The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-09-18

the country now in Washington to
italian aspirations, hence Italy
stands with France In a~dvocating
its revision downward. But the
partnership between the two n
lions is on "A fragile basis for italy
knows France Is ever ready to sci.
out her vote In the Near East for
n free hand in Upper Silesia.
Some Decision Necessary.
As IL stands some decision must
be made before very long. The
Greeks seem TO have won a war.
They have driven the Turkish troops
almost from the field. They hold
the important railway lines and the
ports. 1t is a preposterous thing
that in the very heart of the ter
ritory conquered by Greece or held
by Greece on the basis of a title
recognized by all the world, there
should be fingered a Turkish sultan
and maintained by Allied fleets and
bayonets. 1t is a geographical ana
political ~absurdity that Greece hold
Ing all the landward approaches to
Constantinople, should be deprived
of possession of the city which is
the natural capital Of the New
Greece as 1t was the capital OF the
old Byzantine empire, which was
wholly Hellenic. Even the mutual
~Jealousies and antipathles Of the
Great Powers. however much they
may delay cannot permanently post
ponc settlement and Greek posses
sion is the one conceivable solution.
In theory 1t has been possible and
still is to make an international city
Of Constantinople, or rather az sort
OF international p~rincipaIity, includ-
ing the shores Of the Straits and OF
the Sea OF Marmora. But in prac-
tiCe this Is almost. as unavoidable
as the present method, which com
bines Turkish sovereignty with Al
lied supervision. The costs Of the
International city you'd be great,
the benefit to anyone nation dis
proportionate to the expense and.
the operation Of mutual ]tealousies
and rivalries would be paralyzing
once there was a dream hat Con-
s"tantinople was TO be the seat Of
the league Of nations, which was TO
have actual sway in this area,
thing as the Popcs had temporal
sovereignty in Rome In the cen
turtles preceding the "unification OF
Italy.
Today this plan, like that OF an
American mandate, has gone glim-
mering, but Constantinople remains
an ~unsolved problem. And tomor-
row, IL no solution be found, Russia
may again find unity and strength
and resume her efforts 10 gain an
open way to warm water. Nor il n
beyond the realm OF possibility thai
at some distant date "A restored Ger
may seek to reconstruct h "A
Mitteleuropa, which existed I'm fact
for many "A month during the "a
and had been a vision Of pan-Ger-
mans for many years before.
OF all solutions, the Greek
seem the f%airCst, the most york.
able and the easiest, hut II viii
not be reached without much biCk-
cTfng and bargaining and ncyrT
with Italian consent. Ana ven II
Greece should gain Constantine
pie she would have always to face
the mcnaC of n Bulgarian attack,
just ~ the Byzantine emperor,
confronted "A similar n near
ly IA thousand years ago. And
since Britain would profit most !
among the Great powers by n
Greek solution, France aud Italy
will certainly demand "C0npCn-
1hhl'n ~ UilhiAf tAil~ NV ANfN' W
British influence, which would
noun 10 establishing British
supremacy so.idly at the Straits
M I'm the Aegean.
And II the dispatches which come
to American newspapers from
abroad are more concerned with Up 1
per Sllcsla than with Dardanelles, |
one has only 10 examine European
Journals and French, In particular, |
TO see how large "A place this Eastern
Question occupies. In reality II 81 I,
a larger question than the Upper
Silesian, more difficult Of settle
because there is far less
of compromise and while
L remains unsettled the work Of
restoring peace or creating order
In Eastern Europe, of arriving at
concord between the Great Powers
VIII be postponed.
Greek Imperialism Iicyiving.
Moreover, for those 20 whom the
romantic IN history has an appeal,
he approach Of Hellenic armies to
headed by another Con-
'tantine, after more than five cen
OF exile and Of slavery must
an attraction. w in America
ire more accustomed to think vi >