Evening star., 1927-04-17

, and agreements designed to regulate
/ the mutual interests of the two ma
I tions-diplomatic and commercial.
A commercial "modus vivendi" was
I Eexecuted February IS, 1926, for q six
/ north period and was extended for
another six months and then for an
! other year. 1t will expire next Febru-
larry. This will be again renewed If
/ the necessity exists at that time.
/ Diplomatic relations between Turkey
and the United States were severed
/ In 1917 by Turkey The United States
never declared war with Turkey and
hence. in subsequent treaty negotia-
tons was in little different position
from most of the other powers, who
We're called upon to negotiate peace
/ treaties.
New Power Now.
Our Lausanne treaty with Turkey
was not peace pact, but rather was
intended TO be the consummation of
an international agreement with a
new power. The present Turkish
Republic regards itself as a new pow
er-the old Turkish Empire has van
ished forever. The new Turkey dis
likes the phrase resumption of dipIo.
matte relations From the Turkish
standpoint there Is no Resumption"
but the initiation" of relations.
Recognition of the Turkish Republic
does not figure In the present con.
sideration Of American-Turkish re-
atlons. Recognition is already an ac-
complished fact. If there was ever
any uncertainty on this point it was
removed when the agreement to ex-
change Ambassadors was entered into
last February Immediately following
the rejection Of the treaty. The new
Turkey has been recognized by vir-
tuatly all the nations of the world
Formal treaties have been ratified be.
tween Turkey and 81 powers-great
and small-and all the great powers
except the United States are in this
list
Mollammedan Code Gone.
The new Turkey, according to its
friends, no longer cherishes ideas of
territorial eXpansion-no longer seeks
an empire. 1t seeks only complete
sovereignty of the homeland" of
tensely nationalistic. UNFORTUNATELY.
the homeland" includes the Arme.
nian provinces. 1t was sympathy for
the Armenians and objection to ex-
tending the recognition" of the United
States of fun Turkish sovereignty
over the Armenians which was the
basis of the objections resulting in
the Senate rejection of the Lausanne
pact
The eXtraterritoriality" question,
involving the exemption of foreign ma
tionals from Turkish law, which mas
been an issue for over a century, is
in process Of finding an answer. The
Mohammedan law of old Turkey was
so at variance with Anglo-Saxon legal
conceptions that other nations would
not consider for a moment subjecting
their own nationals in Turkey To its
jurisdiction. But the new Turkey. in
the four years which have elapsed
since the negotiations at Lausanne,
has adopted virtually in their entirety
the Swiss civil code. the Italian Grim
inal code and the German commercial
ccde, in substitution Of the Moham-
mcdan legal code. Thus has Turkey
destroyed the force of the demands OF
other nations for exemption of their
own peoples from the jurisdiction OF
tho Turkish courts.
The Armenian question remains.
with no satisfactory solution in sight.
Mr.. Coolidee's position is that we do
not help the ATmenians by turning
down the Turkish treaty and that by
cooperating with the new Turkish
Republic there lies at least the pos
sibility of betterment.
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