Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-12

tcopyrighk' iaiS, VI thei Mcclure Newspaper
ali cSndicate.)

with the changed. condition of Ru-
mania the present article l mean
to deal wiln the old, familiar eastern
centuries has plagued Europe, and
produced wars innumerable. of when
the recent struggle is only the most
terrible.
once more. as al Vienna and again
n; Berlin Europe. this time with
-4uI.riCa sitting as a full partner rs
to :, i've To remove the old oostaGie
tpv ;-,d neAee. At vienna hot sne
smallest thought was paid to the de-
ny d.. or ever the rights OF the PEG,
pies OF the aear east-that they hao
fights. that there were even national
ities. as contrasted with subjects IN
this remote region. was not recoe
rjzea ~ those who laid down the con-
stitutiou of the new Europe fol-
lowing the upheayal of the French
revolution and of the NapoIeonic
wars. Nor did the congress OF Berl1n
OF is task. although the demands OF
nationlI;t;es had already made them
selves heard.
Failure Entails Successive Wars.
AS consequence Of the failure OF
the Berlin congress, we have mad, In
recent years-in the last decade-an
uninterrupted succession of wars ana
threats of war growing out OF the
eastern question and beginning Win
the annexation of Bosnia and Hefze-
govina by Austria in 1909. FROM tne
congress of Berlin to the outbreak
of the world war the Balkans have
been the fighting ground OF austrian
and Russian intrigue. and IN TINS
time Germany has more ana more
completely directed and shared IN
Niennese policies.
possession of the straits. with Con-
stantinople, has been the moving mo
tive of the Russian statesmen while
Austria has sougth to push her EN-
pire southwark to Saloniki Hot
directly opposed and might have been
realized by CO. operation, were brought
into conflict by the German determi-
nation to create mitteleuropa and ex-
tend German domination from the
Baltic to Suez and the Persian gulf
German policy thus aimed at pre-
venting Russia from reaching the
Golden Horn. This was the tradl-
tional British policy. surviving from
the ReaconsfieId era. but growing
weaker after the occupation OF Egypt;
and the construction of the Suez canal
cha red the whole face of the sit
uatior in the near east. Britain
withdrew from Constantinople and
Vas becoming reconciled to Russian
supremacy. while Germany succeeded
EnrIand as the first friend and de-
fender of the Osmanli against the
hereditary enemy.
In the present wsr one of the many
secret agreements between the athes
recognized the right OF RUSSIA TO
have and to hold Constant1nopie ana
ali of the shores on either side OF the
straits and the Sea of Marmora
ffnal compromise between British and
Russian. policies was arranged ana
Britain abandoned a policy which
from the Crimean war onward mao
denied Russia an outlet on the open
sea : But the fall of Russia abolished
this understanding and rescinded this
AGREEMENT There is no longer any
ned to recognize Russian claims: be-
cause they have been abandoned oy
the Russians themselves.
Opportunity to Settle Issue.
Asa result there exists today an
admirable opportunity to dispose OF
the main difficulty in the eastern
question. Europe can today deal with
the whole matter without having 10
take into consideration the hereditary
riySlries of Romanon or HapsDurg.
while the German power to lnnu-
ence the situation has gone. as mas
German prestige at Stamboul.
The solution of the problem may
take one Of three courses. The Turk.
under some sort of internationa! al
rection, may be permitted to remain
in hts present capital. The Greek may
he permitted to revive the memories
of the great Byzantine period and
rooccrpy regions once entirely Hell
'tenic and still inhabited by q very
Target Greek population. Finally. the
,grea tsppweys aey set up some form
Of G 4 eh15e na aass,ce the ey
MAJ SsAifkefsC SMH antinople an inter-
ne1fssada4fAled by the league OF
W sis1a s. " Hsst ssiiiss Conference.
IisssaRAas,dea. Least Desirable.
ofyi7iea aadtee solutions the first is
BY sgSf eAhsneite least desirable. II
ti,,:rGffzrofsHtsE' in Constantinople.
evessAWo saias hiss power be reduced.
his -fssss3s Iestxeyed, the old intrigue
IN saa AZ 1 ths turk nlli r p1ayed the
iiffea4Ma pdws&s Of Europe of against
one a. otA6Srsp1 thus maintained his
own exisfeDce and held on to the
EurSbeaK pf6Sinces which. he misgov-
ernedsAAja periodically laid in waste.
AS ens assrpisjstrator the Turk is i'm
p as. isk,aSsIs the Turk. holds Con
stantin98M AID the outlying districts
the. AS9er&" 4Eestion will remain. be-
play "a SsaHhSacity for assimilation or
i ,7S IS; R'1 mssan a.s tent of
Byssp5 bQlas 'sBd, there he has lived
wheel ,Hg, YHM be evicted and sent
baeksR, Rs,Enence ne came ana
the f,ifhfea III fsave constantinopie to
To, To 0 Of the Ds eas sss
quesufMas il has been postponed SO
many 1ifres before to the great dis
astef q fps world.
Greek spiption More Appealing.
Thea(sYeek. solution is more appeal
ing. .sIt Is the demand of the Greeks
that they be permitted to extend their
coast left to Bulgaria in 1913. the
lower valley. OF rthe Martha and the
shoreJs ofstHe Sea of Marmora, the
shores of the Black sea as far north
as Mfdia ana the Asiatic shore of the
straits the SEES Of Marmora and the
main1apd"of Asia Minor. including
Smyrna, with all the islands of the
restoration of the Byzantine empire,
which has been a Greek dream for
long. centuries. On the whole this ar
rangement would not do violence to
the principles OF self-determination
and it would follow the tradition of
since the beginning of history.
Yet the difficulties are many. Greece
is a small state, with a limited popu-
Iatien and small revenue She
would be called upon to defend the
new territories against the Bulgarian,