Turkey had no illusions from the beginning on the subject of the war.
If the choice had been left to the nation she would not have become
Germany’s catspaw. Unfortunately for Turkey, she has had no choice. For
years upon years the Sultan Abdul Hamid was Turkey. Opposition to his
will meant death for his opponent. Thus Turkey became inarticulate. Her
voice was struck dumb. The revolution was looked upon hopefully as the
dawn of a new era. Abdul Hamid was dethroned; his brother, a puppet,
was exalted, anointed, and enthroned. Power passed from the Crown, not,
as expected, to the people and its representatives, but into the hands
of a youthful adventurer, in German pay, who has led his country from
one folly to another.
Turkey did not want to fight, but she had no choice, and so she was
dragged in by the heels. She has lost much beside her independence.
The crafty German has drained her of supplies while giving naught in
return. The German’s policy is to strive throughout for a weak Turkey.
The weaker Turkey can be made, the better will it be for Germany, which
hopes still, no matter what may happen elsewhere, so to manipulate
things as to dominate the Ottoman Empire after the war.
Turkey is still a rich country, in spite of her enormous sacrifices in
the past decade. She has been exploited from end to end by the German
adventurer, who will continue the process of bleeding so long as there
is safety in the method; but Turkey is beginning to ask herself, as
does the figure of the fat Pasha in the cartoon: “And is this all the
compensation I get?” An Iron Cross does not pay for the loss of half a
million good soldiers. Yet that is the exact measure of Turkey’s reward.