Evening star., 1920-05-17
TURKS DEPARTURE
MAY HERALD NEW
EPOCH FOR EUROPE
Sultan Now Confined to
Small Area Under
Allied Guns.
By FRANK II. sIMONDs.

| liquidation of the Turkish empire In
Europe. BY contrast allied states
manship has once more fallen back
upon the old policy of compromise
and procras tination. so far - III. Us
manli estate in Asia is concerned.
The fact that the sultan is permit
ted to remain in Constantinople under
certain restraints and conditions
really has little Significance. What is
left of Turkey-in- Europe is the pc
ninsula on which Constantinople
rises. Turkey has shrunk to exactly
those limits which existed at the mo-
ment when. following the opening
victories of the first Balkan war. Just
eight years ago. the victorious Bull
gar armies came laundering down to
the Chatalja lines. What was the f1r
ing line in 1912 has now become the
frontier in 1920.
Within those frontiers the Turk is
in reality, prisoner. Every foot of
the European territory left him is
within range of the fleets of the al
lies. both from the Black sea and the
Sea Of Marmora. In point Of fact. it
is the sultan. as the inheFitor Of the
religious. not the political, preroga-' l.
tives of his predecessors, who is now
to be maintained. His position. too.
must suggest very strikingly that of
the Pope. after the last of the wars
tium becomes. after fashion. mag
nlfied Vatican. inhabited by great
religious potentate. whose temporal
power has been forcibly taken away.
Turk Goes Out OF Europe.
Thus, after seven centuries the
Turk goes out of Europe leaving be-
hind him, in an odd fashion, the races
which he submerged when he broke
like an enguling wave into the Eu-
ropean world. The Serb. the Bulgar.
the Magyar. the Rumanian, all his
victims in the remoter past. are free
again-free. unhappily to resume their
old quarrels which contributed SO
much to Turkish success in the Begin
ning-while the Greek regains what
had been his. in the more prosperous
days of the Byzantine empire, Adria-
nople, Saloniki, the coasts and islands
of the Aegean.
Yet the very recent history of
Adrianople is a grim reminder of how
transitory are cotemporary frontiers
in the Balkans. In 1912 it was Turk
ish. as it had been for more than six
centuries. But the next year saw il
fall 10 the Bulgarians, actually taken
through the aid of tn" Serbs, and then.
the Serbs and the BD .rians quarrel
ing, pass again into turkish hands.
1t is only seven years ago that the
world was eagerly discussing the
Enos-Midia line, which was to extend
from the Aegean to the Black sea and
separate Turkey from the new Bull
garia- In that time the conference of
London solemnly assigned Kavals as
well as Adrianople to the Bulgarians
and Serb and Greek consented But
Ferdinand of Bulgaria could neither
resign the temptation to enter Con-
stantinople as conqueror nor ac-
cept the Greek occupation of Saloniki
as permanent
The result has been fatal to Bulgaria
which of all the Balkan states had the
Dest chance and the most external sup
port Before the congress of Berlin the
treaty OF San Stefano assigned to Bull
earla tWo-thirds OF the Balkan penin-
sula. Britain blocked this at Berlin. bur
time seemed still to fight for the Bulear.
iI 1912 everything was within his hands.
all that was required was little mod
capacity. who. like Venzelos, could sur
render something doubtful to be assured
Of something certain.
Today. BulSa,ia is where she stood
generation ago She has lost all Ru-
which was assigned to Bulgaria at Ber
lin. Serbia has Macedonia, in which
Buigar agents have worked for more
than thirty years. The Greeks have
saioniki and au the Aegean coast east
Thrace and Adriauople. They have. II
the international. system now proposed
for Constanti-op'a fails the best chance
OF ObtainiEP iha. city. itself.
Hut what is most interesting. after
all. is the fashion in which the ethnic
fra agments have reappeared as the
Turkish wave has receded. The Turk
las conquered. he has not assin,i-
lated. He advanced to the walls of
Vienna. where Polish army halted
him. but year by year. as his power
waned. another ethnic group re-
emerged. as land reappears when
flood begins to ebb. He has camped
in Europe and his stay has for more
! than six centuries interrupted the de-
velopment of the Balkan peoples. But
for the Turk. the Serb and the Bull
gar. might have kept pace with the
Englishman and the Frenchman in
national development. Five centuries
ago. under Dushan. Serbia was a pro-
gressive nation. Nearly a thousand
years ago Bulgaria gave promise of
| far shining future. AS for the
/ Greek. he has best survived the long
night because he knew best how to
adapt himself to the tyrart.
OF all the European wars which ex-
| tend from the fall OF Napoleon to
| the flight of William ii most have
! had their origin or their occasion in
| the Balkans and the last and might
! lest is no exception. The eastern
! question has wrecked the Romanoff
| and Hapsburg empires, 1t has dragged
the Hohenzorern down with the
| others. And the odd ac:1 ironical cir
cumstance is THAI While the great
powers have ruined themselves and
each other by their rivalries, it has
! races. which have, in the end won
| the prize. Austria pushed Bulgaria
! against Serbia. a move against
| Russia: Russia caunterad by sup
porting Serbia, Rumania was a sol
! dier first of the car against the
!. sultan and then Of the kaisers
/ against the czar. but car. kaisers.
4 even the sultan, have ceased to be
forces. while the Serb. the Greek. the
], Rumanian. the Bulgar remain.
/ Long View of balkans.
/ The curious may take down their
historical aliases. turn 10 maps show
| ing the near east u thousand years
/. ago and find suggestions of the
! frontiers which are now being laid
! down :, ,.-ai;. In Il sense the eastern
! questso,. has reverted 10 an older
| stage. The Balkans have ceased to be
| The oa;tf,...s .I.ss -. "..;,t .o.y--s: tl.sy
have become. again. the field of con-
fict Of the inhabitants themselves. A
quarrel between the Bulgar and the
4 Greek. between the Serb and Ru-
maniasl. viii tomorrow have far less
/ evil Sit. aifi, 1Cce i'll Paris, London and
| Rome .,lan :. decade ago. 1t will have
none H. - - III oSAiiH VI
/, potrc-.:.l. - much is clear gain. To
this degree the world war has local
led the Balkans.
10 IL .i.a. ''onstartinople remains.
IS !. has been from the very dawn OF
,.st3rS. 4 pa 4b!sm for world politics.
Iaternationa control win score it's
first success after many failures IL II
| :lci.iey1s anything lasting at the
Golden Horr. But granted the limita
tions ct the method. there is little
real danger that Britain and France
or Isaly aud France will fight each
\ other Tor pos ession OF the straits
and g Creek solution remains always
81 -i;In6