Evening star., 1921-07-10
BY OLIVER OWEN KUHN.
THE one straw to which the al
lies have been desperately

order tossave themselves from
10 crumpling. Their last hope in ad-
5usting near eastern differences in
some degree resembling the terms SO
carefully set forth in the treaty OF
Sevres is tottering. All indications
are that within a period of the next
thirty days there must be far-reach-
ing readjustment of ambitions and
policies If there is not actual and pro-
!onged war against the Turks. with
the final hope of achieving by force
the things that have been lost since
the treaty Of Sevres was signed.
The situation becomes clearer as
the hours pass. The tremendous
power of Mustapha Kemal through
out Turkey can be gainsaid no longer.
He Is the master of Turkey as has
been the privilege Of no other man
since the days Of the older sultans.
who, by scimitar and religious preju-
dices. welded terrible power and
kept solidified by one means or an
other the entire Turkish nation. The
present sultan, Mohammed vi, who
has been the keystone Of the allies
carefully erected political edifice in
the near east. has been called upon
by nationalists to resi- ign, and may do
SO. The only stipulation he has made
is that Prince Abdul Medjid. the legal
heir and a nationalist. shall not be
seated upon the throne. AS a matter
of fact. the sultan's wishes in all
proba ability never will be heetfed par
ticularly once Kemalists induce the
present ruler to step down. There is
no question that the nationalists will
control Turkey as past sultans have
controlled 1t, and even though the
will be permitted to take the throne
to rule over the Mohammedan world
moro in accordance with nationalistic
precepts.
No Enthusiasm for Treaty.
The treaty of Sevres was not signed
by members of Kemars Angora gov
ernment. Members Of the sultan's
regime affixed their signatures with
lack of enthusiasm that was de-
cidedly marked. The Quai d'Orsay
IN Paris and Downing street in Lon
don showed noticeable lack of en-
thusiasm over the conclusion Of peace,
tnasmuch as possibly they realized
then that the pact was but an empty
shell. the enforcement of which would
depend entirely upon events and not
merely upon mere good faith. This
treaty has been resisted stoutly by
the nationalists as infringing upon
the sacred rights of the old Turkish
empire. and the sultans government
has come into bad odor as the result
OF its deigning to abandon sacred
privileges. The sultan's government
10 not respected at home or abroad,
and inasmuch as events have proved
its impotency in handling even the
smallest of Turkish problems. it is
exceedingly doubtful If it has much
respect for itself.
At any rate. today finds war
throughout the greater section of
Turkey yet strictly under Mohamme-
dan control. Today sees the Turks
clinging to a territory small and little
desired by any other peoples of the
earth. Turkey is certainly. econom-
ically speaking. dependent upon the
world. She must regain some portion
of toS territories to be self-support-
ing. Greece insists that Thrace be
not returned. and that Greece con-
tinue her domination over the islands
OF the AEGEAN sea. with control OF
Smyrna The conflicts arising from
Turkish aspirations and the desire of
torial grabs subsequent to the close
of the world war have brought on
continued and extremely dangerous
fighting. King Constantine Is. fig
uratively speaking. at least. leading
armies Of more than 100000 men on
the Anatolian front. with the Kemal-
lists pressing him closely and taking
positions skirting the allied neutral
zone along the straits and Constantt-
nople.
Two Courses for Allies.
Should the sultan capitulate and
tho nationalists coordinate Turkish
interests but two courses are before
the allies. They must hasten new
agreements with the Kemalists or
go to war, for a united Turkey will
demand the retention of the Darda-
nelles ann SGphstantinople, II not
greater foet ton of Thrace. Capitu-
lation to these demands means the
loss of allied prestige and complete
Undermining of regained 9recian in
fluence. There Is question whether
Kemal ever would agree to anything
short of an entirely reclaimed Tur-
key, unless he is forced to do so,
and particularly so at time when
he knows that the allies are given
to ague when mention is made OF
bolshevist support of the Turks and
bolshevist overrunning OF southeast