The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-12-30

!tho1t two nations concluded Z
treaty canceling their war deb4a
and. the treaty Of DYest-Litovek ahd
establishing fun Diplomatic rela-
;ti0As. Surprised and angered, the
great powers, despite the protests
Of the n6utrals, barred the Ger
mana from further participation IN
the discussion Of Russian afYairs,
which was the most important sub
ject before the confefence then.
The a1ltad nations offered TO give
apaacjel aid 70 Russia updef GER
tain conditions, but Belgium re-
fused to agree to this and day o.
two later the sFrench withdrew
their ASCENT. charging that Lloyd
George was practicing trickery to
gain control OF the Russian oil
fields. Meanwhile the soviet dele
gates were making such excessive
demands that the uselessness Of
further negotiations became evil
dent and the conference adjourned
after adopting an eight-months
truce with Russia.
Turks Disturb Peace.
Mustapha Kemal Pasha and the
Turkish nationalists, who had dis
avowed all the doings of the Turk
: ish government at Constantinople,
spent the summer in secretly pre-
pairing for . great offensive against
, the Greeks In Apatolia. They
opened the attack on August %
and took the enemy completely. by
surprise. Within one week the
Greek armies had been routed and
driven back to Smyrna and other
positions and Athens was asking
for an armistfce and agreeing to
get out Of Asia Minor.
Renal occupied Smyrna on Sep
TENDER and five days later large
part of the city was destroyed by
flames, At first the Turkish
troops were blamed for this. but
later developments indicated the
conflagration was started by the
fleeing Greeks and by hooters.
Great Britain, which had been
sponsor for the Greek venture in
Asia Minor. was alarmed by the
expressed intention of the nation
alists b take possession of Con-
stantinople and the rest of the old
Turkish empire, and she called on
her dominions and France, Italy,
Serbia, Rumania and Greece to
join her in the defense of the OAR
danelles.
France, which had been giving
aid and comfort to the Turks, and
Italy objected to military opera
tions against the Kemalists, and
some OF the British dominicns we're
noticeably cool However, Britain
hurried endorsements to her land
and naval forces in the Near East
and let the Turk and the world
f, know that she would act alone if
necessary.
The allies on September % in
vited The nationalists to peace
conference, agreeing to return to
them Oonstantinopie. Adrianople
ana eastern Thrace in return for
the guaranteed freedom of the
straits. Renal insisted that Russia
must be included, and the allies
agreed that the soviet government
should participate in settlement of
the question OF the Dardanelles.
After several trying days. when war
seemed almost unavoidable, the al
, lies and hationa1ists met at Mu-
DANA on October 3 to arrange an
| armistics.
A week later protocol was
signed providing for the evacuation
of eastern Thrace by Greece within
Is days and its delivery to Turkey
within IS days. and, yielding to the
kemalists the civil control of
Constantinople pending a peace
conference. This conference open
ed in Lausanne. Switzerland, No
vember 20. with the prospect of be-
ing long in session. The United
States declined full participation.
but sent. Ambassador Child. Minis
ter Grew and Admiral Bristol to
guard the interests Of America and
Americans. these being especially
in connection with the oil fields of
Mosul.
Agree on Treaty.
The conference had to deal with
the frontiers Of the Turkish state.
beth In Enrope and in Mesopota-
mia, where the oil fields are locat-
ed, and with the control OF the
straits and the safeguarding of the
Christian minorities in Turkey.