Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-03-06
BAGDAD RAILWAY LONG
A BONE OF CONTENTION
Doctor looks Article Shows Complications That
Arisen Over the German Built Rail
road Across Asia Minor.

the sultan OF turkey at any time TO
threaten to arouse the sixty million Mo-
hammedans in India against the English
| government. Considering all these OBJ
| jections and the fact that the increase
per cent in order to float the Bagdad
Railway bonds, would fall upon the Eng
| lish especially, since they imported more
| than one-haif of the Turkish imports, one
Englshman exclaimed bitterly not
often" has there been nearer parallel
in real life to the case, of being made to
pay for the razor to cut ones own throat "
Great Brltaln's Efforts.
Great Britain therefore persisted in her
opposition to the railroad even after she
had agreed to the raising OF the Turk1sh
customs Lord CurZon, the Viceroy OF In
dia, succeeded in making a treaty with
the local Sheik of Koweit in which the
latter agreed not to allow any but Eng
lishmen to build a. railway through his
dminion. This was important because
Koweit was commonly regarded as the
only suitable terminal of the railroad and
the Sheik of that place disclaimed the.
owing of any allegiance to the sultan OF
Turkey. AS proof of its independence, no
showed that neither he nor his predeces-
sors had ever paid any taxes to the Sui
tan Here, indeed. has been bone of
contention. Germany maintained that
Koweit belonged to Turkey and that she
would build the railway to the sea at that
place. On the other hand, England con
tended that she held exclusive rights in
that district and that the Bagdad Railway
should never reach the sea at koweit.
How many people knew that that little
ragged village of KoYeit at the head OF
the Persian Gulf was such an important
place?
AS the Germans pushed the railway
steadily across the Taurus Mountains
they became more insistent on their po-
sition Ona. finds the Vossiehe Aeltung
making the following stat ements regard
ing the Koweit affair: IF England does
not withdraw her opposition, the gEeaL
/ E.a r,un Esnprtan6g head TO
it's naval terminus on the Persian CUR,
and again. 'if England persists IN her oe.
mands Germany will know how to ACT
despite England" The Franhurter Iet-
tung expressed itself as follows: Eng
land must get out Of the way or be swept
out of the way" The Landownel is no less
belligerent on Great Britain's side;
t'Dhere we have figured as the first OF
peoples Gin the Persian Guild we cannot
accept the permanent position OF bril-
liant second Surely these mutterings OF
war as they rumbled back ana 1oftn
across the North Sea did not conduce to
better international feeling! Indeed lone
OF the most vexed questions in the rela-
lions between Germany and England since
1899 has been the matter OF the Bagdaa
Great War Prevents Agreement.
From recent disclosures it seems certain
that Great Britain and Germany were IN
fair way to end their differences over the
Bagdad Railway when the present inter
national conflict broke out. In June, 1914.
Sir Edward Grey and Prince Lichnowsky
drew up treaty In which It was pro-
vided that the Germans should complete
the railway to the City of Basra, about
sixty miles from the Persian Gulf. Goods
were to be transported from Basra to the
sea by opening the channel Of the Eu-
pirates river to a Turkish navigation
company in which the British were to hold
forty per cent of the stock. The British
were also to be allowed to have two mem
bers on the managing board of the Bag
dad Railway Company And thus this
question seemed in fair way of settle
nlent just at the moment when the ill
feeling and hatred existing between the
English and German people for which 1t
has so largely been responsible burst into
violence and bloodshed.
Courtesy of Penn State Collegian.