The Washington herald., 1921-08-24
LIED FAILURE TO AGREE
GIVES CREEKS FREE HAND
Triumph in Asia Minor May Lead to Seizure Of
Constantinople and New Byzantine Empire.

ton. and both will unQuestionabiy
DO their utmost to restore the
Turks to Q fighting posture. In.
deed. We are now to have the in
teresting spectacle of France, Brit
ain and italy. united In the supreme
council az the guardians Of Euro
pean peace. engaged in supplying
rival aspirants for Asiatic territory
with guns and munitions. the Brit
ish favoring the Greeks; the French
and Italians the Turks.
One repercussion of the Turkish
victory, however, must have sert-
Gus consequences for the British.
The other day the Sultan Of Afghan
istan announced that his country
would adopt toward Great Britain
a policy based upon the attitude
preserved by the British toward the
Turks.
Proeiaims Holy War.
Hard on the Paris pronounce
ment comes the announcement that
the Sheriff Of Mecca, the King Of
the Hedjas, has proclaimed the
Holy War on behalf OF the Turks.
The proclamation of the Holy War
has recently rather lost its old Sc
rious meaning, yet II Is plain that
the whole Mohammedan world Is
likely to be stirred by recent events.
For Great Britain this il imme-
diateIy unwelcome, both because of
the situation In Mesopotamia and
the present difficulties in Egypt and
in India. France in Syria, Algeria.
Morocco, and Tunis as well, may
feel the effect OF the religious dis
turbances in Islam while italy in
Tripoli will have to face quite as
serious possibilities. Thus the
Greek victory. new that II Is pass
ing even the limits set by the most
optimistic Philhelleno seems likely
to complicate the whole Near East
ern problem in a new fashion.
Conferees Hopelessly Divided.
Americans, with the Washington
conference in mind and the problem
of the Pacific pressing. may well see
In the failure OF the Paris confer
ence to deal effectively with the
Near Eastern question a suggestion
of what may be coming here. OF
course the trouble in Paris was
that the conferees were so hope
lessly divided any common action
was impossible. rival aspirations
and interests dictated government
policies, and the collision of the DIFF
ferent policies paralyzed all action
Thus another considerable war Is
to continue. The supreme council
and the league Of nations have al
ready failed to solve the Russo
Polish problem, which eliminated
after q protracted and bitter con-
fiict in Polish victory in the battle
of Warsaw. This victory was
translated into the treaty OF Riga
the Pole-Lithuanian dispute over
Wilma, which still hangs nre. and
now they have failed to stop the
Turco-Greek dispute. which has re.
suited in a bloody, costly and gen
orally unsettling conflict. the efforts
of which are felt today from Cal
cutta to Casablanca-
Britain Supports Greece.
II would be easy for the great
powers to have prevented the Greek
advance against the Turks had they
chosen since they command the sea,
but the British who really domi-
nate on the sea are backing the
Greeks. France might have pre-
vented the Polish campaign agains,
the Bolshevists, which was after
all defensive even IN its offensive
phase, but France 10 backing the
Poles. The great powers could
easily dispose of the Polo-Lithuan-
ian dispute over wilma, which
ought to be Polish. but as usual
Britain Is hostile to Poland. France
friendly-so the question draEs.
Greeks Increase Area.
Meantime one of the conse-
quences Of the recent decision or
indecision in Paris may be tho rise
OF Greece as q real power. Recent
wars, beginning with the Balkan
affair Of 1912. have resulted in the
Increase Of the country in area and
population in . surprising fashion.
Today, IN the area fixed by the
treaty OF Sevres, Greece counts be-
tween 100000 and 100000 in
habitants. aginst the 100000 of
1912, and moro than 100000 are
Greeks. Tomorrow she stands to
gain 100000 more by imposing a
victory peace upon Turkey. In the
same time her area has increased
from $4,000 square miles in 1919,
to nearly $4,000 in 1920 and her
prospective gains in the present
war should bring her above 100000
ssuare miles or almost the figure
Of Italy.
May Regain Consta ntfnopIe.
1t Is possible, one cannot yet say
probable. that the outcome Of the
present Greek triumph in Asia
Minor may be the return of Con-
stantinople to Hellenic hands, the
restoration Of a considerable por-
ton Of the Byzantine Empire, ana
the rise Of really important Greek
state, custodian Of the gateway
from the Aegean to the Black Sea,
mistress Of Western Asia Minor,
and. In all probability. commercially
the most considerable factor In the
Near East
All of which VIII Be vell-niEh
fatal to italian hopes and plans,
and exceedingly distasteful to the
French. But It will fall In with
British views admirably. Histor,-
cally. perhaps the most interesting
thing 10 the promise Of the res
toration Of the old rivalry between
the East and the West, between
the ancient cities of Rome and Ath-
ems. sentimentally. At least, the
come back" of the Greek 10 one
Of the most appealing circumstances
in all patriotic records. Practi.
cally, the recent developments DEM