The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-03-11
BY GUGIIELSfO FERRO.
tT11e Famous Italian Historian. J

1 Rome, March l0.--Next to Africa,
the effect of the war has been more
felt in Asia than in any part Of the
, world. but Europe.
In Asia the war has brought about
great event: the fall OF the Ottoman
empire. which shared the fate Of
the Russian and Austro- Hungarian
Constantinoplc and is still surrounded
by his coart hut the last days of the
Caiiphate have dawned.
peace S sof4ss..s x III isse ISL st in ea
for all the eastern question which
has been for so many centuries a
source OF difficulty in Europe. by as
singing the Turks that part OF Asia
Minor In which the population is main
~ Turkish and liberating foreer the
Christian races who hae SO long groan
ed under Turkish tyranny Turkey
VIII cease to be vast empire. ranking
among the great powers of Europe
and will become a Mussulman state
OF secondary importance with a fairly
hom ogeneous population with no
Christian subjects or provinces--a
state much Ike Morocco before that
country came. under the protectorate
OF European power.
This Transformation of Turkey liz
an event OF prime Importance which
will give rise to many problems. Let
us look closer into the chief of these
problems. and see what attitude italy
should adopt towards them in accord
ance with the liberal and democratic
principles which have her rulinf mo-
tives throughout the war.
The first regards Constantinople as
to this question. can but repeat
what I wrote early in 1918, when
France and Great Britain engaged In
the disastrous Dardaneiles expedition
in order to help Russia. who after n
bare six months Of war. already felt
her strength unequal to the task be-
fore her, ] said that Constantinople
could only be the capital OF half
Osiatic, half European empire. such
as the Roman empire at the time of
constantine: That II could not. there
fore. continue TO he the capital OF
Turkey, once that empire had lost its
European provinces and CONSTANT
NOBLE had become frontier city. I
added that Constantinople was there
fore destined to be, not the capital
OF a vast empire, but town OF COM
merce and trans-shipment. command
ing the communications between the
Mediterranean and the most flourish
ing provinces OF the ancient Russian
empire; religious and intellectual
rallying point. charged with the task
OF blending the more modern. me
chanical and cumulative civilization
of the west with the ancient. religious
and qualitative civilization Of the east
! concluded that the best method OF
attaining this end would be to make
Constantinopie a free, International
city. placed under the protection OF
the Europe powers. and enjoying A
small stretch of territory on the shores
of the Dosphorus
Four years OF the war have not
caused me to waver from this ideal
or to modify in any way. II still seems
to me the best solution Of the Con-
stantinople questionable one for
which Italy ought To vote at the peace
conference The league of nations.
which was not yet on the carpet In
1915. might very well act as the organ
of this international rule or protection
TO which II IL proposed to entrust
Constantinople.
chief tasks OF the league OF nations
should be TO make Constantinople