The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1867-01-25
The Var in Crets-Probable Reopen
ing OF the European Question.

/ dove and III later times the scene OF some
/ OF the most desperate and vaiorous exploits
i recorded ID history that romantic island
aboat whose famed EIeaDtaln cluster the
/ associations OF familiar ancient fables !;
whose very name calls up the heroes Of
Troy and the divine songs OF the Old blind
poet, and ashose soil has been conSecFated
/ now by over 300 years against Ottoman
despotiS.n, IS ouce more the theater Of
/ heroism and the battle field Of liberty.
Since the Turks wrested Crete from the
| tenetians IN the 18th century, after a
twenty years siege of Its capital. the Chris
tan inhabitants OF the island have lived IN
almost constant rebellion against their llo-
hammedan masters. Time aud again have
they been on the point OF throwing OH the
savish yoke. aud twice their letters have
been rIvetted and their glorious aspirations
! thwarted by their Christian brethren OF
/ Europe. " hen the Turkish power was
! shattered at the battle Of Nayarino in 1927,
there was good cause far hope that the IN
dependence of Greece would involve the
| liberation of the Cretans; but the arbitrary
partition of the Hellenic territories by the
allied powers of Europe, handed over
Crete, bound hand and foot, to an Egyptian
/ despot; and when fresh complications IN
/ IL
the same unholy combination gave back the
island into the hands of the same cruel mas
ter ut Constantinoplc, from whom 1t had
suffered daring so many generations. Its
subsequent history has been little ei Sc than
a history OF oppression and revolt Its
! population has dWndIed away under mis-
government and outrage, until 1t IS now
only a fourth Of what it was in the palmy
! days of Venetian supremacy. But the IN
| dependent spirit OF its ndomitabie people Is
as hardy as ever, aud the insurrectlon
! which is now raging among them seems
! only to have gathered strength from Its
long repression. And that this revolt is
10 trivial uprising, to be put down IN few
months with few handfuls Of mercenarles,
we daily have unml,takable proof The
! bravery Of that heroic band OF 500 priests,
women and villagers, who defended the
convent OF Arkadi the other day against
/ 10000 Turks, and when the gales were
! forced fought to the death hand TO hand
at the doors of the cells, finally immolatlng
vlctors and vanquished BY setting lire TO the
magazine or of the few soldiers who held
the stcue mill of the convent with such
obstinacy that the Turks had TO blow 1t up
to silence them; or OF the 5000 Cretans
who, II reports can be trusted, were drown
| ed In a cave on the sea-sh0re by the rising
| tide; or OF the troops who, liter repeated
defeats, only withdrew to their mountains
and, while preparing for fresh resistance,
renew again aud again their oaths never 10
| lay down their arms until the Ottoman DIES
! potism has been overthrown-the bravery
of these men, We say, is not Of a kind that
can be easily oyerpoWered.
But more formidable enemy han the
/ lsi-s r1FE hnn y N a
! Russians trusted to HE best-Generals, Frost
and Fire, to defeat the triumphant armies
OF Napoleon, so the Sultan looks to the
! Winter TO conquer the patriots whom his
bayonets cannot subtue. In their noun
tain businesses the insurgents, II unimcum
! bered by women ana children, may reason
ably hope to defy for months the strongest
/ force which Turkey can bring against them;
| but III the meantime what viii become 81
! their wives and families? How can they
| live while their crops are abandoned 10 the
ravages Of the enemy? How can supplies
! be conveyed to them from abIoard while
! the Turks have full conuo Of the country
| between them and the sea2 The winter Is
a terrible ordeal through which their
endurance must DC tested bur they are
| prepared to face it boldly Inc leaders OF
the instruction have held a council at
| Askyto. and resolved that small number
| OF men chosen from each OF the principal
| villages shall remain with the armed bands
anu act OH the defensive IL the mountain
| regions, while the rest shall make their
! peace with the MusSulmanS aud do what
they can to protect their families and crops
during the Winter. The opening OF Spring
wall see them again in the field
The main stay Of the revolt at present
must, OF course, be in the stout hearts Of
| the insurgents; but in the Kingdom Of
| Greece they have powerful auxiliary,
which Is destined, as We believe, TO play an
important part il the history of the strug-
gle. Popular sympathy with the tretan>
/ has rlscnln Greece 10 fever heat. Men OF
all ranks, comfortable merchants as we'll as
/ fiery adventurers, are hurrylng 10 JOIN them.
Arms and supplies are Struggled through
! the Turkish blockade, and the little Gre
elan Island OF Sypa has become to the IN
5ugent Cretans what Nassau used to be to
| the Rebels Of the South. The request OF
the Cretan Assembly Tor annexation to
| Greece meets with an enthusiastic response
at Athens But the Greeks, cautious and
selfish as ever, even in their enthusiasm,
purpose letting the Creuan5 fight out the
winter alone. If the insuuectiou survives
this trying period, Greece will come to Its
aid IN the spring.
| This means ID war between Greece and
! Turkey; and war between Greece and
! Turkey means reopeuing Of the Eastern
question, and not improbably war between
some of the greater powers Of Europe.
| The crime Of nations, as we'll as individuals,
drag after them their own punishment, and
the perpetrators OF the great wrongs Of
1892 and 1910 may encounter their predes-
tined scourage in the determined struggle
for freedom which their outrages upon
Crete have excited and kept alive.
SOBER FOR ONCE. "A correspondent has
a good anecdote of man who rarely failed
to 90 to bed intoxicated, aud disturb his
wife the whole uisht Upon his being
charged by a friend that he never went to
bed sober, he Indignantly denied it, and
gave the incidents of one particular night in
proof
Pretty soon after got into bed my wife
said Why. husband, what is the matter
with you? You act very strangely.
| There is nothing the matter with me,
said l. nothing at ALL
I'm sure there is, said she 'you don't
ac I -. =.