THE WAR.

Southland Times, Issue 17305, 29 March 1913, Page 5

THE WAR.

The war news that has come over the wires during the last few days marks the beginning of the last chapter in the record of a remarkable struggle. The Turk is in the dust, and nothing but the friendly offices of the Powers can uphold the Crescent in 'Europe. Adrlanople having fallen in a scene of ghastly carnage and destruction, there is nothing to prevent the Allies from concentrating all their forces for an assault on the Chatalja lines, and against such an assault the Turks could not hold even these tremendously strong defences. One after another, towns that were supposed to be impregnable have been taken by assault. Kirk Kilisseh, Janina and Adrianople—all were regarded as impregnable, and all have fallen before the victorious bayonets of the Allies,,, Already part of the Chatalja lines are in possession of the Bulgarians, and before a concerted attack the Turks would give way from one side of the Thracian Peninsula to the other. Apart from the Chatalja lines Constantinople is defenceless, so that it is beyond the power of the Turks themselves to save their capital from the Christian conquerors. It is in the highest degree Improbable that the Powers will allow the war, to go so far. They have already declared in the most emphatic way that the Allies must accept the terms of peace agreed upon by Powers, and the war is neap Its erfif* Still, the Allies cannot be deprived of the fruits of victory, and the fall of Adrianople will have a material effect upon the conditions which the Powers are prepared to enforce against Turkey. Envhr Bey’s great coup has failed, and Turkey would have been saved some of the bitterness and humiliation of defeat if she had recognised the inevitable and surrendered Adrianople immediately after the London Conference. She could bargain then for other concessions: she cannot bargain now, because that which she was unwilling to yield has been taken from her by force. Constantinople itself, and a small strip of territory behind it is the most that Turkey can expect to save from the wreck, and the most that the Powers can expect the Allies to concede. It is a matter for regret that jealousy and distrust among the Powers themselves should operate to preserve the Turk from the fate which he so richly deserves—expulsion from Europe. It is only because there is no alternative owner that Turkey is allowed to remain in occupation of Constantinople, but it would be better for Europe in every way if the Empire of the Sultans were restricted to Asia.