The Turks Say "Chester." But What of It?

The Near East

The several delegations of the contending parties arrived in Lausanne for the second installment of the Lausanne Conference. The main issues which are to be discussed have been thrust into almost indecent obscurity by the electrifying gyrations caused by the announcement of the Chester Concessions.

There is only one clear and visible sign discernible on the skyline of the Near East crisis which can have the effect of making everyone get down to bedrock common sense. This sign is the signal for a change of policy at Lausanne. The Allies and Turkey will have to abandon back-door diplomacy, and, in fact, leave the front door open for a good, honest and lasting settlement. This can only be done by each of the countries concerned putting its cards face up on the peace table of the conference. Will they do it? It looks as if the Chester Concessions will force them, and so the world may come to have a simple knowledge of the great problems of making peace with Turkey in terms of oil.

The object of the Turks in ratifying the concessions to Admiral Chester is so diaphanous that they can hardly be credited with their usual clever cunning. The Allies and the United States are hardly likely to fall out about these concessions, which, after all, are not so conflicting as the press makes out, when the International Court is ready to settle the whole matter in a peaceable manner. The Turks forget that they and their diplomacy are well known all over the world and especially in Europe; thus, with everyone on the alert, the worst effect of their scheming will be to prolong the conference. If, however, the Turks are as anxious for peace as they have so consistently stated--and this is probably true, because they have everything to gain from an early peace--they will certainly allow the Allies and the United States to fight the matter out in the World Court, and themselves abide by the decision of that court. The concessions having been given, it cannot be a matter of very grave importance who works them.

The Chester Concessions are a mandate to the American-Turkish Development Company--the Chester concern--to build series of railways across Turkey which will open up the interior of the country and facilitate transportation to the coast. Ports, canals, roads are to be built in addition. The next important project on a long list--at least the press says it is, but it has not yet been officially published--is the rebuilding of Angora on the plan of Washington. The New York Times correspondent says: " It is to be on an heroic scale with all modern require-ments--public buildings, Government offices, sanitation, avenues, parks and so forth."

The British stated that they would not challenge the validity of the concessions except where they conflict with privileges already granted to British subjects. The French plaintive howl seems only to conflict directly with the Chester Concessions in two respects: the building of the railway from Sivas to Samsun, one of nine lines that are reported as included in the concessions, and a comparatively short one; the building of a port at Samsun on the Black Sea. Further than this it seems improbable that the United States Government will back the Chester interests where they conflict with rights already given to other nationals, as such a course would be in direct contradiction to their " open-door " policy voiced at Lausanne by Richard Washburn Child, Ambassador to Rome, who was the American observer at the last session of the conference.