The Columbia evening Missourian., 1921-11-26
BRITAIN CEASES
IT'S MEDIATION
CONTINUED irom page one,

lion which Germany held before t5nd
as a part cause of the war. She had
concluded and ratified a secret treaty
with Turkey wllic., not only definitely
aligned those two powers against Greece,
England's protege, but actually hanied
over TO the Turks the control Of rail.
way communications with Mesopotamia,
IN importan, secticn of the Bagdad rail.
way. once so fatctully controlled in a
similar manner by Germany.
France had ''pasrit over on Curzon.
Thai was the angry exclamation Of the
lmperialisis. They began to recall al
once how the Foreign Office had played
a losing game in Persia, down to the
last and smallcs, Of Brllains stakes
jus, al time when her prestige and
q breakdown in Russia would have en-
abled her TO win the whole prize instead
Of the semi-glory Of her prc-war po-
siiion. The Bolshcviks had '-pu, it over
on Curzon there, That was evident
now, Then he had backed Constantine
in the Greek king spectscle-film war
with the Kemalis, Turks, in spite Of
the furious protest of France, always
Jealous Of Greece in the Mediterranean:
and Constantine's war of invasion had
ended in ignominious failure and flight,
and France had laughed in her sleeve
and all the Arabs in the Near East
knew thai France had won ard England
had lost. The L:sillusion Of the I'm.
perialis;s was complete. Their idol is ci
common clay, So they begin al cnce
to pull il down.
So far as can be judged by official
statements and private acquaintance it
is a fact that neither Lord Curzon him.
self nor any of mis- great and disiin-
guished staff Of intelligence officers
thought for moment that France would
behave as France has been behaving in
all things since England and America
put her in the don inant position in Eu-
rope. Ii seems never TO have occurred
to them that France would seize at once
on the natural beEefiis accruing to her
BY the defeat Of Greek arms and British
policy in the Near East.
FRANCES SIDE OF CASE
Apoloeisis for France are not lacking:
they are more vocal than any for Lord
Curzun. There are those who ask. wha,
could England reasonably expect after
deliberately setting up an ayowedly anti
French Arab leader as king Of Mesopo-
iainia? 1t was natural and profitable
for France to play her Kemal agains, the
British Feisul. An Anglo.French war Of
interests in the Near East. they assert.
was made inevitable by British policy
and is declared in Frances counter pol
icy. France is now taking the place Of
Germany in the problems Of the Near
East. France has taken the part Of
Germany as the power favored by Is
lam. Germany. II is true, was able to
make very little capital out Of her Mo-
lamnedan investments. When the Holy
War was preached, according to plan. il
failed entirely TO make the trouble in
India which was ic be the reward OF
the Kaiser's Monammedan pilgrimage.
Bu; that power. in the hands Of France,
is much more rerloubiable today; the
state Of India is more disturbed thar
it has ever been before under British
rule; Mohammedan opinion has been in
famed against Britain every time Brit.
ish policy has come in contact with it
since the end OF The war.
France, say these apologis,s. has sim
ply behaved with proper understanding
Of the situation caused by the defeat Of
the Moslem Turkish Empire. while Lord
Curzon has neglected no opportunity to
irritate the Mohsmmedan world. They
declare that he is preparing yet greater
disasters for Britain by associating him
self with Winston Churchill in making
military demands upon Egype tspecif-
ically, the right 10 maintain garrisons
Of British troops in inland townsi which
threaten to wreck an otherwise assured
settlement Of the Egyptian problem.
cUezos IS ATTACKED
Lord Curzon is thus being attacked
from several sides II is possible tina, ;f
he allows himself to be guided BY mil.
iiary opinion in deciding the faic Of the
Egyp,ian problem he NAV also he made
10 nav the full price Of errors in Asia
Minor. That would not be fair. but 4,
would be convenient. How'd Ceorre fav.
ors a Liberal settlement Of this Egyp.
iian problem. His differences with Lord
Cnrzon on this m.;ter are so well known
that. if the military party wrecked the