Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-02-03
Aancastcr tutclllQenrer-
FRIDAY EVENING. FEB. 3. 1892.
An Unpopular King.

An Unpopular King.
New York Times.
The friends and acquaintances Of King
George Of Greece will be greatly panied
TO learn that his recent speech from the
throne was received with great cOolness.
Not a single member of Parliament made
the slightest comment upon it, and not
hand was clapped nor an umbrella pound
ed on the floor either at the entrance or
departure of the king, and while read ng
his speech he was not even once greeted
with the encouraging Cry, Pdis Agdthos !
Or with other loyal and customary salnta-
tions. The people on the streets were
equally chilling in their conduct. Not a
Greek nor even a solitary soul tempora-
rily sojourning in Athens lifted his hat as
the king rode by, and the majority OF the
people feigned to be intensely Interested IN
the shop-windows or in listening to hand
organs. 1t was painfully evident to the
kin. that he had not friend in Parlla-
ment or in the city, and if he is wise
man he has by this time packed his trunk
and engaged passage on board the first
steamer for Germany.
This sudden unpOpularity OF the Greek
king need not astonish people who are IA
miliar with the Greek character. 1t is not
the slightest evidence that he has done
anything worthy Of popular condeInna-
ton. The Greeks of to-day ale as tickle
as their alleged ancestors. When the
European powers gave them their incc
pendenco they at tho same time supplied
them with a good, serviceablc nickel
plated German king. Otho was on the
whole a very respectable monarch. lie
drew his salary regularly and abstalncd
from doing anything else, and was thus
precisely what constitutional king
ought to be. One day, without any pre-,
vious warning whatever, the Greeks told
him that he had better 60, that they did
not want him any longer, and had re-
solved to pet new king !; whereupon
Ohio mcekly went back to Germany and
told his friends that he had retired from
business on account of his health.
A new king was soon found. The Greeks
expressed themselves as being entirely
satisfied with King George and his ami
able wife, and for time he was really
popular. Tho attention of the Greeks was
in fact, SO cOnclusively occupied with the
project Of getting share of Turkish ter
ritOry that they had no time to devote to
picking flaws in the character of thcil
king. This popularity lasted until recently
and the news that the king is now the
most unpopular man in Greece will be a
complete surprise to most of the world.
While, as has been said, loss Of pOpu-
larity in Greece docs not prove that tn:
loser has committed any error, it is, never
theless, probable that King George has il
some way unintcntionally offended his sub
jects. 1t is quito probable that his posi-
ton on the tariff question has failed /,
meet the views of the Greeks. The bill
for the revision introduced by Capt. Poly
phlOisboiOs, and now under discussion il
Parliament, contains two provisions, boil
of which have been earnestly demanded
nv the people. OF these, section ID pro
vides that in order to encourage the i'm
rOrtatiOn of rich tourists, bounty o
thirty drachmas per tourist shall be pait
10 the captain OF the ship by which tn
tourist is imported. During the last 81:
years the supply, of foreign tourists ha
fallen off to sucf an extent that scN er
bands of brigands have suffered iron
want of the necesSarics of life, and at leas
ono prominent brigand leader has actual
been seen working in the streets of Athcn
at the eXhauSting trade of lcmOnad
selling. The proposed measure will, it i
believed, revive what was once ono of tll
chief industries of tho country. and Capt
POlyphlOisboiOs has Won deserved popu
larity by its introduction.
Section 81 Of the tariff bill, as amcudc'
by Capt. TondapobinOminos, places dut
of five hundred drachmH per head upo
every imported robber, and requires ever
resident robbcr of foreign birth, whethc
naturalilcd or not, to pay seventy-tive pc
cent OF his income to the national treas
ury. Greece has latterly suffered great
from the competition of the pauper brig
ands Of Italy and Turkey. These, finding
business dull at nome, have cmigrated t.
Greece and flooded the brigand labor mar
ket. Capt. Maninae:dc, deputy to Parlia
ment from the Nineteenth district, test!
fed the other day before a ,mmittee @
the Chamber that Of his present band q
twenty one brigands, no less than scven-
or one -thrd-are foreigners and the cen
sus Of 1880 showed that of seven mllio
thrcc Thousand two hundred and siXt
drachma reported as having been earne
in the year 1879 by brigands in the king
dom of Greece, two million thirteen hur
drcd and three drachmp (discarding frac
tions) went into the pockets Of brigand
of foreign birth. 1t is evident that 10 ma
tive industry can thrive where exposed t
competition as powerful as this. The SCI
ton designed to protect Greek brigandaS
seems to be admirably drawn and ougll
to produce the desired effect, and it's ado;
ton has been enthusiastically urged at
series of great public meetings addrcsse
by the most eminent Greek robbers.
King George is known to have SAID
when section q was first brought to hi
attention, that it was veritablc rrohib
tion of the importation of kings. Whethe
he is really opposed to the adoption Of til
section is by no means certain, but it
highly probable that there is a helis
among the Greeks that he is ali enemy ,
tariff revision. 1t is greatly to be regret
ted that we have no report of his receu
speech from the throne, and hence cannt
tell what mention he made, if any, Of sc,
tions Is and q. 1t is, however, reason
able to believe that the Greeks regard h
attitude as to the tariff with suspicio,
and that this is the real cause Of his 10:
of popularity.