Morning journal and courier., 1886-05-22
MAX O'RELL'S LETTER.

The Greek Farce-The Shrewd and Happy Cretan-The Industrious Ger man-Politfcal Parties in France ssClIto''-FoOsball i'm Brussels.
 Special Correspondence of the JOURNAL AND CoUR HER. All Rights Reserved!
 LONDON, May 8.
 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 The Greek farce is not yet played out. It is announced that negotiations are proceed ing between the powers with the view of granting Greece further delay in which to give more explicit assurances. It must be owned that the Turks are as kind as they are patient for nobody doubts that if left to themselves they would settle the Greek ques- tion in no time. It is now pretty certain, however, that the Greeks will go home; they only want the world to know that the Turks had narrow escape from being annihilated
 It is popularly accepted delusion that the Cretans are writhing under the galljng yoke of the unspeakable Turk, and that they are longing to be made part and parcel of Greece. This is one of the most delicious pieces of humbug in circulation. Crete writhing! Crete under yokel Why, Crete at the pres ent moment is about the freest country in Europe. Is is true that the Sultan is soyer- egn of the island, but the Cretans had such disagreeable habit of demanding gil sorts of things at every touch and turn that the Sultan got tired of hearing and settling their little complaints, and partly to pacify them and partly to please their bigger nsighbors who seemed to take great interest in them, long ago gave them parliament of their own which should fix the taxes and rule the country Just for forms sake there was to be governor-general who would be nomina- ted by the Porte. This dignitary soon dis appeared; the young and vigorous Parlla- ment was not long in getting all the power into it's own hands. Now the Cretans we all know, belong to a shrewd race, end hay ing rid themselves of Turkish tax -gatherers, they next turned over in their minds little plans for evading the paying of any taxes at all They did not know much about parlia- ments in general, but they wisely argued that since the members of their own partic- ular Parliament were elected by them, they were their servants, and starting from this theory the willy Cretan had soon 1nsugurated delightfully."- easy going state of affairs, an ideal constitution. At present taxes come in as they please; the only money that finds it's way into the exchequer comes from custom house duties and other taxes imposed upon foreigners. The Imaginable part of it is that it is that terrible bogey, the Sultan, who is
  try he no longer governs. He must pay the piper though he must not dancel Very shrewd the Cretansi There they live in their happy island where the tax-colleetor hath ceased from calling and the policeman IS sham. From force of old habit the Cretan still keeps up feeble echo of the old cry against the 'styrant," that rascally Turk, the source of all evil, but this is only for the on- lockers. For months and years past the Gre tan has resisted all the secret promptings of | l.. has nothing to gain by it; he is happy and comfortable at home. The Cretan had of old a considerable reputation for cuteness, and anyone who has had anything to do with modern Cretan can testify to his deserving it still. At any rate he is quite sharp enough I to know when he is well off and is in no hur- ry in the present snug state of things to run after uncertainty, or to be allowed the privi- lege of calling himself subject of King George, or helping to pay the costs every time the Greeks take it into their hands to play at soldiers.
 Those who fancy that the Germans all pass their time in making cannons and gunpow- der, and in drilling for army service, should read an article on the subject of German commerce and activity in the Independence Beige of this week. The industrial crisis, says this paper, from which we are suffering in France and Belgium is caused cy the ap pearanee of the Germans in every market of the world To give an idea of the impor- tanee of this fact we need only Cuote the following figures: From 1866 to 1875 the orders for locomotives given by the Italian railway companies were forty to England, two hundred and sixty-three to France and Belgium and eighty to Germany. But from 1876 to 1885, that is to say during 6 period of equal duration, we fini that while Eng land supplied Italy with thirty locomotives. and France and Belgium together sent her seven, Germany alone sent her three hun dred and twenty-two! Commentaries are