THE BAGDAD RAILWAY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2753, 24 April 1916, Page 9

THE BAGDAD RAILWAY

AND THE DEUTSCHE BANK

BEHIND THE VEIL OF A "HUN" SCHEME (By R. 0. Hawkin, in the "Daily News.") It is announced from Germany that Mr. Ernest Meyer, the editor of ".Vorwarts," is to be tried in camera, and' Dr. Liebknecht, tho 'well-known Socialist member of the Reichstag, will give evidence at the trial ol ; tho distinguished editor, who is charged with inciting to class, hatred; At the last meeting of Dr. Liebknecht persisted in interrupting speeches by the curious words, "What about the Deutsche Bank!'" No opportunity was ever afforded him' of explaining his meaning, for lie was practically prevented from speaking. ■ We do .not know what the "Vorwarts" lias desired to publish which lias so upset tho German Government, but we are fortunately in a position to tell the story of the Deutsche Bank's intervention into politics without disturbance by the German censor. The story of the, Kaiser's visit to the East, and his assiduous courtship of tho Great Assassin, and of tho failure of Mr. Gladstone's last effort to savo the Armenian nation has been often told. Less (retention has been paid to an event which happened in 1899. Mr.*- Cecil Rhodes was visiting Egypt and lie diagnosed the Kaiser's ambitions. AYith characteristic energy ho went straight away to Berlin,, and on the morning after bis arrival'—that is, on March 11, 1899—he called on the Kaiser at Potsdam. During this conversation Rhodes cleverly secured from tho. Emperor an admission that Germany desired to control Armenia and Mesopotamia. Rhodes immediately saw his, chance, and made great uso of tho admission in order to secure certain advantages elsewhere vhicli were necessary for the Cape to Cairo scheme. Enter the Deutsche Bank. What the exact terms of the bargain v**ere w</ do not know —though it is not difficult to guess—but soon after this Mr. Arthur Gw'inner, the president of the Deutsche Batik, began drafting his famous Anatolian Railway Concession. This was most opportunely ready just when President Kruger was- launching his ultimatum against England, and a few weeks later the Kaisor arrived irn England with his Chancellor —ostonsibly to see his grandmother, but really to take advantage of England's trouble to do good business for Germany. On the day" before he loft Windsor, after repeated interviews with Mr. Balfour and Mr. Chamberlain, William II obtained for the Deutsche Bank tho great conCession by which Germany hoped to reach the Persian Gulf. The document was signed at Constantinople, but tlie work was done in England. From this time German influence began to supersede all others at the Porte, and.it has uow beconio supreme.

; In 1903 the Deutsche Bank secured a second concession, which included the right to build a railway through Armenia to Ourfa; the bank was t? erect telegraph wires, aad the Sultan on his ,side undertook to hand.'over free oi l charge all'land necessary for the rail-, way, and he pledged all the tithes pay. able by farmers in Konia, Qurfa, and Adaua as security for tho necesfeary loan, l'hus the miserable Armenians were expected to pay the, interest on -the Deutsche Bank's w'atered capital, and the bank became Turkey's tax-gatherer. This led to an Armenian appeal to the Tsar, who in 1910 visited Potsdam and protested. To meet Russia's views Turkey had to cancel part' of her grant to Germany, but she made up by plunging into the concession business up jo hei' neck. The Deutsche Bank acquired all tho minerals along the Bagdad railway route; the right to cut as' much timber <s she wanted; electric light and power concessions, trading concessions, water rights, nad *thb monopoly of many trades. In short, Turkey pawned Ar menia to tho Deutsche Banlc and by moans of these concessions Germany secured a controlling voice over Turkish finance. v The . Agony of Armenia. Is it surprising that- tho Armenians have become restive P Once more we must read the terrible story of massacre; this time Lord 1 Bryco estimates 800,000 victims; he tells jf lie horrible house-to-house search, tho mad mothers, the. caravan routes marked by corpses, the sale of slaves for a few shillings.apiece, the shame of the women, the apostacy of the weak, tlio sack of Trebizond,. the desert march of the,widows and young children, the bar gains of the brothel.keepors, the- massacre of children in 'the' Euphrates, the forced conscription of soldiers'to carry out these crimes; the cries, the tears, the groans and gasps. And we must- remember that in- every administrative centre throughout thesci districts where . massacres and deportations hnvc occurred there is a German Consul whose word is. law. The United States received no answer when she ventured to, protest. The American Ambassador at' Constantinople went direct to tha German Ambassador, who merely said lie could-not interfere in Turkey's internal affairs. . ' The '"Trajikfurter Zeitung" has only one excuse —the lack of good railways in Anatolia and tho abscnce of good officials.. This will not do; is it not raoro probable that the policy adopted by Germany in Soutb-West Africa is at work? There site drove ouTi. tTie Hereros to make room for the German immigrant; now there is a place in the Garden of Eden for Prussians. Is not this tho policy? Then the Bagdad railway will pay; tlje concessions will yield dividends; the monopolists will rival the Nabobs. Every time the Reichstag discusses tho war there is ono disturbing voice. It crics "What about the Deutsche Bank?" But till now' Dr. Licbknccht has never been allowed to explain to Germany what he means. But the day will come, and it is not far distant, when others .will ask the samo question. When tho' Kaiser next visits ' Constantinople and mentions tho integrity of tho Ottoman Empire many Turks will ask: "What about the Deutsche Bank?" When the Kaiser puts the inevitable screw on Tsar Ferdinand to keep him out of the Mosque of San Sofia, many Bulgarians will ask: "What about, the Deutsche Bank?"When the Austrian and German Socialists meet in Congress they will demand an answer to the same question, and when the answer is given there won't be room for Dr. Liebknecht and Mr. Gwinner in the same city; sooner or later millions of Europeans will want tho answer to Dr. Liebknecht's unanswerable ruiestion: .""What about the Deutsche Bank?"