The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-06-07
| Task Gigantic.

If an American mandatory Is to be
stretched to cover Constantinople, Ana
tolia and Armenia, the task will be FAR
more gigantic n far more difficult:
Constantinople has been the cause of
more wars than almost any other city
in the world. 1t is hard to believe that
in the future it will be less coveted.
Greek and Bulgarian ambitions will
continue. The day is almost certain to
| come when Russia will once more look
southwark toward Anatolia. We shall
find ourselves faced with seven million
| Turks, who will hardly welcome our
rule, and we shall find ourselves con-
| fronted with the task of defending
| them against Greeks and Italians. The
mandatory for Constantinople. Anatolia
| and Armenia would mean the employ
ment of an army of a quarter OF a
| million Americans for an extended Pc
riod of time. 1t would mean an enor-
| nous task of organization, industrially
as well as politically, and it would
mean inevitable participation in all dis
| putes of the future in the near East.
It would mean, in reality. that Europe
had transferred to the United States
the gigantic task of solving the old
Eastern problem, which is and re-
| but we should find ourselves handi-
capped in such a solution by the fact
that the essential parts of the territory
affected have already been assigned to
| Italy n Greece, including the natural
borders. Armenia would be a much
less ambitious task, but one the diff
cultles of which could not be exagger-
ated. 1t would certainly take thou.
sands of American soldiers and con-
sumo years. l have said, and / repeat,
no finer work Of national unselfishness
is conceivable, and if any mandatory
is to be taken by the United States,
\ none is more worthy of our acceptance,
since none would provide greater OPP
portunities for service and fewer for
profit. But it would be a task beside
which the Philippines was child's play
and Cuba a mere pastime.
It remains now TO deal with the Ara
bian portion Of the old Turkish empire.
lying south of the latitude of the gulf
Of Alexandretta. Here, now, this prob
lem presents itself. Under British aus
movement, and a new Arab kingdom.
with British authority, the king of the
Hedjaz has accepted nominal control
over all the old Arab regions from the
Red sea to the Cilician gates, including
Syria, Mesopotamia, Palestine and
troops fought with Allenby. and their
aid contributed much to the defeat of
the Turk.
Face Two Pledges.
But if the British encouraged the
king of the Hedjaz to conquer with
their aid these old Arab regions, they
also signed a treaty with the French
assigning Syria to France, and recog-
nized a special French claim in these
districts. which goes back to the time
Of the Crusades. Thus the British find
themselves in the presence OF two
pledges, totally opposed, one made to
the king of the Hedjaz and the other
to the French, and out of this conflict
has come one of the most scute ques-
tons of the Paris conference.
Today a solution seems in sight,
France is to ave a restricted Syria,
which will include the territories be-
tween the upper Euphrates and the
Mediterranean, south of the latitude OF
~Alexandretta, extending to Palestine
and the great desert. Beyrouth, .Aleppc
and Damascus are to fall within the
French sphere. France is to rule here
under a mandatory of the league of ma
certain of the claims of the king Of the
Hedjaz. In the same way. Great Brit
ain is to have Mesopotamia as far
north as Diarbekir and Mosul and Pal
astine-that is to say, the territories
which have peculiar Importance for In
dia and for Egypt.
But It will be seen this brief review
how incomplete and fragmentary, after
all, are the settlements or expedients
which are being adopted so far as Tur-
key is concerned, After all, II is as
difficult to liquidate the Turkish en-
pire as the Austro-H Hungarian. There
Is the same welter OF races within,
there is the same rivalry of claimants
from without. In placing Italians or
the, south shores Of Asia Minor, where