The Waikato Times, THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE, AND KAWHIA ADVOCATE. Established Thirty-Three Years. THE OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPER IN THE WAIKATO. THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER SOUTH OF AUCKLAND. WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 1906. TURKISH OBSTINACY.

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 7005, 9 May 1906, Page 2

The Waikato Times, THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE, AND KAWHIA ADVOCATE. Established Thirty-Three Years. THE OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPER IN THE WAIKATO. THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER SOUTH OF AUCKLAND. WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 1906. TURKISH OBSTINACY.

TllK Porte evidently does not wish to appear to be impressed by the British ultimatum, for we learn to-day that Turkish reiuforcements are being sent to Akabah and Tabah. It will soon be obvious, however, that the scene of the real arbitrament of force will not be the sands of the Siuaitic wilderness, but the eastern waters of the Mediterranean and perhaps the Bosphorus itself. Lord Charles Beresford, with the Mediterranean Squadron, is off Athens, and it would be an easy task for him to sweep the few rotten craft known as the Turkish Navy fro n off the sea, and train his guns on Constantinople. The Sultan's methods in foreign policy are difficult to explain. He has earned a reputation for astuteness, and yet he will cling to an untenable position, until an actual demonstration of superior force compels him, at great expense of dignity, to withdraw. That such will be the case in the Egyptian frontier incident cannot be doubted, since Germany has officially and explicitly denied all complicity in the affair. Abdul Hamid knows he cannot stand alone against Britain, he knows that Russia and France are against him, yet he prefers to delay his backing down as long as possible. Whether his motive is to postpone his humiliation, or to give all the trouble he can, it would be futile to guess. It appears likely that his obstinacy in the present instance may have consequences he has not anticipated. It is suggested that his nomiual overlordship of Egypt will be formally disowned. Mukhtar Pasha, Turkish Commissioner at Cairo, is held to have fomented an anti-British agitation which was subsidised from Constantinople. When Lord Cromer ;sent to the Porte his first protest against the trespass of the Turkish troops, the reply came back that the agent of a vassal State had no right to address such representations to its suzerain. However technically correct this may have been, it amounted to an insult. Until a quarter of a century ago, Turkish rule in Egypt was a political scandal. Since that time it has been only a name, and there is uow no reason why it should have even that shadow of ex. istence. The Turk can conquer, he is a born soldier, he has a fighting religion and believes in it, but he cannot govern. A large part of the history of the Mediterranean basin consists of wonderful Mohammedan conquests and the insidious decay of the new power, until weakness within made it an easy prey to attack from without. But while Turkey has, even now, a fine army, it is fortuuate for Britain that she has no navy worthy of the name.