The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-12-08
STRAITS PROBLEM
UNEASY TO SOLVE
Turkey Is Between Two
Fires In This Tangle
PLANS NEARLY READY
Decision Expected To Be An
nounced Tomorrow; Which
Way To Cast Lot Is Sticker

Associated I'rCSS ms p3tCE.l
hH Hs o 1.;iers,;s, Z ,.v, The
n.ent. Il was anaeurce6 today,
rad deeiceo that il cannot ac-
cept She continuance in turkey
az the conSulateS o. pastotNceS
CT any power at Va" with Tue
icy.
lausanne, December :. Tie
TuTkish delegates TO the Near East
conference today faced tn" difficult
problem OF deciding whether Turkey
IN formulating her plan for control
of the Dardanelles should cast her
lote with Russia or with The entente
powers and the United States. Nr-
keys suggestion for the solution OF
the perpleXing straits question will
be made Ublic tomorrow al the Hotel
Du chateau.
ISmet Pasha and his associates IN
30. M latins their plans were faced
~ The sharp differences in opinion
lcIw cen Great Britain and Russia
in the discussion OF the Dardanelles
question. If Turkey, on the one
hand, goes over TO the British camp
she fears the irate Russian army on
her eastern frontier. ", on the 9th
CT hand. she sides with Russia III
demanding complete control of the
waterway she fears the British navy
in the straits.
Favor Tchiteherin Plan
The Turks thus far have temper
lied by saying they favored NJ. Tchi-
tcherin's plan. But they took this
attitude before they had heard the
solution offered by the powers. Is
met Pasha and his associates were
impressed by the plan presented Dy
Lord Curzon yesterday on behalf OF
the entente, which was approved IN
general by the statement of the po-
sition of the United States. the
Turks apparently cannot forget that
Russia is Turkeys traditional enc
my and that Premier Lenine's gov
eminent may not be less covetous OF
Constantiuople aud the straits than
was Russia in the days of the cars.
Turkey has always found protec-
ton in numbers. She has played the
European countries against each
other to her great advantage time
and again. and she hesitates to trusf
her fate 80 Russia alone while the
rest of Europe, supported By the
Ispl1ed states opposes an effort to
turn the Black sea into Russian
lake
NJ. TehitcheriD. fighting hard to
defeat Lord CIrzon's plaus, urges 1t
would enable a combination of pow
CTS like the entente to keep great
navy in the Black sen as each mem
her OF the combination would main
tain there as many ships as belong
cd TO Russia. or whatever Black sea
rover happened 10 have the largest
navy at the time.
Eye On Own Pocketbook
Turkey in considering RuSSia'E
plan, apparently has an eve on her
own pocketbook. II she adopted NJ.
Tchitcherins' proposals. Turkey
we'd be forced TO make great
outlay for a feet and for fortitica-
items. and as she has no money she
would prefer to have some one else
bear the expense of policing the
straits.
There are many rumors OF a pos
sible adjournment of the congress
for the Christmas holidays mas
much as the situation between the
mowers and Turkey has cleared con-
siderably.
Question Of Capitulations
The question of capitulations is in
an even worse tangle than the
straits problem. but Great Britain.
France and Italy are showing tact
in handling Turkeys sensitive atti-
tide toward her acceptance of any
thing that would bring her sover-
eighty into question. Since the Rus =
sian squat over the Dardanelles has
been weathered without disaster, the
prospects seem much brighter for
an agreement OF principles that Will
satisfy all parties.
The various sub commissions are
meeting daily 70 thresh out the de-
tails of the question on the agenda,
but the real work of the conference
is largely accomplished in private
conversations among the leading
deieeates.