The New York herald., 1878-02-11
THE CLAIMS OF THE GREEKS.

II T. OLAlM MD OF III GREEho.
WHY THE LITTLE KINGDOM HAS FAILED-wHAT
OUGHT TO BE DONE BY EUROPEAN CONFER
ENCE.
Fifty years have elapsed since by the treaty OF July,
1897 the Greeks, in what is now known their king
dom, obtained their Independence. Three years later
1t WAS agreed, the death Of Capo dlstrios, offer
the crown some European prince. II first
offered TO rrince Leopold OF Saxo COburg Gotha hut
was by him refused II was afterward offered TO and
accepted by Ohio, younger Of the then King Of
Bavaria For 400 years the Greeks had groaned under
the cruel tyranny OF their Turkish c0nquerors and M
was only after almost unbroken and bloody struggle
OF seven years that Ihey had commanded the
sympathy and support OF the great Powers, and
mainly through the influence Of Great Britain, France
and Russia secured their Independence. IL was
earnestly hoped and confidently believed by many
that tho little kingdom thus emancpatsd from Turk
ish rule would reveal some becoming vitality, and
that her citizens would assert themselves as to
recover their territory and their
proud position among the nations oi The European
continent. These high hopes and expectations have
not been fully realized Through the inf uence Of
her friends and allies Greece has contrived TO main
tain her independence, but she has not been able to
increase her power or 70 enlarge her territory.
nounced failure. and not unnaturally the Holenlo
people for many years ceased command either
succor or sympathy. We have heard much OF late
years regarding the oppressed Christian Slav, and
we have just seen the conclusion Of a mighty
which has been waged IN his interest and for the pur
pose Of securing his liberty. For years past how.
ever, voice has been raised, sword has been
sheahed favor OF the equally oppressed Christian
Greek. The Greek OF the X ngdom remains up
in his contracted terntory and the Greek Of The
lying provinces Is compelled to submit to his Turkish
MASTER
During the progress Of The war which is ended
the Greek patiently awaited his opportunity aud lis
tened Ia hear the voice OF u lrend He bas 1t
last taken up arms 10 assert mis- own rights and
earnestly to be hopod that IN this. the hour OF his
need, he will not be found without friend. IL rs not
denied that The Greek Kingdom has TO a certain ex-
tent proved failure, or that II has IN certain de-
gree disappointed It's friends II does not follow,
however. that such fortune Is The result of any want
OF capacity IN the Greeks themselves Tue so-calied
Of the little King sdou, iact is found
altogether different The radical OF The
weakness OF Greece Is TO be found IN the ,reaty Of
1921 and the principal INSTRUCTORS OF her progress
have bcen Tho bigh contracting Powers The treaty
which secured heIlpdepeuaence, made her progress
impossible. II IL exaggeration to say that the
lant Stale WAS stranged AT It's birth. IL mani-
testify me duty OF tho contracting Powers when they
gave Greece independence TO grant her territory COR
responding 10 ner necessitlesso to give limits
that she would include IA ner territory all the
tries In which the Greek race was sli prcdomi-
nanL Nature had made 1t plain TO all what
those limits should have Deen They should have IN.
cluded all Tue Islands oil the Archipelago. The
northern boundary line should nave been drawn from
Cattaro ON the Adratic 70 Sa0nica, tne Il. eau.
Such an arrangement weuld have brought the Greek
people together into one compact nomOge whole;
aSd such Kingdom, because IL would have given
aelivity ~ the Acteaic race, AMI because II You'd
have secured scope or activity and expansion, might
have SUCCESS. How different was the arrange
ment which actually madc The territory OF the nav
State was 10 elnbrace all the islands of the geau
known the Cyclades, but neither Gambia ypsus
The northern bo01dary line NAS drawn not from Cat
tsro 10 salonioa, cut from Arta 10 Cape Arnyrss,
C.,if VnI knekp
ssid, carried death with 1t from the outset such
territory was not only Inadequate lor the require
ments 0i Greece ~ was Inadequate Tor tho require
ments OF any state winch TO be honored
with The senDance OF Independence 1t shut up
territory SO contracted and confined that pros
perity impossible. IL denied TO many
thousands OF Greeks, both on the islands and tho
mainiand tne privilege Of associating with their
brethren and sharing with them the bessn rs
dom and independence II was cruel wrong 10 the
Greeks Ia The State II cruel wrong 10
those ho smut out IL was wonderful that
when, In 1880, the throne OF Greece WAS onereu 10
Prince Leopold that and iar-seeing statesman
refused IL, principally on the ground that the limits
were Inadequate 10 the requirements OF The
Kingdom, anu that they were unsatisfactory 10 tho
Greeks themselves. Ii was because of CONVICTION
thaL injustice had been done 10 Greece in the matter
territory that Great Britain, Ia 1865, ceuod to
Greece tne lonan Islands, With lhis addition of Ter.
ritOry tue total docs not exceed 900 square
miles. And now small portion Of the Greek y, 0pie
have found shelter in the Kingdom may De gathered
from that late 1870 The population was
siigDtly under million ana "A halt
opportunity has again arrived, and II is to be
hoped that that 10 which the world greatly
indcbted, and which, In Tunes gone by, commanded
the sympathy o Christendon, Will not be found with
out friend 1t Is not too much 10 say that If the
Congress Verona IN 1928 had listened TO the sup
pIcaLing voice OF Greece the Eastern question
might long since have been satisfactorily settled.
Ii has been well remarked that tue settlement
which was ultimately made, while II weakened
the Mussulman barrier against Russia, tacd
to set up "a Christian barrier In It's stead
The success Of Russia has revolutionized all
the old arrangements IN the East Servia Bosnia,
Bulgaria AMI the other Slavic provinces Will all be
emapcipaled IRON TURKISH rule. TINS mucu 10 GER
tain from the peace preliminsrles already agreed
not a said IN favor OF Greece. OF course we
do look Tor final settlement Of those Eastern DIFF
hculIies without a congress OF the Powers
IL scarcely conceivable that in that
congress claims OF Greece, The claims OF
the Hellenic people viii not be considered.
The Greeks OF the Kingdom nave heard the cries OF
their oppressed brethren 10 Macedonia in Thessaly,
In the Eprus aud have crossed the frontiers gone
over help them. VIII the world look coolly and
allow the Turk 70 crush out this rising spirit this
love OF justice which, at the present moment makes
Oh the islands the mainland whether In the King
dom thout- In the necessary rearrang OF
territory the recthcaton Of boundary let us hopo
that the claims OF Greece Will not DO ignored. There
he nna settlement Of the Eastern question
I'll justice Is aone TO Greece ana justico 10 Greece
such extension OF her territory that shall
include all countries in which the Greek still
predominant Sucn an arrangement will at least aud
to the htte Kingdom Macedonia, Thossaly ana the
Epirus, with the islands oi Gambia and Cyprus. With
such a territory shc might hopo TO revvo somewhat
ka~n ant