Evening star., 1922-05-14

\N/ that once waited the spirit
" Of good will. friendship
and hope today are spread
the spirit Of dissension. revolt and
war,
During the world conflict, when
they were confronted by extremely
dangerous conditions in the near east.
the allies. through British urgings,
approached the Arab peoples and
had long dreamed Of If they would
but break away from Turkish domi-
nation and aid the allied campaign
against the Moslem empire. thereby
frustrating German hopes Of stirring
a holy war In the near east and en-
barrassing the British position in Mo-
hammedan countries. The Arabs lent
ear.
From time immemorial they had
dreamed of breaking away from the
influence of the porte. Ever had they
in their wild nomadic existence re-
fused to recognize completely any
law save that of Mohammed. This
was the sole bond between them and
the Turks. 1t was the great bond
that inspired friendship with the peo-
pies Of India. 1t was the bond that,
II properly manipulated by German
intrigue. might have borne fruit ex-
csedingly bitter to the allies.
1t was without compunction. but
with a show of good faith, that the
British and the French promised the
Arabs that they would profit in large
measure through the principle of
self-def1nition, which at once became
the brilliant hope of small dominated
peoples of the world during the later
period Of the war and Immediately
thereafter.
Arabs Join Effort
To Aid Allies.
Tho Arabs saw their opportunity to
establish themselves as a separate
people, ruled by a government OF
their own choosing and uncontrolled
by dictation as to future policies
Hussefn, king of the Hedjaz. fell In
with allied beguilements. His son,
among the nomadic and isolated Arab
tribes. obtained support to the gen.
eral proposition of breaking away
from Turkish domination and as
sisting the British in their proposed
10 nominate INC near east
and Mesopotamia and strike Turkey
and Germany from the south, forever
nul1ing their aspirations in the near
east. The Arabs did lend their ef-
fort and materially assisted the tre-
mendously brilliant and successful
deemed Palestine and later led to the
freeing of Mesopotamia.
The Arabs were petted and pam
pered. 1t would appear now that the
military and civil officials who acted
rs 1iaison officers between allied cap
itals and the Arabs went far in their
promises. so very far. in fact, tina,
fulfllment by European governments
at later date proved very embar-
RAISING.
The Paris peace conference was
called. The Arabs. in high hopes of
gaining all the things they had been
promised. or believed they had been
promised, were represented by Emir
Feisa1 They obtained scant cour-
tesy, for. in the deliberations at Paris
nationals were running and these, in
measure, precluded realization of al
lied promises to the Arabs. Emir
Feisal was stoutly opposed by the
French. He got scant sympathy
from the Italians, and. though he
British, the whole near eastern stu
alton was left in unsatisfactory form,
not only to the allies, but to the
Arabs as well The system Of man
dates adopted gave the European ma
tionals foothold In territories the
Arabs had hoped to Incorporate into
their near eastern kingdom. The
French sent troops to Syria, where
there has been constantly running
sore because Of the friction between
French and tho natives, owing to
conflicting interests. Syria, under the
Arab plan, was to be large unit in
Arab dominion. Tho Mesopotamian
situation, controlled by the British,
also has been a thorn in the side Of
the Arabs, for the British. holding
the territory in mandatorial form.
have extended their grip, and. though
seating Emir Feisal as king Of Meso-
potamfa. tho Arabs would go further