she sees
Persia and the lands of eastern Asia. But
Prussianism has overesti mated the pow
er of the German empire and her dreams
of world domination are not to be real
yZed