NOTES ON THE POSITION

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 268, 8 November 1912, Page 5

NOTES ON THE POSITION

The defeat of the Turks at Chataldja marks the fall of the last line of defence outside the capital, and the refugees are already falling back on the city of Constantine. The chances of an effective defence here do not seem too bright judging by the meajrre resistance so far offered by the Sultan's forces, but against this is the fact that the bestdrilled regiments of the army arc in the capital, and that there will be a sufficient supply of ammunition to work the guns. The reports of wilful atrocities which the Turks are practising on helpless women and children are in strange contrast to the shocked remonstrances which the same Turks made when the Italians shot down non-combatants in the oasis of Tripoli. The Turks then posed a3 the simple, valorous people, fighting according to the most approved rules of civilised warfare, while their adversaries were cruel and bloodthirsty creatures. There is little doubt that non-combat-ants were recklessly slain by the Italians. but there 13 no evidence that they were ruthlessly tortured; nevertheless, tho Turks made such an outcry of hypocritical horror at the very practices which wore almost a weekly occurrence within their own borders, that a revulsion of feeling swept through Europe in favour of the Turks and against the Italians. The feeling was ?o strong in England that many ftaid and peace-loving people would have gladly seen the Government intervene in the struggle. Those people have now the opportunity to judge how much their sympathy for the Turk was justified. The defeated soldiers, finding themselves powerless and incapable of fighting men. have turned on women and children, and oven the wounded on the battlefield, outraging and maiming and slaughtering, to vent their rage and brutal passion. The late Mr. W. K. Gladstone in 1874 was stirred by the accounts of atrocities perpetrated by Turks on Bulgarians, and he preached a fiery campaign against Ottoman rule in Europe. His opponents pointed out that such a course Tas directly in the interests of Rus3;a:i diplomacy and against England, but he persevered in his demand for the expulsion of the Turk, and it was probably only the fear of the resultant expansion of Russia which restrained English popular opinion from following the Liberal leaders as far as he would have liked to go. The position to-day, however, is somewhat ■changed. Russia ■was then a frankly hostile nation; she is now friendly, if only luke-waimly so, and 3 compromise betwppn the tiro Govern-

meats is now more possible than it wa» 35 years ago. The stories of Turkish atrocities on women and children are certain to stir up in England the hate of the Turk and his ways which Mr. Gladstone aroused, and it is possible that the wave of popular feeling may be sufficient to overcome the calculations of careful diplomatists, and bring about the partition of Turkey amongst the Balkan States and the Powers, and the downiall of the Turk in Europe.