The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-07-11
America in the Black Sea.
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN

Washington, July S.-The spotlight o
| American interests through the decades
| to come may be centered on that mys
terious body of water half fresh, hal
| salt, which lies near the land center
of the eastern hemisphere, the Blacl
sea.
The curtain-raiser in the future
drama of commerce to be played with
the Black sea as it's stage was put or
the other day when the shipping boarc
announced that the 7,300-ton steamer
Huachuca pronounced waw-chu- kal
would henceforth ply back and forth
between America and Odessa The
10,000-ton steamer Polybius would bt
the second addition to the Black sea
trading fleet, and would be put into
service during the month of July.
This is the first evidence. of an In
creasing interest on the part of the
United States in that region of the
world which surrounds the Black sea
There are other evidences of interest
which may. in the years to come. lead
to conditions that may make this. part
of the world the incubator for Ameri-
can ideas in the near east. There is
. for instance. the proposal, said to be
favored by President Wilson, that the
for what is left of Turkey and for Ar
menia.
Under these circumstances the United
States would control Constantinople,
which is the dominating city of the
Black sea. Located as it is on the Bos-
phorus, that narrow strip of water
which Is the outlet for all the region
which Is tributary to this placid, life
less inland ocean, Constantinople is the
point of strategy. military or CONNER
cial, for this part of the world and for
Russia. Armenia on the other hand
lies on the southern shore of the Black
sea, and protectorate over it would
sentatives of America in the exercise
OF their mandatory authority, and de-
velop a liaison with those ancient and
Biblical lands of the near east.
In the history Of the world in the
past few decades there have been a
number of instances where nations
have exercised an authority similar to
that of the mandatory which is pro-
posed in the future conduct of inter-
national affairs. The government of In
dia by England is of the nature of a
mandatory, except that it is perma-
nent where control under the league OF
nations is intended to be temporary.
Under British control India has been
transformed from land of chaos, pes
thence, famine to one of comparative
we'll being. Nobody denies that India
has been benefited by British control
On the other hand, nobody denies that
Britain has benefited stupendously
through her connection with that part
of the world which lies around the In
dian ocean. This mandatory has made
Britain the dominant force and the
reaper Of the harvests of that part of
the world.
In Egypt Great Britain exercises an
other permanent mandatory, and the
result is that England becomes the
dominating force in that ancient world
which lies along the Nile and controls
the bulk of its trade. Among other re-
suits is possible emancipation of the
British from dependence on the United
States for cotton.
The United States exercised in Cuba
a mandatory which was temporary, and
in virtually every respect the same sort
of mandatory provided by the league
Of nations. This country occupied Cuba
but a short time, but the result was
that it became so familiar with every
island. and so much more intimately
bound to 1t than is any other country,
that it now takes virtually all that
Cuba produces.
Likewise in the Philippines, where
the United States has guided the des-
result been that a civilization has de-
veloped, built upon American ideals,
and a commerce has developed, 80 per
cent. of which goes to the United
States. Our control of the Philippines
would seem to be argument in favor OF
Wherever conditions have existed
hat have been similar to those which
may be expected to de-
1elop. the nation exercising the authori-
.y has become the dominant factor.
Trade, capital. government institu-