Evening star., 1922-10-01


v parent lack of desire to
fight. Turkish troops today
are scattered over the allied neutral
zone hedging the Dardanelles.
MuZzles up, British military and
naval forces. their Very being radiat-
ing dogged determination, born of
their centuries of civilization and
raining. today hang their hopes upon
reace with the Mohammcdan woi Id
upon the slenderest of diplomatic
threads. Fight, if they must; they are
ready.
They sit there along the Dardanelles,
;he Turks and the British. one covert
~ the other boldly. eyeing each other.
ready to spring. The Turks, with ardor
jnfamed by successes over the Greeks.
stand committed to drive the Chris
tian enemy from the sacred soil OF
Islam and press into Europe. there to
redeem territories lost in infamous
wars. The British are ready TO "n"l.
protect Christian peoples of Chris
rian continent and stem the tide OF
.tsatic Vaccinations. They are firm
in their determination to see that the
watchwOrdS OF international ldealls1n
springing from the world war are not
made mockery. They arc ready to
stand alone and battle to the bitterest
of ends. if need be.
slightest of incidents may fire en-
thusiasmS and imusinatious past the
areakinE point. and MoSlemS will rush
TO crowd the British into the straits.
War of intense and. undoubtedly. pro-
lonSed character Will result
Believe War IL Assured.
AS chancelleries of Europe see the
Turks f1out various allied Stipulations.
see Mustapha KemaIs forces crowd
,I- cfrItr
gle. as they see the British reinforce
and then reinforce. as they take cosn!-
lance OF the tremendous uudercur-
rents. political as well as racial. that
are ebbing and flowing today over the
whole of southeastern Europe. the be-
lief grows that war cannot be avoided.
Everywhere, 1t is said. they are but
waiting. Each shuns the burden of
proof as to who actually started hos
t:lities." With this reason being the
only one to keep the forces OF Islam
and Christianity separated. it Will not
he many hours or days until all the
hIdeous practices of war will be
.oosed.
During the week just closed the al
lies reached some unanimity in terms
which they dispatched to the Turks.
In this joint note. which may or may
not have been reluctantly signed by
Great Britain. the allies promised thar
should the Turks deSiSt from further
aggression they might have the part
Of Thrace up to the Martha river.
also Adrianople in Europe.
The Turks must agree to the inter-
NATURALIZATION OF the Dardanelles.
the Sea of Marmora and rhe Bosporus
under the league of nations. They
until the peace agreements become
fact. This note was sent TO Mus
tapha kemal. and through the instru-
mentality of Franklin Boullon of
France. who was dispatched 70 An
CORA, it was hoped that actual con-
fict might he avoided. inasmuch as
The agreement of the allies represent
ed complete backdown in near east
ern policy.
Curzon May Have Chuckled.
In signing the British actually lost
prestige for a moment. But the Brit
ish have reason to know the Moham-
medan better thar any European gov
ernment, and when Lord Curzoh al
fixed his signature to the allies
agreement there is reason to believe
that he secretly chuckled. knowing
that while Britain was committed to
Ing with the Francophile Turks. IN
fact this agreement would amount to
nothing in the long run. CurZon pos
sibly knew that any pledges of the
Turks could not be relied upon; that
the Turks, fired by recent victories.
were sure to take advantage of the
lull and press through the neutral
zone to the Dardanelles. and there
get ready for the clash which Turk
;sh statesmen themselves have 1ndl-
Gated must come if the allies persist
in blocking any move tending toward
reunion of the one-time Turkish en-
pire. Who better knows the Mussul-
man than CurZon. who. during ms
long tenure of viceroy of India. had
reason to suffer from Mohammcdan
intrigues.
With the Turks showing every in
tiication that they will not now or
IN the future respect allied dictates,
or at least treat them but lightly,
whether or not Curzon did not out
wit Poincare in the Paris agreement.
II Britain is bound to respect this
agreement that the burden OF war
fare be placed directly upon the
shoulders Of the Turks, by like
reasoning is not France bound to the
British to maintain the international
integrity OF the Dardanelles as
against the Turks. should war come?
Frances signature is attached to the
agreement. assuring co-ordinated al
lied effort in pledges to redeem to
theirs in case Kemal respects the al
lied viewpoint as to the waterways
connecting the Mediterranean and
the Black seas. If the Turks show
no respect. can France WlGhdrnw
from British support when the Turks
initiate war and by every effort
seek to violate the allied neutral
zones in order that they may press
homo complete victory?
France May Aid Britain.
It Is upon the Paris agreement
that the prediction is based that in
case of British conflict with the
Turks the French will be drawn into
IL thnt vii
Turks Notwithstanding. The very
evident desire of Poincare has been
TO stand firm with the Turks and