Evening star., 1925-02-28

cumstances? Already Turkey had
Haunted the League of Nations by
refusing to submit to its arbitration
her dispute with Greece over the
Patriarchate in Constantinople. Some
dispatches do say that Turkey will
patch denies that What is the truth ?
Russia is without sympathy with
Greece, or with Great Britain: vet
Russia is Turkeys most formidable
menace, Tor the Soviets are ambitious
They are imperialistic expansionists.
determined TO conquer the world. and
beginning with their next door neigh
bors. While the West has been more
attentive to the approach of soviet
ism upon the nations of Central Eu-
rope, the West has scarcely needed
the steady advance of sovietism east
and south through the Caucasus
Soviet Russia already encompasses
the Caspian Sea and it is marching
steadily toward that traditional goal
OF all Russian governments for many
s-Constantinople Hence it
is not without significance that she
pushes her recovered ships of war
into the Black Sea. upon which lies
that great capital.
* X x X
East of the Black Sea lie Georgia
and Azerbaijan. Georgia became a
republic as result Of the World
War, but she did not long retain her
independence. The bolsheyiki bored
from within until they demoraliZed
the Georgian patriots. An inter
village warfare persisted in disturb
ing the peace, and in 1920 Red army
from Russia marched in and executed
the leaders. thus establishing peace
and making Georgia a Soviet nation
1t did similarly with Christian Ar
menia and Azerbaijan. These peoples
escaped the Turks only to fall before
the Red Russians, and now the three
nations are Soviet republics and con-
stitute the Transcaucasia Fedora
tion, which, with Great Russia and
White Russia. constitute the Union
of Soviet Socialistic Republics, whose
, capital is far-off Moscow.
Only yesterday news came that the
U. S. S. r., as above described, had
also organized part of Bokhara and
part of Turkestan into a new Soviet
republic" allied with the others of
the Union of Soviet Socialist Re-
publics, whose political control lies
in Moscow. Thus Soviets already
control more territory and more
population in Asia than does Turkey,
ASIDE from the vast power of the Red
army of million in Russia proper.
And these Soviet powers are threat
ening to overrun Asia Minor and con-
quer Turkey.
X I. X x
If it be true that the animus Of
British action in Asia Minor is to get
control of the vast oil and manganese
fields situated in the Caucasus, where
! VIII the opposing interests clash.
while Great Britain is coming north
ward through it's mandate over Irao
and Russian Soviets are intrenchinp
their power and pushing southwark
and eastward through the Trans
caucasian Federation?
The mensheviki of Georgia, oppo-
nents of socialistic bolsheviki. nut
their trust in British and French aid
two years ago in resisting the in
vading Red army. They will do so
again if there should appear a
chance of throwing off the Russian
dominance, and the bait of oil and
| manganese lands may yet involve
France and England in 1iberating
Georgia, even though that means a
fight with Russia. The treaty be-
tween Russia and Japan has been
ratified by both parties, but perhaps
that would not involve Japan in the
| Caucasian conflict. The plight of
| Turkey is as far-reaching in it's pos
sibilities as was the predicament of
Serbia in 1914.
fCopyriSht 1925 by Paul v Collins)