The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1897-04-29
GREECE AND TURKEY.
The Causes of the War and the Pos.
sibiIities of the Outcome.

lost to Turkey the territory oyer
part of which the two armies have i
just renewed the eternal conflict
Then Constantinople fell, the last of
the Greek emperors was slain, the
Crescent" says a modern historian,
'supplanted the cross in the city OF
Constantine; and an infidel bar
barian monarch occupied the throne
of the first Christian Roman Emper-
Or" For over 800 years Greece SUBJ
mitted to the oppressive rule of the
Turk. La 1921, a leader appeared, q
native of Greece, Alexander Ypsilan-
ii, then a general in the Russian
army. He began a revolt that grew
into a war as fierce and barbaric as |
perhaps the world ever saw. Neither |
OLD nor young, male or female, was |
spared on either side, but as the |
struggle of the Greeks was founded |
in a desire for freedom, and vas con
Quoted with unparalleled heroism
against great odds, they won the
sympathy of Europe; and England,
France and Russia undertook to end
the war. In this they succeeded, and
compelled the Turks to recognize as
an independent nation, the Greece of
today, an area OF less than 25, 900
square miles or about the size of
West Virginia.
The present war started IN Gambia,
or Crete. small island south of
modern Greece, now ruled by Turkey,
but once a part of Greece. Grecian
in most respects, it has been gov
erned by the Turk, with the same
cruelty and injustice that blights
every land that comes under the
dominion of the Sultan. The Cretans
have revolted many times before
now, and in this latest attempt to
secure a measure of independence or
| annexation to Greece, had of course
the sympathy of the Grecians. No
| people in the world are more aggres-
| sively patriotic than the Greeks, and
| the news OF an insurrection in Crete
renewed the fires of hatred of Turkish
rule in every home in the Hellenic
| peninsula. So far from being neutral,
the people of Greece demanded that
| their government assist the Cretans;
and so determined was this demand
that King George was compelled to
| make at once a show of hostility,
and accept the proffer of volunteers
that sprang to arms on every side,
clamoring to be led against their
ancient enemy. Thousands of them
went to Crete to fight the Turk and
we're backed by Greece.
| Meantime the great powers, Eng
land, Russia, Italy, Germany and
| France-affecting to be concerned
only with preserving the peace of
| Europe Greece with
| blockade of her ports unless she pre-
served an aspect of neutrality as re-
| CARDS the revolution. But this was
impossible; and no threat of the
allied powers, nor blockade of the
ports of Greece, has accomplished it's
purpose. Open aid was not only
given the Cretans on the South, but
bands of organized though irregular
Greek troops have invaded Turkey
on the North. Thu Sc had apparently
the full, if secret, approval of Greece
and a week ego Turkey declared
that if the powers were not able to
put stop to these invasiOns, she
would regard them as a declaration
of war on the part of Greece, and act
accordingly. That she has declared
war now, is rather to her credit than
otherwise; the difference between
Greek troops and irregulars was too
small to take into account for long
when Turkey was losing daily
stragetic points to men calling them
selves Greeks whether in the regular
Greek army or not.
Why have not the powers held
aloof and let Greece annex Crete
Why should they attempt to keep
the Sultan's territory undivided
Mr.. Gladstone answered the first
| NV no
should keep hands off, or aid the
attempt should be made or aided by
reason, however, why the powers
have interfered, is to preserve what
they call the concert of Europe; that
is, the acting to gether, keeping in
sympathy and in touch with each
other to avoid misunderstanding.
The reason back of this is that,
realizing that Turkey cannot long
hold together, each nation wishes so
to manoeuvre as to be in position to
grab the choicest slice when the dis
Indignation begins. There are GER
tain portions Russia thinks should
be hers, and some of these England
will also fight for. Now if insurrec-
tions against Turkish rule are en-
couraged or winked at by the powers,
it might be that neither power would
get all it wishes. If, for instance,
Greece wins in the present war. there
is no telling what she may not
demand as indemnity, nor how sore
ly such q demand would cut into the
ambitions of Russia, which regards
every step as II backward one that
does not take her a foot nearer Con-
stantinople. She has fought before
when that advance was interfered
with, and for nearly 20 years she has
been getting ready for the next great
struggle. Besides, a diminution of
the Sultan's territory means possible
defdulting in the payment of interest
on Turkish bonds held in all the
great financial capitals of Europe.
In the present contest, Turkey has
the advantage of great numbers, her
army being much larger than that of
Greece. But if a half century of time
has not changed the Greek for the
worse, King Georges troops may
yet be able, If not to parallel, at least
to suggest the defeat in August,
1928. of 100000 Turks by 500
| Greeks under the immortal Marco
Bozz4ris. At least if the war now on
is lorg continued we may look for a
display of great heroism as well as of
great barbarity, and the end,
especially if other nations are drawn
! into the fight, may give the world a
<~EL