Omaha daily bee., 1897-05-05
PROGRESS or THE WAR.

Washington Star: with all respect to the
bravery OF the Greek soldiers 1t may be sug
gested that Spain tried a change Of generals
in the Cuban campaign and with a con-
spicuous lack of success.
Globe Democrat: Turkey has mobilized In
| all about $50 900 men, aud is concentrating
them in Macedonia. The sultan must have
decided to make some general demands that
will be troublesome to the powers
Minneapolis Journal: King George has
"spasms of the heart" and the doctors have
| advised him to seek the seclusion of some
neighboring island. Here is of the
mysteries of Providence that George has
spasms while the sultan IS eating four meals
day.
New York Tribune. The testimony of the
present campaign is that the unspoakable
Turk has become quite a respectable COM
batant and no longer conducts himself like
tho savage which the history of his con-
quests in general makes him out to be. 1t
is principle of ethics as well as piety to
give the devil his due, and like tribute may
not be withheld from his cousin, the Turk,
who is really taking on military habits of
considerable decency
Philadelphia Ledger: 1t is not improbable
that some of the Greek commanders have
proved to be incompetent for few of them
have had any real war experience, but 1t is
not necessary to conclude that the king. or
his advisers, were to blame for the mistakes
of judgment made. NJ. Rnli will be very
fortunate if with the information gained
in the last few weeks, he can make a better
disposition of available officers and put the
Grecian army footing to resist a superior
forco of Turks.
Denver Republican: The Greeks seem TO
have gained a slight advantage over the
Turks during the past few days. This will
encourage them somewhat, and 1t Is possible
that they will so far check the Turkish ad-
vance that the sultan will consent to much
more liberal terms of peace than he will
demand If his armies drive the Greeks back
into Athens 1t is still uncertain whether
or when the powers will intervene. 1t is
probable that they will wait until Greece is
still further humiliated, for the purpose of
Vindicating their own protests against the
war.
Chicago Times-Herald: If the Greeks of to-
day are the descendants of the heroes of |
Thermopylae and Marathon they are nest as =
suredly degenerate sons. Leonidas and |
Themistocles would not own them But 1t is |
not likely that the blood of the ancient Hell |
lenes runs in their veins They are not Hell J
lenes at all, but a mixed race formed from
the various conquerng nations that at one |
time or another overran the country. The |
sunny isles of Greece since the days OF l
Demosthenes have been under the dominion i,
of the Macedonians, the Romans, the Goths
tho Venetans and the Moslems, and if the
ancient blood has at all survived it is so
diluted as to be beyond recognition.
New York Sun: The military situation,
however, appears likely to give place to the
political before long, if reports are to be
trusted, and there seems to be a question
whether Greece will fare much better from
the results of diplomacy than from the appeal
to arms. 1t is perfectly plain that Greece's
enemies are more powerful and determined
than her friends Under the circumstances,
she will be fortunate If she comes
out of the struggle with her territory intact
and without heavy indemnity to pay the
price of her temerity in defying the powers
and the Turk Mr.. Delyannis when he de-
Cided on war. must have calculated on the
discredt into which he supposed the Turk had
fallen on account of the Armenian massacres,
and, as events have proved, war was en-
tered On without sufficient preparation or a
definite plan. The policy that might have
saved the situation was a vigorous initiative,
but the men to carry it out were not selected
and temporizing and vacillating line os ac-
ton was followed instead. The political ac-
tion of the powers also has demonstrated that
to the Armenian atrocities has
had no influence whatever on their decisions,
and the head and front Of Greece's offending
Is that she ls the child of revolution.