The Dominion. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1918. THE SECOND ENEMY TO FALL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 33, 2 November 1918, Page 6

The Dominion. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1918. THE SECOND ENEMY TO FALL

Another foe has fallen I The an■nounocmcnt.of the surrender of Tur;ke'y'is g-i'cafaiid glorious news for; the British Empire, for our Allies, and for civilised mankind. It. comes as; Va .iriesa'age of hope .to/, the oppr.ossed and as tidings of joy to the free. Only tyrants and their claquers. will grieve. The_ Allies are sweeping- on -swiftly aaci 'irresistibly to final victory, The pace hds'llow ,i'ncre'asc..cl to a..gallop.. The refnaini.ng ■'bjarrici's' .......already bending even; to breaking. / point,-If is :Austria's turn.next—she , .is: 1 aL-. rcady_ on her knees—while Germany is vainly searching for some way to peace through the humiliating gate-of unconditional surrender; but all other gates arc,shut and barred. Turkey's capitulation is not. a.-surprise;. , -. Ever'sinceUhe withdrawal of Bulgaria from the fighting arena- it' has been cjuite cvi'defi'fc 'th.at Turkey's' position Va's .hopeless,' and now sHc.'has' sued for •peace and pbtained-.it-oh .conditions .dictated-by the Allies. By threats and enticements- Germany- -secured the stssistance^ of the'.Turks'.;iti tho early, stages"-^ of . ..the" ..war..:'. They, thought'flic Central Powers,'would' win, but they made a mistake, and they will hay,e.,to pay. dearly for their blunder; -Germany had to in-' dulge in much scheming and bribing and plotting to induce the Ottoman Empire to. enter'-the fra-y, ! . it..... abandoned neutral..ity'Hi!:,pct6b"er--: 1914, ; , the of .the-Pan-.Gei'roan.s , ' ••kn?wv"iK), .-.'.bounds—--their dreams about' domination' in -the-.'East'seeriied-/lis\though' 'they : iwould 1 be' realised.' in v ;jfu-\ .iure.^.i'.or.,years..the.training/of die. Turkish Army had been in the hands of Germany, and for years the one voice listened to in diplomacy was that of the Gentral-P-owcrs.- : - The Kaiser had visited '-'holy places" in the Turkish Empire, had accepted the hospitality of-the ,§ultan, andannounced"that the Sultan was his '!.Cviend"—though the same Sultan, ■ABnun .-Ham id,- because-of his persecutions/was -called by the Christian: world "AroiTL' 'the DamnED."- Turk'ish finance ,'wa.s by Germaiy,.and';lier Bagdad .rail-. way triumph "threw open ' to-.-.Ger-man influence an immense region extending from the Mediterranean to the.Pcrsian Gulf. Phincg in his- : imperiaWGermhniil gloatsover this railway * victory, and says: "If anyone can' speak of boundless'; prospects" ■'. anyy , where it" 'is in Mesopotamia." Turkey's entrance' -inta.. 'the wanspoke, to'.theo .Pan-Germans of the db'cim , of■;\Britain' : asVtCn'' oversea Effithis school, ha"d w'ri'tteh in'l9ll'as follows:—

The notion of a German invasion of England is a fantastic <lreain."""lif"tlie case of aggression by England Germany hus but one chance, and that is the strengthening of. Turiey. ..England .can be,.- attatked - and nipftally woundedby lan'd only in' dnp place—Egypt. Tho' loss of Egypt would signify for England not only the loss of control over—'the Suez Canal and of, her. communication, with India and ,thp-,Far East, but probably also that of her possessions'in"Cen- , trai and Eastern Africa.. Egypt is. u prize which would make it well worth while for ..Turkey., to .run. .vhe risk .of. taking lLeiLplace.oji';th'e.-Ude <f Germany., in a wa.r with England.

The Young Turks were notoriously loose in .their religious views, but ;thby;got;fthe'S.ultan ip proclaim a "holy war ,, 'against'Britain an'd' her allies. This was like playing with hell fire'. But William II" was pleased with this new -agency, and' the Quarterly Review tells us "that he:, allowed the report _ to spread throughout- thc'.whjsp'ei'ing 'galleries; of tho East 'that he hiriiself had embraced Islam and assumed the title of Hajji Wilhelji Mahomed !" This "holy war" propaganda was worked for all that it was worth with' the. View of inflaming, Moslems .with hati'cd'against. Britain' apel her' allies. But the "holy war 1, proved a fiasco. Endless thousands of Mohammedans have fought the Turks in Egypt, Palestine, and . Mesopotamia, amU they- ihave -fought- •' the' Germans also on the Western front, and Turks and Germans were "to these soldiers tho enemies of God rand.-man.'-.The Sheriff of Mecca, investedvwith'the sacred prestige of' the Holy: City,-•-hoisted - the Arab .flag'b'f national;' independence aiid revolted against tlfe .Young TurMsl Such' was the "fruit of Germany's treacherous scheming, in Turkey.. .■■■-. : And , now the-day oV Turkey's doom' has arrived.' map .of '.Turkey, in,future, will not be as.it. has ,bceii : in- tho- past. : ' Her , doom' means .the bursting .of the' Pan-Gcr-:man 'bubblie of 'an-'Eastern Empire. Her fate has been predicted by President Wilson in the twelfth of his Peace Conditions as stated to Congress on January. 8 of.'this year, as follows: —

The Turkish portions of 'he present Ottoman Empire should be assured a secure sovereignty, ibut the other .nationalities which are now under Turkish : i'ulo ■should'be'assured an undoubted security'of :"life and; an ■ absolutely■ unmolested opportunity- of autonomous development, ■' nnd ■the'vDardanelleS should be'permanently opened ; aS a-'free"'passage to the ships and commerce of all nations under international guarantees.

Me. Lt-oyd Geokge,. on; January 5, in setting forth the war aims of the Allies, said regarding Turkey:

While we do not challenge tho maintenance of 1 lie Turkish. Empire'in .the homelands of. the TuVkisii 2'ace, with its capital -at Conslantinople,- the passage between .the' Mediterranean and the Black Sea being internationalised' aud neutralised; Arabia, "Armenia, Mesopo; tamia, Sytia, -and Palestine.are.' in Our judgment; entitled to- a , recognition-<f their- separate, national conditions. •'

•It .will •be noticed-' that President Wilson says nothing about the future of Constantinople, whereas Mr. Lloyd George states that he does not "challenge the maintenance of the Turkish Empire in the homeland of the Turkish race with its capital, at But. Constantinople is not part of 'the Turkish homeland. • The Turk is an alien in ■Europe—a very' undesirable "intruder^. v ;lfc : would be a pity" to let him stay.. Jt has not yet, been settled whether he shall go or" stay. Senator Lodge recently declared that Turkey has been a constant cause of war and is'a'standirig'danger. He expressed the hope that the peace programme will provide i()i l . the banishment of, Turkish, rule from Europe. If tho.Turk is kicked clear out of Europe, bag and baggage, no one but himself will'weep Over his fate. : " '• '' :