El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-09-01


What II Would Mean
But II is essential to recognize ex-
I actly what this mandatory would
mean. The possession Of CONSTANT
nOple in the last three thousand years
Z has brought to the various peoples
and rulers who held IL wars without
/ number and end. To hold CONSTANT
nople as a mandatory. the United
3 States would have to face the fact
that at no distant hour her possession
! might be challenged by Russia, which
Z has occasionally Interrupted but never
/ surrendered the logical and almost
I inevitable advance 10 the open sea
I Great Britain. France and italy prom
/ ised Constantinople 70 imperial Russia
as a reward for fidelity in this war.
7 The Bolshevists betrayed the alliance
Z and renowned Constantinople, but
! their renunciation will hardly outlast
! their regime, while the economic, the
/ political. the military considerations
! which have made ConstantinOple the
[ objective Of so many czars will sur
I Wye Boshevism. Tomorrow, then, we
may find. II We occup Constantinople,
Z that We have become for Russia a
hostile nation far more dangerous
/ than Russia would be for Us II some
domestic calamity in the United States
should so cripple as to enable re-
/ generated Clavdom to become master
Of the Panama republic and the Pan
ANA canal
Z. S. would Face Two Claimants.
Nor is this all We should also
find ourselves In the presence Of two
! other claimants. one an ancient and
the other a contestant for Is centuries.
For nearly a thousand years after the
separation..of the Roman empire into
eastern and western halves, the east
ern half. with C0nstantinople as its
capital, was. with ever increasing
degree, a Greek state The Byzantine
Ii Iraaa - .
break with Rome had be come com
plete, was Hellenized and CONSTANT
nople replaced Athens as the capital
Of the Greek world. Even after the
Turk took the former city. extin-
guished the eastern empire. conquered
Greece as well. the population OF Con-
stantinople and OF the shores Of the
straits and the Aegean remained IN
larger part Greek, and aside from the
Turk. the largest single ethnic group
in Constantinople today is Greek.
O For nearly five centuries the Greeks
have looked forward TO the restora-
ton Of the Byzantine empire Athens,
the peninsula and the cities associated
with the glories OF classical Greece
remain for the foreigner, and partic-
ulariy for Americans, the expression
for the meaning Of Greece so far as
the map is concerened- But such a
Greece would. in the nature Of things,
be condemned TO the estate OF small
power. anu u Is moi as a GlildlA power
that the Greeks see their country for
the future. IN the days OF its great
ness. in the days OF its relative decline,
the Byzantine empire extended from
the Balkans to the Taurus and the
upper Euphrates.
Hope TO Restore byzantine Empire.
All the islands and mainland sur
rounding the Aegean, the southwest
shores Of the Black sea, Asia Minor it.
self were part Of this Greek world.
and this Byzantine empire was great
er IN area that modern France OF
Germany, and despite the multiplicity
Of races which dwelt in the various
districts, the Greek language, the
Greek spirit, the Greek race domi-
mated
In the hundred years thats have
passed since the first fragment Of
Greece escaped from Turkish rule
enormous steps have been taken to-
wards the realization OF the Greek
hope Of restoring the Byzantine en-
pire. In Europe. Greek frontiers have
been pushed northWard 20 the limits
attained in ancient time. If the pres