Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-15
WHEELER WARNS
OF BALKAN RIVALRY
Blames France and Italy as
:. Small Nations Arm to
I. Teeth.

France and italy were pictured 81
two great nations with imperial am
bitions," fostering armed camps" in
the Balkan cockpit Of Europe" by
Senator Burton K Wheeler of Montana
in an address delivered last night in
the National Radio Forum, arranged
by The Star and broadcast over a
eoast-to-coast network Of the Columbia
Broadcasting System from Station
WMAL.
Senator wheeler, a member of the
Senate Manufactures Committee, re-
Gently returned from Europe, where he
made a close study Of affairs.
What is happening in the Balkan
Peninsula today" said the Senator.
1.-THE Austro- Hungarian and Russian
Empires have passed away, and with
them the influence, mostly for evil,
which they welded in the unhappy
peninsula.
Still Armed to Teeth.
Tut Is years after the war to end
v-cr we find these countries virtually
armed camps" Greece, Run1ania,
Turkey and Jugoslavia, Senator Wheeler
said, maintain large ornaments at the
cost of revenues wrung from peasant
farmers already poor in the worlds
goods.
To this burden, he said, Is added
the disadvantage of high tariff walls
raised by i've separate and extrayagart
governments living in constant fear Of
each other within an area not much
larger than the State of Montana.
Senator Wheeler said that the affairs
Of the Balkan countries are further
involved by the interference Of out
side powers, particularly France and
Italy dominates and controls Al
BAHIA, politically and economically
In fact, am told the King Of Albania
draws his stipend from italy.
France dominates Rurnania and
Jugoslavia as well as Poland, Czecho-
slovakia and several other countries Of
Europe.
Loans Garry Strings.
''She dominates them because they
are poor and need money, snd when
France loans money to a European
s a se dSss oe b Il With ts dss
Of making that nation not only an
ally, but practically q vassal state to
France"
Pointing out that line-up OF France
against Italy might be expected should
serious trouble arise n one or the other
Of the Balkan countries, Senator
Wheeler continued:
Thus you see you can use almost
the same language In speaking OF
France and italy as you formerly could
OF the old Austria Hungary and Rus.
sian empires. Each has Its imperial
ambitions, each it's proteges which they
hope to use IS the instrument Of their
Il repeat that 10 years after the war
tries Of the world signed treaty to
outlaw war, France and Italy and the
countries they dominate are armed to
the teeth. The countries Of the world,
including the United States, are spend
ing more money ON Armainefts than
ever before"
Sees Brighter Side. m
There is, however, q brighter side
TO the situation - Che Balkans, sep-
ator Wheeler saidk IN october, 1862
ne continued. there was held in Athens
the FIRST Balkan conference In which
the peoples Of the peninsula were req
tSe snal their ased e
power In the delegates, these repre-
sentatives Of the people laid the ground
work for cooperation between the
countries ard the ultimate union OF
the Balkan states The slogan Of the
conference, the Senator said, was "the
Balkans for the Balkan people"
Another encouraging development
the speaker continued, was the remark
able Transformation of the Ottoman
Empire into the Turkish Republic, with
attending social, political and eco
nonic reforms
"The Turkish people" Senator
Wheeler said, 'under the wise leader
ship Of Mustafa Renal, have willingly
renowned all claim to any Of the nom
Turkish portions of the Ottoman Em-
pire; they have separated church and
state; they have abolished the Sultan
and the Caliphate; they have thrown
out the old system Of religious laws
and have installed the most modern
European codes; they have abolished
the fez and encouraged Turkish women
to discard the veil, both Of which they
considered TO be signs Of backwardness
and unenlightenment.
Spurns Foreign Capital.
1.-THE Turkish people have abandoned
the Arabic alphabet in which the Tur'
kish language has been written Tor
Thousand years, and have introduced
Latin alphabet, thus putting the Tur-
kish language on o par with tht
language of the Western civilization
Turkey is putting her house in order
and establishing herself on a SOUND
economic basis; she Is undertaking
public works, education and social re-
forms without recourse to foreign CAPT
tai, which she thinks enslaved her II
the past. It takes no little courage
to do what Turkey is doing today with
out foreign financial assistance"
The Senator said that while visiting
IN Turkey he could find no substantial
ton of the superstition here that sh'
was closely tied up with Soviet Russia
He explained that 1t seemed only rea'
sonable that Turkey should wish to b
on friendly terms with such larg'
and formidable neighbor, and expressed
confidence in Turkeys spoken desire
to "be at peace with all the peoples o.
the world and to be allied with none"
The text of Senator Wheelers speech
Is published In the editorial section o
fOHav'S Star