The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-06-07
Would Gust Sultan.

w VN4A Vuob SAAVUA'
This would nave meant to eliminate
the sultan. It would have meant put
ting the sick man out of Europe at
last, after 500 years of Incompetence
and worse. But the sultan of Turkey
is not merely head of the Turkish EN-,
pire, but the recognized spiritual head
of the larger part of Islam, INC very
promptly there came from British India
and from other parts Of the Mahomme-
protests would have had little weight
had there been any clear-cut policy as
to Constantinople, but there was not
The European nations were willing that
the United States should undertake the
task OF repeating in ~Constantinopie
what was achieved in Havana, but all
Europe has agreed against the trans
fer OF this city to any single European
power, while there is not much enthu-
siasm at the moment on the part or
the United States representatives.
1t was then proposed, and is now IN
der discussion, that Constantinople
Anatolia, which Is the larger part OF
Asia Minor, and Armenia, should be
constituted manufactures under the
league of nations, Armenia certainly
to be assigned to the United States,
Anatolia either to the United States or
France, and Constantinople with Ana
tolia to the United States, If our coun-
Il IL " ldhO
tolia and Constantinople, the sultan
would nave shadow authority, such as
is maintained by the khedive of Egypt,
or the hey in Tunis.
This solution of the problem of Asia
Minor was, however, complicated by in
Vulnerable claims and by not a few Sc
cret treaties. By the treaties in which
Great Britain and France agreed to
support Italian claims to Trieste and
Dalmatia, they recognized Italian
claims to Dodacenese and the
islands of the Eastern Aegean
taken In war, and to practically all the
Southern coast of Asia minor, including
the great gulf of Adalia. Some en-
couragement was also given to the ltal-
ian claims upon Smyrna. ,
But the allies have already assigned
Smyrna to Greece and have united In
asking Italy to abandon her claims 10
Dodacanese in view Of the fact that the
population is wholly Greek. 1t results,
therefore, that Italy has demanded and
will doubtless receive further conces-
sions in the hinterland behind the u
of Adalia. Thus the whole of the west.
ern coast of Asia Minor, with the great
port of Smyrna and all the south coast,
and Adalia, are separated from Ana
tolia. II one were also to create a sep
arate state out of Constantinople and
the shores of the straits. Anatolla woulo
be deprived of all its outlets to the sea
and some seven or eight million Turks
would be penned up in Asia Minor.
Anatolia Difficult.
AS to Anatolia, previous agreements
have made this question difficult also
Under one Franco British arrangement
the French were to have the u OF
Al~exandretta, and Armenian territory
between the Taurus mountains ano
Auanus about Adana. This would oe.
priye the Armenians of an outlet or
the Mediterranean, and under Ameri-
can impulsion France has been per
suaded to abandon this part OF mel
claims. True, Armenia, a solid block OF
hinterland about the headwaters OIL tne
Euphrates and between Anatolia ano
the old Russian frontier, has all alone
been indicated as the site OF the AT.
menian state, but in a very large par