New-York tribune., 1920-06-13


enormous consequences for the
United States.
The present American mood is
rather suggestive Of the ostrich, yet
at the precise moment the country
is deliberately turning it's back upon
European affairs it continues to
maintain an army in Europe, quite
as large as that which accompanied
Shafter to Cuba, in the First Expe-
dition, and. despite every wish on
the part of the American public, we
remain caught in the European tan
gle, and the steady march Of Euro
pean anarchy has as eventual men,
ace for America as for the rest of
the world.
Is Not Unreasonable
To say that the new Eastern
question may bring American troops
to Europe, and even to Asia, is to
make an assertion not half as un-
reasonable as the forecast that an
assassination in Serajevo would lead
to the Battle of the Meuse- Argonne.
And it is because it seems to me
that the new Eastern question has
q real menace and an unmistakable
importance for Americans that
mean in this article briefly to re-
view the several phases Of that
problem which has recently been
called to public attention by the
Slav-Italian crisis about F'iume, the
reopening of the Albanian dispute,
the clash between Greek and Turk
ish troops in Thrace, with Bulgarian
intervention on the Turkish side,
and finally by the signing Of the
Hungarian Treaty, which inhicts
upon the proudest nation in Europe
a humiliation hardly paralleled in
history.
The old Eastern question was rela-
lively simple, despite the fact that
its details plagued European states
men for century. From the fall Of
Napoleon to the rise of Prussia
Great Britain undertook to bar the
road of Russia to the Golden Horn
and to the open sea-that is, to the
Mediterranean. This British policy,
which was based upon the idea Of
supporting the Turk, preserving the
disintegrating Turkish Empire, led
to. the Crimean War, in which
France fought on the British side.
1t very nearly led to war again,
twenty odd years later, when Russia
having overthrown Turkey, again
reached the Sea of Marmora and
came within sight of Constantinople
itself.
The Berlin Conference
Peace was preserved by virtue of
Russia's consent to lay her case be-
fore a European conference; but
that conference, held at Berlin, saw
the complete disappointment of Rus
sia and marked the rise Of Germany
10 complete mastery on the Cont
nent Bismarck having framed an
alliance with Austria Hungary, the
two powers henceforth stood unitedly
in Russia's pathway, while Britain
having taken Egypt and controlling
the Suez Canal, lost interest in Con.
stantinople
From the Congress Of Berlin te
the assassination Of the Archduke
ttairty-six years later, the history o1
the Near East is report of the
rivalries between Austria and Rus
sia, each seeking control Of the Bal
kans. In this struggle Bulgaria wa,
for moment the servant of Rus
sia, but very shortly changed sides
while Serbia became the soldier O.
the Gar. Russia undertook to pro
tect Serbia and Montenegro agains
Austria, thus barring Austria,
pathways to Salonica and tn,
Egean. Austria, with Germany be
hind her, supported Rumania an,
Bulgaria, thus barring Russia's Ian,
approach to Constantinople. Tur
key, too, drifted rapidly into the 20
sition of an ally Of Berlin and 0
Vienna, and German influence at tn
Golden Horn completely supplante,
British.
But In 1912 there came a sudde,
change in the situation. The Balkan
States, laying aside secular hatreds
Joined in coalition against Turkey
and briefly and completely extin
guished Turkish power in Europe
The Bulgarian troops reached the
InataiJa lines near Constantinople
the Greek troops entered Salonica
and Serb forces TOOK Monastir and
occupied aIl of northern Albania.
asrs was u direct defeat for all of
The Austro-Gerrnan hopes, for both
: In Vienna and In Berlin there had