The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-11-23
GREECE.
rrom the London Saturday Rsvses..


the French republic, while il is rather anus
ing than important, reminds the careless OBJ
server of events that there are other foreign
communities besides the belligerents who
have eDgrossed the attention of the world.
A much more surprising statement was lately
forwarded by telegraph from Florence, to the
effect that Greece had concluded an offensive
and defensive alliance with Turkey. IL the
report had been but true, it might have been
inferred that the Greeks had at last deter
mined to concentrate their undivided efforts
on domestic improvement. 1t is not impos-
sible that such treaty, and the policy which
it would imply, might prove the nearest road
to the attainment of their cherished objects.
II may or may not be true that the
Turks in Europe are dying out; but
without an entire change of character they
would find it difficult to maintain their posi-
tion in the immediate neighborhood of a
prosperous and we'll ll-governed Greek king
dom. The only pursuit in which the Turks
naturally equal or excel their rivals is the
primitive business of fighting, nor can the
Greeks hope to defeat them except with the
aid of protector who would be far more
formidable than their ancient enemy. 1t
may be hoped that the supposed treaty Is but
symbolical exaggeration of the desire of
the present Greek Government to attend
to it's own affairs. 1t is believed that
the Deligeorgis Ministry is determined, if
possible, to suppress the scandal Of brigand-
age. The recent capture of robbers by two
well-known and respectable Inhabitants of
Livadia in the midst of the town has revived
the indignation which was caused by the dis
graceful tragedy of Marathon. The Govern
ment would probably be supported by popu-
lar opinion in the construction of roads and
in the establishment of an efficient police
The army, which is kept up at great expense
in superfuous numbers, is largely employed
in the collection of taxes from the com
paratively honest part of the population
while the robbers openly defy authority and
law. The aid and shelterswhich are pro vlded
for freebooters by the rural inhabitants, in
Greece as in other similar countries, are not
to be regarded as a proof that their vocation
is really popular. 1t is impossible that shep-
herds and farmers, unless they are affiliated
to the profession, should really wish both to
pay a tribute more burdensome than the Gov
erment taxes, and to incur occasional danger
for the benefit of their rapacisus guests.
| The robbers have destroyed their richest
| source of profit by detsrring travellers from
| entering the country, and consequently they
are reduced to the necessity of extorting ran
sons from their own peaceful countrymon.
1t is easier to trace the anarchy and poverty
Of Greece to misgovernment than to remove
the causes of corruption and weakness. As
there is no aristocracy in the country, the
general equality of conditions is properly
recognized in the establishment of large
and popular constituency In accordance
| with modern constitutional doctrines, the
Assembly has the power to make and unmake
ministers, and in fact it does nothing else
The prizes of political activity are not in
trinsically great, but they sufficiently
valuable to absorb the whole attention of the
Deputies A frequent rotation of Office
gratifes in turn the ambition of the largest
| possible number of politicians and
the remainder, if they cannot
hope to be Ministers, naturally expect some
reward for their support of their respective
| party leaders. To secure their own seats in
the Assembly, the Deputies have to court the
most active local partisans, who are them
selves in some parts of the country connected
with the bandits. AS long as a government
can retain its position, its power is almost
despotic; and the shifting of the ajority is
determined by causes which have little to do
with administrative merit or political
honesty. A Minister who earnestly devoted him.
self to the establishment of internal security
would provoke many enemies, and it Is not
certain that he would be cordially supported
by the great mass of the community which
wonld have an interest in the success of his
enterprise; yet the experiment may now be
tried with exceptional advantage, inasmuch a
the mischievous passion for foreign aggran
diZement has for the time been effectually
discouraged. Ihe main OBJECT OF Inc lnSur
rection in Crete was the maintenance il
power of Ministry which hattered the popu
lar weakness. No other petty State Car
modest and harass a more powerful neighbo
with the impunity which is secured tC
Greece, not merely by the triple Protecto
rate, but by the sentiment of Europe
The principal danger which wa
to be apprehended from the irregular encour
agement of the Cretan insurgencs consisted
not SO much in the chance Of a collision witt
the Turkish forces as in the increased dis
organization of Greece itself. The volun
teers who from time to time returned from
the island contributed to swell the ranks o
brigandage, and to furnish ostsnsibIe occupa
tion for the army which would have been bu
, i'll prepared to resist foreign invader Not
Withstand ding the repeated and ostensibl
provocations which were offered to Turkey
The Government never intended to engage il
;; war. No portion of the large sums whic
were raised on the pretext of national de
. fense was spent in procuring arms or i
equipping troops. The rebuke which wa
) addressed to Greece by the Paris Conferenc
1 Was we'll understood and keenly felt by
quick Witted nation. For the first time i
r twenty years the sounder part of the COMM
nifty understands the folly of ambitious pre-
jeets, and the necessity of reforming intern
, administration.
!. The highest authorities on questions r,
latipR to Greece hold that the people hay,