The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-04-04
WHERE WE ARE INTERESTED

I
Possibly the average citizen does not take the
slightest interest in what happens beyond the con-
fines of his home tcyyn; sometimes his line of vision
may take in the county CT even the stale but rarely
does it go beyond his country. So the mention of
matters in the Near East or the Far East is
passed over lightly as of no consequence But this
could not be; the fact of the matter is that this
so-called and much discussed Near East was the
starting point CT The world war; the countries com
prising the section Of The globe known as the
Near East, have for centuries been the scene Of
endless strife and bloodshed. Students CT history
know what difficult problems have presented them
selves from time to time to the powers of Europe
mol alonc from the Moslcm hosts but from the
Slays and race mixtures inhabiting this unhappy
land The damnabe Turk has been al the bot
tom Of let CT the trouble With the close Of
the weird war It was hoped that the Turk had
been forever excluded from Europe if indeed he
had ncl becn put cut Ct harms way for all time
by being retired to the wilderness of Asia Minor,
far removed from opportunity 10 stir up world
friction. But Turkey has moi been easily downed
despite The thorough ;fouacing given by the allies
That country has stuck to Conslantnople although
Greece and Italy, France and Great Britain took
part IL The program uat was designed to de
nature" the Turkish people and mete out to them
the fac so richly deserved that of being practically
banishecl as a people from The face Of the earth
In recent months the Turks have been giving the
British government lot of trouble and in all
this it must not be forgotten that any serious out
break on the Bosphorcus would possible involve
tie whole world. Washington has not been un-
mindful Of TIE situation because the United States
the reason that the world could not afford to have
another world conflict; there is no telling what
might happen even this soon after the great strug-
gle. Therefore we have real interest in the Near
Last because VIC want to have peace continue.
The British secretary Ct foreign affairs, Lord Cur
zon, has sent to the Turkish finance minister at
Ccnstantrope, the following proposals, tentatively
possible basis fer a settlement of the matters
in dispute:
That The Greeks Withdraw from Anatolia.
That the allies project the Christian minorit;es
in lona since The Turks have proved incompetent
administrators.
hat Tie Ihracian frontier be adjusted. start
ing at M;dia; and the creation Of special regime
at Adrianoplc.
That The Turks accept unrcseryedy the Brit
ish solution of Tie problem Of The Dardanelles
Straits
That the British frontier in Mesopotania in
clude the Town of Mosul, which has been dis
puied by the. Turks.
That special Turco-Bntish convention be
completed, to run twenty-five years.
hat The Turks abandon anti-Brilsh propa-
ganda in India, Persia and Afghanistan"
To understand the situation better it might be
well to explain what is here proposed. "AnatoIia'
Is used with the same ccnnctalion as the more
familiar name Asia Minor" and the proposal
therefore is that the Greeks, as a community.
abandon Smyrna, leaving individual Greeks to 20
or stay as they may personally prefer. Someone
will quite properly ask: What will happen to
The Christians if left again 10 the mercy of the
rerengeful Iurk?" The answer is that it is stpu-
lated that the allies shall continue 10 protect the
individual Christians all over the western section
OF Asia Minor, here called by the ancient name
ionla The Turks are bound to accept this
and in doing SO admit their inability to effectively
administer the country or provide any adequate
form OF government
In Europe the Turks have been earnestly in
Il
their capital in Europe centuries before they were
able 10 capture Constantinople in 1853. The
Turks are asked 10 agree to the British solution
Of the Dardaneles Straits, which appears to be
e1ussIet,t 10 demand il.f Al. ,vh,la p,...,-,.,..