The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-05-08
sS>AliL~
.ai1y Ea9le
n. NJ. MURDOCH. Editor.
GREECE,s HUMILIATION.

4AACC WINS dSO Luc FCA'
lined up on the Thessalian frontier
The world was on tip-toe watching
Greece. The powers were all frighten
ed at Greece'S action. 1t was feared
every moment that Greece would in
wade Turkish territory. Then came the
Ethnika, the Greek secret society. L
pushed over into Turkish territory and
the world held its breath. This body
was irregular and was driven back by
the Turks easily.
A day passed and then the order
came from Turkey to her generals to
advance And advance they did, driv.
ing the Greeks back at Malouni Pass
driving them back to Tyrnavos and
from there to Larissa, and stampeding
them out Of Larissa TO Pharsalos, and
now they have driven them from Phar-
salos to Dokomos still further south,
while Edhem Pasha has cut Smolentz
and his division off from communica-
ton with the main Greek army, cutting
the enemy in two as Napoleon was
wont to do.
Unless Greece has some reserve force
land she has none visible she should
make her peace at once and get the
trouble off her hands. In another week
the Turks will be in Athens. Left
alone by the powers, Turkey could
easily subjugate the whole Kingdom
and make it her own.
The Greeks have made a miserable
failure. They took the aggressive at
the start, but they have allowed the
sultan. without even taking the trouble
to declare war, 10 whip them at every
step.
The reason the powers have not inter
fered before this is no doubt on ac-
count of the indemnity which Turkey
will demand. Speaking Of war indem-
mites in this particular case and in
general, the New York Evening Post
says:
This sort Of settlement is in the
main an institution of the last thirty
years. Ransom Of captured cities, like
ransom of captured persons, is prac-
tice old enough in military history; in
fact, such bargains can hardly be dis
tinguished. a few centuries back in his
tory, from the blackmail and brigand-
age with which warfare has always
been allied.
''War indemnities trace their pedigree
safely enough back to the periodical
payments, by the merchant towns, to
the lanzknechts and ritters Of the Mid
die Ages But while these robber vas
sails were establishing the institution.
the sovereigns were investing it with
something more Of dignity and regular
fly. Their war indemnities of the peri
cd differed chiefly from todayis in ran
soming, not royal property but royal
persons. The treaty makers of Bre-
tigny and Cambria haggled over the
money payment as closely as the Bis
marcks and Itos have haggled over in
IDENTITIES in our own time. But it was
a captive king of France for whose re-
lease Edward III. demanded his three
million gold crowns in 1860, and siml-
larry the freedom of King Francis I.
was the consideration for which in 1929
the Emperor Charles exacted his two
millions ransom. As time went on the
rules of war began TO exclude these
personal operations, and territory be-
came for a century or two almost the
sole objective point. With each success
sive treaty, the Italian states, the
Rhine country and the Belgian prov
inces were tossed from one royal do
minion 10 another. But neither in the
Thirty Years war nor in the war of the
Spanish succession, nor in the great
Napoleonic wars was peace made con-
tngent on a money payment AS re-
Gently as 1855 the Crimean war was
settled without recourse to the bank
erS
1T is very probable that the modern
idea Of national ransoms as the penalty
for national defeat was suggested by
the modern growth of national borrow
ing facilities. Not until the middle of
the present century was the capacity of
public credit fully recognized on the
markets When it was found, however |
that new issue of government securi- |
ties, 10 an enormous sum, could be
made without absolutely crushing tie |
debtor state, the conQuerors began 10 |
consider on larger scale the fiscal as |
pect of the problem. The indemnity OF |
twenty million thalers levied by Prus- |
STA on the AustrianS in 1866, the huge |
ransom Of five million francs exacted
from the French in 1871, and the $780, |
100000 assessed by the japanese on |
their unlucky enemies in 1895, have set |
the fashion of our time.
Something OF this sort Turkey would !
certainly like 10 get, for reasons more
substantial than the wish TO observe |
the precedent Of modern civilization. |
But il is hardly probable. even in the |
event of another victory at Pharsalos. |
that the wish will he gratified. To ex-
act a large indemnity, the conqueror |
must first be able TO enforce HIS de- |
mands, and in the second place the de- |
feated party must be able to pay the !
ransom. Neither condition exists in the /
present situation. Germany and japan |
could hold the enemy's territory as the I
pledge for the imposed indemnity as |