THE TURKISH EMBROGLIO.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13097, 23 April 1908, Page 6

THE TURKISH EMBROGLIO.

In Wβ great work on Egypt, just publishfcd, Lard Cromer gives a most Jnteresting and graphic account of the tortuous and vacillating policy pursued by the Porte at the time of the Arabi rebellion. Then, as always, the aim of the Turkish Government was to play one European Power against another with the object of _ taking advantage of international jealousies amd. avoiding its own manifest dfuiy to take some plain and straightforward line of action. As is the "way vrfth people who aje cunning amd ait fihe same time unscrupulous, the Sultan, and hie advisers overreached themecilvos by playing tim daingorous game a littie too long. As Lord Oromor remarks, it is one of the peculiarities of tiheir crooked poEcy that they are rarely able to Beize the faivou ratio moment for action in support of their viows. The result on that occasion was thait England, which had been urging the Sultan to intervene in Egypt, at length lost patience with his shuffling delarps and evasion and took tihe matter into her own thaaids by the bombardment of Alexamdria. Latterly, as our readers are aware, tluoxe has been some difficulty owing to Austria scourinn a concession for tihe construction of a railway m the Balkans. The discussion which took place on this subject evidently led the Porte to imaginie that there was « weakening of the Triple AHia.nce. The Sultan, or, as suggested in one of this morning's cables, Izzet Pnsha, the "power bdhind tihe throne," endeavourod to test tJne position by refusing to Italy the rigihib which hod been conceded to other Powors of establishiag poet offices on Turkish territory, besides interfering wiili the passenger a«nd goods eervioa between Tripoli and Masraitdh. The event shxnra that the Porto has again misjudged the situation. Signor Tittoni, the ItaJian Minister fox Foreign Affairs, is a man of dear views and decided aobion, and the prompt mobir KsaJtioto of a largo squadron for anj imposing roaval demonstration has brought the Porto onoo more to rts bearings, and we ere told that it flrcts conceded to Italy the post office rights amd made profuse professions of its desire for a continuance of friendship Detwee-n the two countries.

Nevertheless it cannot bo said that the situation in the Near East is at aX free from danger. CloseJy allied ■with the BaJkon- : railway question, is that of the reforms in Macedomia. Russia, Italy, France, end Germany will only agree to the Austrian concession on condition that similar rights are conceded to each of tho other eotratries to construct the railway in which it is particularly interested. The Turkish Government is taking advantage of the position to delay the reforms in Macedonia which England bos been urgenstlv demanding. Sir Edward Grey, a fow weeks ago, in grave and significant terms, pointed out the danger of the position. If the European concert broke down, be said, in all probability there would be war. Signor Tittoni urges that tho question of railways should be kept separate from the reforms, or rather that railway construction should bo treated as preliminary to t3io reforms. This is charming in theory, but will be found difficult in practice. 'Meanwhile the Porte is playing the policy which , it pursued tvith iH success in 1877. "It

is a law of Nature," said the Duke of Argyll on that occasion, "that creatures ■' which cannot live by strength arc ''obliged to live by cunning. Tho ''Turk is an anhnal in whom this " faculty has acquired ah almost pro- '•' development. For many ''years he lias lived on the jealousy "existing between the Christian " Powers. Hβ has watched it constantly in the rivalries for influence "of the embassies of Constantinople." It is to be hoped' that the Porte will not- persist in this Kne of policy on the present occaekm until it lands itself in another war as disastrous as that wrtih Rusia in 1877.