The New York herald., 1921-06-26

with no uncertain voice that what they
need is not a Greek war but some
thing off the British income tax. That
is not quite so simple as it looks.
Trouble Ahead I'm Near East.
There is possibility of grave trouble
ahead i'm which British troops may be
involved. | saw that peril looming
ahead when l went to Greece and Tur-
key last year and then to Asia Minor.
The situation in Constantinople wasn't
very reassuring even then. Every
Turk In that city on the Golden Horn
was at heart a Nationalist, hating
every British soldier boy as an enemy
of Allah and His Prophet and con-
spring to give help TO Mustapha
kemal Pasha. the Nationalist leader in
Asia Minor. who is raising the banner
Of Islam in defiance of the Sultan, who
Is puppet i'm our hands.
A few battalions of British boys and
ii few warships in the Bosporous held
Constantinople for the allied Powers,
but our troops could do no more than
demonstrate on the fringe of the
Asiatic shore, blow a few bugles. hoist
a flag and depart when the Turkish
bands approached too close. They came
close enough to plant batteries within
range of the Dardanelles but then
withdrew when the Greek army, under
orders from Venizelos, broke the Turk
ish line in the hinterland of Smyrna.
Since then many things have hap
pened. The Greek soldiers have their
king again. but still no peace and
precious little trade. Mustapha Kemal
Pasha has gathered strength again.
The Turkish Nationalists have linked
with the Russian Bolsheviks in Georgia,
on the eastern side of Asia Minor, as
well as with the Bolsheviks in the
Black Sea ports. They are getting
arms and ammunition from Russia
and they pledge their faith to get back
Smyrna and Thrace from the Greeks
and to restore liberty to the Sultan in
Constantinople
Greece I'm Poor Position.
Meanwhile France and Italy are pro-
Turk because of trade interests and
political dislike of Greek power in the
Mediterranean. Greece therefore looks
pion, and Britain, outside the Foreign
Office and certain trading houses, looks
not at all toward the Greek isles and
the city of minarets where the Golden
Horn flashes like curved scimitar. but
stares inward at her own State, where
the coal fields are still idle and the
factory chimneys no longer smoke and
millions of her .workingmen lounge
about while their leaders call for fur
ther strikes.
am rather uneasy about that situa-
ton in the Near East, for 1t Is a dam
ger spot between the East and West,
which for centuries has been a cockpit
of war and massacres and the cause
for conflicts, with Constantinople as
the devilish temptation. Sentimentally
am all for the Greeks, but this is no
time for sentiment, and the troubles
at home are too serious for any ad-
ventures abroad.
British labor is still putting up a
stubborn fight against a reduction in
wages and our great industrial cities
are silent and smokeless Long con-
tinuance of the coal strike is leading
US toward a precipice over which all
hopes Of regaining our old prosperity
will be dashed to pieces. Every fac
tory is being starved Of it's vital needs
and every trade is grievously injured.
The mental attitude of the men is
simple enough. as have explained be-
fore. They are not out for revolu-
ton, though revolutionary agitators
are among them. They are struggling
to maintain the standard of life to
which they were lifted up during the
war and to get a fair margin beyond
the bare necessities for some of the
fun of life and some of its little lux
uries.