Haggle Over Peace Although Agreed.

New York Times 100 years ago today, September 29, 1912:
Italy and Turkey Are Practicing with Zeal the Fine Art of Postponing.
PORTE WANTS EASY WAY OUT
Reconciled to the Inevitable and Seeks for a Formula to Help Soothe the National Pride.
By Marconi Transatlantic Wireless Telegraph to The New York Times.
    ROME, Sept. 28.— The negotiations between Italy and Turkey, rather than arriving at a speedy conclusion of peace, seem destined to show which are the more clever in the art of postponement — the worshippers of Mohammed or the disciples of Machiavelli.
    An American diplomat remarked the other day that it was a pity that, for some reason, Spain also was not in the competition, as a Spanish delegate, with his constant "mañana," would take in the whole thing perfectly.
    To the Anglo-Saxon mind what is happening in the negotiations is simply absurd. Italy has in the most solemn manner possible for a country to do it — that is to say, by the word of her King and with a decision taken by Parliament — unanimously declared complete and absolute sovereignty over the whole of Lybia.
    Notwithstanding this, Turkey asked to treat in regard to the matter, and, in the negotiations begun and carried on under the former Cabinet of Saïd Pacha and the present Cabinet, the Turkish delegates, with the declared intention of facilitating the proceedings, proposed to put aside the question of sovereignty and discuss other points.
    The discussion has now been going on for several months, and the delegates have agreed on every other point, but when the main issue, Italian sovereignty over Lybia, has come up they have hesitated. It would be quite reasonable if Turkey were absolutely determíned not to admit the sovereignty of Italy, in which case, as Italy is absolutely determined not to renounce it — at least, as some one said the other day, until a Turco-Arab force reaches the walls of Rome — there would be no ground for negotiations.
    On the contrary, Turkey is ready to submit to the inevitable, but wishes to find a formula with which to gild the bitter pill.
    This is the situation, and no one can understand how Constantinople can hope to gain any more by postponing a solution which alone can strengthen the tottering empire and enable her to cope with all the other pressing problems which she has on her hands at present.
    In other words, the two countries are in perfect accord on everything substantial, and if peace be not concluded and the war should continue, with more loss of lives , and expense, the fault rests entirely with the abnormal mentality which is trying to solve the insoluble by losing a province and wishing to appear still to have it.