The Washington times., 1922-09-20
UnspeakabIe
Conditions
m HE "Unspeakable Turk" is
once more the center of Eu-
opean interest.

| Clans and nurses, has lett his Asia
Minor sanitarium, is running
amuck in the hospital yard and
threatening to overrun the eastern
Europe from which he was so re-
Gently driven.
The news from Smyrna brings
the familiar, but none the less hor-
rible, stories Of Turkish atrocities.
The lovely capital of Ionia in ruins,
thousands killed, tens of thousands
destitute, the Greek occupation of
Asia Minor amazingly ended over
night, the Treaty of Sevres a mock
ing memory.
That is the story of few days.
activity and achievement by Mus
] tapha Kemsl and his suddenly re-
awakened Turks. Far from being
forced back toward the Asia from
which he emerged less than 500
years ago, the Moslem again
threatens the Europe whose historic
flooding began with the Seventh
Century and ended with the Turk
ish recapture of Constantinople in
1853.
1t is an exceedingly menacing
situation, to which America can
not remain indifferent. What to
dof That is the question.
First of all, America must clear
ly bear in mind and refuse in ad-
vance the extreme danger of that
ENHANCEMENT in the European mess
which, with the instructive wisdom
Of our masses, we avoided when in
"solemn referendum" we refused
to enter the League Of Nations.
Nor should we forget that this
same League of Nations-which,
we are assured, is functioning with
out .us-in grave convention assem-
bled at Geneva during the Turkish
conflagration, fairly emulated Nero
in its callous fiddling, and had no
word to say and no action to sug-
gest regarding the dangers in the
Near East, but did of late i'm
pressively approve the canine tax
alton of a few miserable cannibals
in South Africa.
The obvious need Of Europe in
the present crisis for that wise,
strong and unprejudiced leadership
which is denied her by the political
and economic rivalries of the ma
tions does not constitute a call and
should not be construed as an op-
portunity for the United States.
The European nations really want
neither our advice nor our moral
influence. When again they need
our money-whose possession they
alternately envy and deride-the
call of Europe to America will be
loud and clear and persistent.
But even now the type of Ameri-
can whose human social concern is
severely taxed by an enforced inter
est in coal stoppage and railroad
strikes is bound to be sufficiently
sensitive to international affairs to
recognize in the Turkish situation
the menace of a possible renewal
of worldwide conflict that might
again involve our nation.
1t is too horrible to contemplate.
And yet it must be faced. Plainly,
we should first of all recognize and
castigate the self centered and mill
tant nationalism which permitted
England and France and Italy to
hold off, in mutual suspicion and
sullen antagonism, the while the
jealous Turks were overwhelming
the wearied Greeks and multiplying
the Treaty of Sevres.
At last, the instinct of self
preservation, stimulated by a COM
mon and, of course, unadmitted
hatred and fear of Mohammedans,
is forcing these. powerless Powers
into concerted action. The United
States, too, will be prompt to pro-
tect American lives and property
in the devastated district and to
guard the national dignity. Be-
yond that we shall, it is to be
hoped, refuse to participate.
This is, perhaps, no time to gloat
over our relative aloofness from
the unspeakable conditions of
Europe and the Near East. But it
is just the time highly to resolve