File 3579/1916 'Turkey: the future of Constantinople' [‎58r] (124/530)

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_ 13 * BALFOtm: 1 h^ve no doubt ths.t tho iiuootiPin i» on® of uaetrem^
V
difficulty-* '^-a, by ^ • Montagu,
I am not at all < ualifiod to speak* I have no.
sentiuent in India, f.nd It n-ould be folly for no to offer an opinion
on the subject. But I " ould like to rrene this observation. ivir *
lAonteeu seeas to think that the process of driving tho lurk hastanid
is on tho - hole rather f<tnl to British prestige in Indio; but the
process of driving tho Turk ir.st.ard is one uhich has boon going on
rapidly really for tvo centuries at ler*st T . mo/e I thin.... Tho
as ue all know onco occupied Hungary, houuania, Sorbia end vent up to
the p-tos of Vionncu He had all the Korth of hfrica, the Islands of
Greece, the Islands of the. Baotorn.^uitorr<inoan* Tho whole process
of history in that part of tho world has been to steadily driie him
back. If anybody would look at tho map of tho Turkish Umpire cs it
was let us say - I a ill take it at random - in 1650, and a map of
•what it is at the present time, he v ould have ocular demonstration
0 f the fact. The t-ut,Btion is, therefore, ought this process to be
stop-led at this last end critical stage? Ought not, in otner '•ords,
an Griontal race go back to an Oriental country, and c-n \ o not
cuito truly say to the Muhamme an world, n ’c have no objection to
Muharamodanism, but we do not think that Sure >e is the place for it n ?
However it really turns u >on this- That argument turns upon s
icno lodjo of Indian feoling, o^trat which I m/rovy poor &utharity,
I ;olievo, hos’ovor,. the.t it is true that you could loavo tho Turk in
Buro?o end co ad leevo bin in possession of Oonstnntinonlo , and yet
preserve the waterways of 'one Dcrdanellos end tha Bosphorus, end I
do not think that it would re.pairo very le-rgo o ors to do so, or cny
grout force or any gras, cost of money. It would be ondor inter
national guarantees. ~n c ’thority rs ther in the nature perhaps of
the Danube authority would have a certain police force. There would
be no forts, tnere '.ould be no fleet, there would be no means of
tailing .he place by a coup-de-xin. which would have the least oha .ee of
success, by , he Tnr^s. I do not think that tho operation of keeping
those >.;r. torways open is oltner very costly or ’-ery difficult or in any
u; E y i.aprcotiosblo. Shot would leave the Turk with his .oOwers st
Constantincoe soaewhst shorn. It rnnld leave too Sultan living