Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-08
THE NEAR EAST PROBLEM

Il the United States at the Lau-
same conference In Switzerland is
taking a very prominent part in the
discussions there. For the most
part the position of the United
States il the position of the allies
in the late war. It is also anti
Turkish. President Harding's rep
r~esentative insists that the Darda-
nelles strait should be open to the
war ships of all the world. Russia
and Turkey want it closed to all
war vessels except those of Tur-
key. We are also on record as de-
manding the retention of consular
courts having jurisdiction over
aliens in Turkey, and as favoring
guarantees for the safety of reli-
gious and racial minorities in Tur-
KEY. The latter subject is a most
difficult one. The various pro-
vinces Of Turkey are full Of racial
and religious minorities. They nev-
er have been safe or tolerantly
treated under Turkish rule. In
fact in numerous instances the pol
icy of the Turks has been extermi-
nation of these racial and religious
minorities, and it has been pursued
relentlessly and cruelty as in the
instance of the Armenian atrocities
during the late war.
DR.. Nansen, who is now at the
Lausanne conference, has come
forward with a proposition for the
wholesale sitting of these racial
minorities, and their forced immi-
grafton to some portion of the en-
pire where there will be nc mix
ture of aces. The Springfield Re-
publican commenting on the Nan
sen proposition says:
Or. Nansen, who is at Lausanne
to look after the interests of the
distressed populations of the Near
East, advocates a wholesale ex-
change of minorities as the only
solution of the difficult and dam
gerous problems caused by the ap-
pearance in this region Of nation
alism in an acute form. Under the
Ottoman empire populations were
distributed in a manner incompati-
BILE with the modern conception OF
the state as an organized nation
jealously insisting on the para
mountcy Of its own language, Gull
ture, and traditions. The Greeks,
in all ages a maritime race, were
widely spread out among the IS
lands and along the sea coast in
Europe and Asia. too few to con-
quer the hinterland, too diffused
to make a defensible modern state.
The Turks. a nation of landlords
and peasants, were in many places
almost as badly mixed with Bull
CARS and other agricultural races
in Europe, and with Arrnenians,
Kurds. and other non-Turkish peo-
pies in Asia.
Under ideal conditions it might
have been possible to organize such
a mixed population into a tolerant
state like Switzerland, with free
dom for each linguistic group. The
Young Turks of 1908 were idealists
who hoped for such a transforna-
ton, but hostile forces both within
and without combined to wreck this
Utcpian project. The program
needed peace, and in IA years Tur-
key has had not m year OF peace.
Arabs and Albanians seized the
chance &c revolt, Italy bounced on
Tripoli, the Balkan states united in
q drive on Constantinople and
peace had hardly been made when
TIE world war came. The Balkan
war,' said the British foreign sec
Rotary, Sir Edward Grey, began as
v war Of liberation, became rapidly
4 war of annexation, and has ended
in being a war of determination"
This wholesale transportation
would be an improvement on the
Turkish policy of determination,
bat it woule have to be conducted
under the supervision Of some neu-
trail or benevolent power. Uncle
Sam would have nothing to do with
it. In fact anything that we say
at this international conference has
the handicap of having attached to
our advice the statement that we
will accept no responsibility for
the execution of Jul policies. 1t is
not a very dignified or logical at
titude. In effect we say American
interests must be protected and
American policies should be adopt
ed by the other powers and car
ried out at their own expense. We
want all the advantages that any
other nation gets out Of this con-