THE YOUNG TURK 
77 
spontaneously promised to render solid 
assistance to his Moslem comrades in 
Tripoli." Another newspaper dispatch 
refers to the "solid assistance" as an 
armed force of 10,000 men from this 
tribe contributed to the defense of 
Tripoli. 
This would seem to prove the truth 
of what has frequently been stated by 
Turkish sympathizers : that it is only 
necessary for foreigners to strike a blow 
at the integrity of Turkey to bring about 
a coalition of Mussulmen in defense of 
the Empire. 
During these internal trials of the new 
Turkish government, Greece again de- 
manded that the promise made by Eng- 
land, that she should be put in possession 
of the beautiful island of Crete, should 
be fulfilled, and took advantage of 
Turkish misfortunes in Yemen to press 
her claim. But the Young Turk party 
promptly informed the British authori- 
ties that not another inch of territory 
would be given up to any power. They 
announced that Turkey would fight to 
the death to maintain her sovereignty in 
Crete, and that England herself would 
surely be brought into the conflict with 
disastrous results to the peace of Europe 
if this claim was pushed. With such an 
alternative staring her in the face, Eng- 
land was forced to disavow her promise 
to Greece, and the Ottoman flag still 
'floats over Crete. 
It is too soon to predict the outcome 
of the present conflict in Tripoli, but 
if it results in a "holy war," as is not 
unlikely, it would seem that there can 
be but one result in the issue. Emperor 
William II, a few years ago, made a 
speech in Jerusalem, in which he said, in 
effect : "Allied as I am with my good 
friend Abdul Hamid, the Padishah of 
225,000,000 Mohammedan subjects, Tur- 
key, in combination with my grand army, 
need have no fear if the whole world 
-combines against us." 
Emperor William, by this appeal for 
Moslem support, was but inviting in ad- 
vance the very danger to western civili- 
zation that now threatens. 
But what nation is there that does not 
.appeal to the divine power that rules its 
-destiny when the stress of war comes? 
"God favor our righteous cause," is the 
cry on the lips of every believer, whether 
he be Moslem, Jew, or Gentile ; or, to 
quote from an inscription found upon 
the walls of the imprisoned British troops 
at Delhi during the Indian insurrection: 
"When war is rife and strife is nigh, 
God and the soldier is all the cry ; 
When war is o'er and peace requited, 
God and the soldier is always slighted." 
CORRUPTION IS AT AN £;nD 
I have thus attempted to give a brief 
account of Turkish history during the 
past three and one-half years, which is a 
record of stupendous trials that have 
beset the Young Turk party in their ef- 
forts to help the country in its way to- 
ward reforms and a new national life. 
The question is : Have the Young 
Turks fulfilled, as far as might be ex- 
pected under the prevailing difficulties, 
promises made when they took office? 
The answer may be summarized as fol- 
lows : 
It is only necessary to note the happy, 
smiling faces of the inhabitants in Tur- 
key today to realize that despotism is a 
thing of the past. Order in the Empire 
has been kept under the most trying cir- 
cumstances. Fraternization of the dif- 
ferent races, which at first might have 
been interpreted as the exuberance of 
the freedom of action permitted by the 
constitution, has continued. Fear has 
been banished, ambition for knowledge 
strengthened, and thought enlivened. 
Corruption, which, under the old regime, 
was rampant, is now speedily brought to 
justice, so that today there is no more 
honest administration of governmental 
affairs in the world than in Turkey. The 
strength of the foreign policy of the gov- 
ernment is demonstrated by the stand it 
took against England in the case of the 
island of Crete, while the stability of thq^ 
internal program of the Young Turks is 
shown in the frequent successful rapid- 
transit movements against revolutionists. 
If we would but "look for the good 
that is in the worst of us instead of the 
bad that is in the best of us," we would 
find some characteristics of the Turkish 
race that we might emulate to advantage. 
I do not except from these many of their 
