_The events covering the period from Sept. 10, when the abolition of
the capitulations was decided upon, till Oct. 29, when the Turkish
fleet attacked Russian ports and shipping in the Black Sea, were
confined mostly to hasty and all-absorbing warlike preparations on the
part of the Turkish Government, assisted by the German military
mission. The Constantinople correspondent of The Daily Atlantis of New
York wrote on Sept. 17:_
We are daily approaching a crisis. The Government has not swerved from
its warlike attitude, and is threatening not only Greece, but Russia
and the Triple Entente as well, while, on the other hand, it has
failed to secure Rumanian or Bulgarian co-operation in its militant
policy. At the same time, the Porte has learned that efforts are being
made in the Balkans for common action against Turkey. It also became
known that the Governments of London and Petrograd agreed to indemnify
Bulgaria by giving her Adrianople and Thrace, while Greece was to have
Smyrna, with a considerable hinterland.
During this period the Turkish press maintained an active campaign
against England and the Allies. The following extract from an
editorial article published in the Terdjumani-Hakkikat thus
characterizes the situation:
Everybody knows that the Balkan States are traversing a
period of doubts, and that the belligerent parties are doing
their best in order to secure the sympathies and the
assistance of the Balkan States.
To begin with, the idea of reconstructing the Balkan League
came under consideration. In this way the Balkan States
think they will become strong enough to impose their will at
the final settlement that will follow the war. This idea,
however, based as it is on the nullification of the Treaty
of Bucharest, and on certain sacrifices on the part of
Rumania and Greece, proved to be a failure. In the course of
the discussion between the two States it was shown that
neither Greece nor Rumania was willing to make any sacrifice
in favor of Bulgaria. The Balkan Alliance, being thus
unpracticable, the belligerent powers of Europe attempted to
attract Rumania and Bulgaria only, and to this end they made
every sort of promise to the two Governments of Sofia and
Bucharest. The President of the London Balkan Committee, Mr.
Noel Buxton, went to Bulgaria and made certain promises to
Mr. Radoslavoff, the Bulgarian Premier, in the name of Sir
Edward Grey. He promised the restitution to Bulgaria of the
Enos-Midia line, including Adrianople. The Bulgarians,
however, are not to be fooled in this way by promises at the
expense of third parties, and especially when the eventual
cost of these gifts might be a heavy one. We must not forget
that Bulgaria wants not Thrace, but Macedonia. If Great
Britain had promised Bulgaria Macedonia, including Saloniki,
and the Bulgarian Government was convinced beforehand of the
fulfillment of the promise, then it is certain that the
proposal would be accepted. But this is not in line with
England's interests, because in that case she would lose her
two other customers--Greece and Servia. And so there goes
Mr. Buxton making offers out of our own pocket.
But we Turks have been used to injustices; and it has become
an axiom in history that whenever there is trouble in any
part of the world we must be the ultimate sufferers. It
seems that this time, too, "our friends" felt like repeating
the same story; but now we are not to be caught napping, and
the Government, having in time mobilized the army, is ready
for every emergency.
_On Sept. 27 a Turkish destroyer having been stopped by a British
destroyer outside the Dardanelles, the Turkish Government ordered the
straits closed to all shipping._
_The Turkish Government tried to justify in the official press of
Constantinople the measure of closing the straits by declaring that
this important step was undertaken only after a Franco-British fleet
had established an actual blockade of the straits to the detriment of
Turkish commerce and neutral navigation. The Government organ, The
Tasfiri-Efkiar, said:_
The powers are trying to justify the mobilization of Switzerland, and
are making a great case of Belgian neutrality, but meantime they
consider our mobilization as having no other purpose than an
aggression against our neighbors.
Now, if the neutrality of Switzerland, which is guaranteed by all the
powers, is likely to be endangered, how is it possible for us to
remain calm and undisturbed in this universal upheaval, so long as we
know that to annoy and continually harass Turkey according to the
fancies of Europe has well-nigh become a sort of fashion?
Those powers that are dissatisfied at our mobilization are eager to
find our anxiety as without foundation for the mere reason that our
territorial integrity remains under the guarantee of all the powers.
But where was that guarantee when Tripoli and Cyrenaica were attacked
in a way little differing from open brigandage? And was it not the
same powers who forgot their guaranties in the Balkan Peninsula when
they abolished the famous status quo? With such facts before us is it
not ridiculous to speak of European guaranties? While we have now
before us what happened to Belgium, why should our mobilization excite
such widespread indignation? All we are trying to do is to safeguard
and protect our interests and protect ourselves from aggression on the
part of the Balkan States.