THE SYRIAN RISING.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 19 January 1926, Page 4

THE SYRIAN RISING.

AN UNCENSORED STORY. POLITICIANS BLAMED FOB FRANCE S FAILL RE. these are the tacts ol the present rebellion throughout Syria and the Lebanon, which 1 must send out from a neighbouring country on account or the Trench telegraphic service, writes Mr. George Gedcles, in a special dispatch from Beirut to the Chicago Tribune, or which he is special correspondent. L file Christian volunteer arinv in the Lebanon is completely defeated. Southern Lebanon is completelv at the mercy of the Druses. The 1‘ rench are rushing ail available troops southward _ from Beirut, but they have not sufficient cavalry and armoured cars and tanKs, which alone can defeat the mounted enemy.

U lc arming of the voliimcoi CJilisti;in iimiv lias alarmed the entii'e Mohammedan population adding the great danger ol a Mohammedan uprising as well as the Druse rebellion Religions war is foreshadowed. 3. The French black tloops in manj instances have proved bad. and the gendarmerie ol mixed Christians ana Mohammedans is a complete lailure, for they have deserted their machinegun positions, fleeing before an inferior enemy, and leaving volunteers to save the women and children, -1. 1' ranees prestige is almost com-) pletely shattered. the partial restoration of the prestige won bv (federal Game! in in the heroic captuic o. •Sneida "as lost when the Druses invaded the Christian Lebanon, capturing every village they attacked, massacring and pillaging. o. Ihe entire population of the Lebanon. .Syria, Christian as well as Mohammedan. is angry. EverxbuUv is demanding that Fiance shall' fight •or get out. Only the suhstantial Dress , defends the Government U. Jhe most alarming fan id the , situation is that France has not the, troops here When General Gamclin ;

utilised 500, t in attacking Sueida and defending the rear bases, the rest ol the country became exposed to inpidmounted night-riding Druses, who light as the \x iid Indians did. 1 he past live months has seen a scenes of diplomatic and military blunders. which were evident, to any observer, jand have been reported by "the British, American, and other Consulates to their Governments. 8. While the public attribute these blunders to General Sarrail. diplomatic and other expert observers place tbe blame on a deeper source, namely, tbe political conflict in Laris. They leiaini that the French politicians, lighting lor the Premiership and Cabinet posts, tbe battle between the . Monarchists. Republicans, and Radical Bloc in Paris,* and the light Let wee n the clericals and anti-clerie-ale in Paris, are completely lesi.onsi,ble for the terrible mess here which has resulted in massacres and disaster. and which threaten terrible tilings in a religious war and complete ro'hellioii. Tt is claimed by these v>bservers that ail General Sarrail’s actions to, pacify the country and restore pros-

polity have been “hamstrung" by the I Paris politicians. The lesult has been ! half-way measures, which is character, j ised in recent history, and which is i apparent to-day in the voluntary I army mess. Had the Government arm|ed .10,000 volunteers—who came forward wmiout being asked —and plac|ed reliable leaders in command the | probability is that a complete victory j over xlie enemy would have resulted, j But the half-way formation of i 1 1j chosen volunteers without giving them leaders lias resulted in a debacle. A volunteei aimy victory would have pacified the qpuntry, but defeat has aroused the spectre of a Mohammedan religious war. The quest ion of sufficient troops is another tragedy blamed on Paris. The French military have been begging Paris daily for aeroplanes, pointing iut the British success in holding Mesopotamia by means lot' the air force. But .Paris sent only two or three score, mostly old Breguets, some ••j! which European aviators flew in France: old-fashioned machines which frequently collapsed and burned up, causing unnecessary deaths of brave French aviators. The same thing occurred with armoured cars, which are continually breaking down on the roads en route to the attacked tillage.-,: and also with flic tanks, which have proved marvellous war machines against the natives, but which should nave been sent in scores instead of in threes and fours.

Finally, the Paris politicians who control the war here did not send sufficient troops until a little while ago, when all the Lebanon was terrorstricken and the Druses were attacking in four zones simultaneously, making the task of pacification most difficult

Some 00.000 persons are refugees, and IO.fXK) have lost everything. Large parts of Syria are uncultivated, and a famine is forecast for the spring. Business is at a standstill; Damascus '•as a moratorium ; Beirut is stagnant, all of which forecasts a financial crisis, and millions of people are either in panic, not knowing which village is to be massacred next, or openly discontent under French rule, only discontented under French rule.

i-oops \v!u> landed recently bad arrived when tho generals asked the politicians in July and August for them, Syria would now be pacified, the Christian Lebanon saved from the massacres, and the danger of a religious war averted.