New-York tribune., 1922-10-15


for one side?"
said.
The Premier had prefaced this by de
claFing:
Ihe future is perplexing one.
snah claim no personal or party gain.
= Straits Control Vital
ut is not necessary. said Mr.. Iaovf
George, ito point out the importanc,
of securing the Straits against q rem
etition of what happened in 1914. Tha,
prolonged the war for two years, ane
1T very nearly brought upon the cause
or the Allies irreparabie disaster. but
aside from that, 1t is the only road te
the fairway of the Black Sea where
you've got the raw materials you need
surplus food in times OF peace--ir
normal times such as no other port q.
europe could supply, and, of the com
merce of that part of the werid one
third had always been in British ships
Vital to us, vital to humanity, WI
could not have those Straits barred
without giving away the biggest inn
pertant prize we had won by the vic
tory over Turkey in the great war, anc
which had cost US SO much in life ane
treasure.
AS to spreading the war into Eu
rope, you have only got to think wha
would have happened IL the Turk
flushed with victory, with no array t,
resist him, had crossed the Bosporus
passed into Thrace and occupied Con
stantinople. Do you think he wouls
have stopped in Eastern Thrace7 Whs
N S& LII
into Western 1hrace and possibls
passing into Salorica? You know what
that would have meant-war. And the
war of 1914 practically began in thu
Balkans.
Il think it was right that before ths
Turkish army should have been allowed
to cross into Europe in the flush o.
victory, with the blood of Smyrna or
its hands, it should have had time tx
cool, and that we should have guaran.
ties that there would be protection fol
the minerities in Europe. That ia al
we did. We are pledged to shield these
people.
''Not My Policies"
a am told it was not our business
am sorry to say that Liberals hae
been pleading that it was none of oul
business to interfere between tn,
Turks and their victims. What bust
ness is it of Britain's p was the ques
tion; IF the Turk insists, leave hin
alone: let him cross the Straits; le
him cross to Constantinople---a fre'
road and fairway to the shambles.'
THAT was not the old Liberal policy
1t was not the policy certainly that
was brought up in 1t was not that
was taught in my youth--that English
o&,l, "x,l l i.
every morning repeat reverentiy th'
litany of the cynic: Am | nay brother
keeper THAT Great Britain shoul.
face the world with the brand of Cai1
upon her brow"
The Prime Minister continued hi
lengthy defense of the government
Near Eastern policy by laying particu
lar stress upon the resistance to th
French policy toward Mustapha Kema
Pasha.
Suppose we had followed meekly be
hind France" he continued "The KEN
alist forces would have been at ,Chanak
The next thing that would have hap
pened would have been the crossing 0
the Straits. Gallipeli was held by
very weak Senegalese battalion will
orders that they were not to fire on TIA
Turks. Both sides of the Straits woui,
have been in Kemalist hands.
Counted on French Pledge
"Do you think you would have 60
them out? You would have gone to th
peace conference and said: will 70,
please get away from Chanak and Gal
lipoli.' And Kemal would have said
No. we will guarantee the Straits fo
you
"our critics say: why didn't yol
have an understanding with your al
iiesT We did. Only few weeks ag
we received message from the Frencl
government that if the Greeks or tn
Turks invaded the neutral zone the
would have TO be resisted by force b.
the Allies. We accepted that. w
| Thought they meant It, How were "
| to believe it was only intended for on
side ?"
Dealing with the recent criticism
by Lerd Grey on the governments FOX
elgn policy, the Premier said:
1t Is not easy in the realms foz
eign affairs to secure agreement and t
secure results. Lord Grey knows tha-
Take 1914. His proposals were ad
mirable. His temper, / agree with MI
Asquith, was of the very best. But h
was not the Kaiser's adviser and h
had no influence over the German Ger
eral staff. They had their own ambi
tions They had their own ideas. ]
Is Just possible that language less d
rect, or that language more direc
language more emphatic nigh. hav
| stopped it. But it is easy to be wis
after the event.
Pays Respect to Grey
II am not criticizing. I'm only point
ing out that it was the greatest, mos
eeaiamltous diplomatic failure the worl
has ever seen, and that it was due t
conditions over which Lord Grey ha
no control. He, therefore, ought to b
/ charitable with others.
Take the whole of the incidents q
that period. Lord Grey sought to NAL,
peace IN the Balkans. He made a peac,
nhat peace didn't stand the jolting {
| the train that carried it from Londo
TO the Balkans. 1t fell to pieces befo,
IT reached Sofia
/ THAT wasn't his fault. The plan ws
good, the intentions were excellen
but there we're factors which he coul
4 not control"
| After his lengthy defense of the 20,
ernment's policies. both domestic ar
/ foreign, Mr.. Lloyd George said ths
several times he had tried to persuad
others to take the Premiership. Il
continued:
4 My course is a ciea. one, I wi
support with all nay might any govers
ment that sevotes itself and lends /,
energy to the task with singiemindes
| meas, learlessnass and resolution. prs
vided they do not embark upon meas
ures which weuld innict permanent Il
luries upon tina country, whether thes
| measures be Teactieaaxy or revolution
airy. That does not mean that / pledz
myseif to support inefsisiency Ia IN
government or any party, but aay go,