New-York tribune., 1920-03-06
Bag and Baggage
By. Franz II. Simonds

The uproar now in progress in Britain
over the moro or less definite agreement
of Lloyd George to consent to the con-
tinued occupation Of Constantinople by
the Turk has it's amusing and it's an
noying aspects. The fact that the Turk
is in Constantinople is due to British
policy pursued from Napoleonic times
to tho World War. To keep the Russian
out, which necessitated keeping the
Turk il, Britain fought the Crimean
War and was prepared to fight still
another war when the Russians came
to San Stefano. At the Congress Of
Berlin Britain, through Bcaconsfield,
barred Russian pathway to the open
seas.
During the World War. however, in
the era Of the secret treaties, Britain
consented to Russian possession Of the
straits, as she agreed to Italian expan-
sion along the east shore of the Adri-
attic and in Asia Minor, as she agreed
to French occupation Of Syria. With
Russia gone, however, the ultimate dis
position Of Constantinople remained
for the Paris Conference to agree Upon.
An american Mandate
The conference. moreover, agreed
that the United States should occupy
the Golden Horn, provided only that
the United States would (and both the
President and Colonel House were of
the opinion that America would) take
this mandate. France, Britain and
Italy were all willing America should
take 1t, while all there were solidly
against the possession Of this vital
point by any European country.
But the United States having pretty
clearly indicated an unwillingaess to
act as mandatory, despite the sugges-
tion that the President would return
to- Europe and attend now conference
to settle Asiatic matters In the spring,
1t became necessary to settle the ques-
tion. France took the ground that,
since America would not occupy Con-
stantinople, the wisest and simplest So
luton was to leave the Turk, taking
due precautions against the fortifca-
tion of the straits. The French were
moved by three circumstances. They
held the larger part of the Turkish
debt, they were, as Mahometan state,
opposed to risking religious disturb
ances in their colonies incident to the
removal Of the Sultan and, finally, they
regarded any other solution as likely
to amount to a British control Of the
straits.
The British on their part were op-
posed to a French mandate, and not
few Of those familiar with the Ma
hometan question as it affected India.
Mesopotamla and Egypt agreed with
the French that 1T would be wiser to
leave the Turk in the city, carefully
restricting his real powers. To make
the town an international city appealed
to neither the British nor the French.
because this merely meant to create
another center of international fric-
tion, such as Tangier had been before
the war.
Compromising Felony
But not a few Englishmen felt at
once that the retention of the Turk
was compounding an ancient felony for
new reasons Of eXpediency, and the de-
mand has steadily increased that the
Turk be forced to quite Europe "bag
and baggage" This is relatively SIM
pie, but who is to be placed in his
stead? Obviously not the Frenchman,
the Italian or the Englishman. The
American has declined. An interna-
tional city means a new and even more
acute Eastern question.
There is left the Greek; his claim
is obvious. Except for the Turk the
Greek element is largest in the city,
and the Turk would go with his Sultan.
Constantinople as the capital of the
Byzantine Empire was Hellenic for
centuries; the population on both
shores of the straits and the Sea of
Marmora is Greek. But to give Con-
stantinople to Greece would be to pave
the way for Greek renaissance Of