Show SUCH R A SICK MAN MAC IN EUROPE WHY TURKEY DOESN'T KNOW WHETHER TO FIGHT OR NOT Ever hear of or th the tha sick alck Ick man of ot Europe Eu Eu- rope roper Hes He's the sultan of or Turkey and just now hes he's up against a severe cre headache trying to guess what to do In the first place Turkey has been able mostly Jo to hold her o own on n by playing one European power against another That stuffs bluffs all off orf now no They're all up an anat anat anat at it It hammer and tongs and cold steel and gunpowder n der are aro about all the politics now played Ye Yes It Its It's s Sl a 8 terrible headache If ref th the tho sick man goes coes to war or keeps out of it hes he's not safe Maybe they'll get him anyhow If It he loins joins the allies and Germany Germany Ger Ger- many wl wins s the kaiser will probably kick him clean off oCt the earth If It ho he joins Joins Germany and the allies win there there wont won't be b r. r leather feather left In the Turkeys Turkey's tall tail when Its It's all over England ha has had her sharpened for that that bird for tor a long time The Tho Turk hopes In case se Germany wins to bank on the kaiser kaUer who has been hl his friend for somo time for time for value received Also ho he knows Germany needs a L terrier In the vicinity where the Turk takes his meats meal to bite at the pants of f Russia and tho the Slavic race England used to think sho she needed Turkey Turkey Turkey Tur Tur- key in n her business to gU guard the tilt Dardanelle Dardanelles Dardanelles Dar Dar- danelle but recently she has seemed to feel that she can an guard against t that menace menace menace men men- ace In some somo other way The Tho Dardanelles you rou know are the little straits se separating southeastern Europe Europ from western Asia They are aro only two forty miles long Jong and less leas than four foul miles mUes wl wide o at the tho broadest point They Thay connect the tho set sea of ot Marmora with the tho Aegean sea and so 80 control the commerce com com- merce Between the Black s sea a and the Mediterranean The channel is one of or the great highways highways high high- ways of or commerce Through It passes the huge cargoes of ot wheat grown on the Ru Russian lan steppes Crude oil from the Black sea fields passes through this gateway also the commerce of or the two greatest Balkan nations Bulgaria and Rumania The Tho passage is III I lined on the l European lO side by steep seep hills and both sides of or orthe the channel are arc heavily fortified so fO that no ship may pass without express per per- mission Because the Ute channel ha has such strategic Importance it la Is coveted by every nation of or the world but Russia wants It most of ot al all The czar must have havo a nice freeport free tree freeport port for tor the development of his commerce commerce com com- merce but Turkish control of ot tho Dardanelles Dardanelle's Dardanelles Dardanelles Dar Dar- danelle's checks his ambition Tho The big bIgnay navy y which Ru Russia Ruda la on the tho Black K sea A Is Is bj- bj treaty t perpetually shut shutout shutout shutout out of oC the t waters of ot tho world E England would control the channel to hold Russian warships from scouring the France now matre of or th the Mediterranean dares dare not let Russia break out of ot the straits and so menace the bl balance of ot power In fn the south Italy wants to dominate t the Adriatic and by getting the key to the Aegean sea in her hands can counteract Russian and German influences In la Turkey and Asia Isla sla Minor Germany German and Austria hav have common interests In tn- tn and ambitions to further The foresighted looks look to the time when German Gennan Influence will extend from the Baltic maro Gf through Austria and down the Balkan peninsula into A Asia Alia Ia Minor and thence to tho the Indian ocean thereby opening a new and greater trado do do route route- for tor German commerce In the Tar far East f L i To make mako that 1 dream effective the control of at the Dardanelles must remain In the hands of ot a Do friendly power Whichever way way- the Sultan turns or If tt he does not act at all he f rac faces cea all an Im ImP Im- Im P possible situation Tho moment moment he aim- ann anns Greece Groeco o will be on his back with a demand demand j for its old capital Constantinople Italy will win Protect its Ita Interests Rumania and Bulgaria will have to take toko up arms to maintain the tho status quo In the Balkan Balkans And at tho the first shot a free tree for tor all al race wee for Constantinople and the Dardanelles Dardanelles will wUl take taka place The winner will b bi be able f t to dictate h his Ms own terms |