The evening times., 1897-03-27
ENGLAND ss|LENTPREMIER
Lord Salisbury Keeps His Coun-
sci Regarding Cretan Matters.
EVEN HIS CABINET IGNORED
Swelling Tide of British Sentiment
in Favor of Greece Intensified by
the Prime Minister'S Secret Df-
plOmacy-Fiendi Act of Mos
lens and Christians.

lens and Chrjstians.
Sails hurry, who started Thursday for
| Ciniez, where Queen Victoria is soiourning
will stay in the south of France for five
weeks. There he will guide Great Britain S
| diplomacy in silence, having neither Lie
cabinet to consult nor the opinion of the
| country to consider. Conservatives aud
Liberals alike are fretting under the pro-
longed reticence of Lord Salisbury in dis
| CLOSING his Eastern policy.
The Radicals are very indignant and are
aking advantage of the apparent impasst
TO raise a popular agitation, which, il
Parliament were approaching its natural
term, would work no end OF mischief 10
the government. 1t may be no fault Of
Lord Salisbury that he does not explain his
| policy clearly to the British public.
Prudence may excuse his silence, but on
all sides il is felt that his persistent ig-
noring OF the demands of members OF the
House of Commons for information as 10
how Great Britain exactly stands toward
the European powers S largely due to his
known contempt for popular opinion when
he thinks he can afford to show IL. Safe
| in the confluence reposed in him by Iis ma
iority in both houses, he can put up his
colleagues in the lower house to evate
questions OF decline to answer, and To balk
debate on points which are of the most
mouaentous interest to the country.
IL has beea often stated that even cabi-
net members are not in Lord Salisbury's
confidence. He is understood To consult on
or to communicate 10 Mr.. Balfour, Sir
Michael Hicks Beach, Nj. Chamberlain ana
the Duke of Devonshire allimportant steps
he may decide upon But even this inner
cabinet exercises little or no power in shap-
ing his policy. There probably never was a
prime minister or foreign secretary in Eng
lish parliamentary history who so entirely
ulaved off his own bat" and who staked
the in ntereSts of his government and country
with so little deference TO the opinions of
his cabinet.
The dissatisfaction in Parliament only
partly reflects the discomfort throughout
the country More and more the tide OF
sentiment is rising in favor OF Greece,
which is, even ia pronounced Cnionist pa
pers. declared 10 have been treated with
scant respect 10 justice and humanity
The general irritation has been intensified
during the current week, by the prospect
of the mix ed occupation of Crete turning
out to be not the pacific mode of settle
ment which the diplomatic jugglers prou-
sed would be- and by the persistence Of
Greece in asserting herself against the
Porte and the occupation threatens to be
a very mix Ell affair. with no common plan
OF operations disliked and misunderstood
by the Cretan population, and carried out
toy troops, the best portion of whom de-
test their work As the process of paCifi-
cation develops the prospect may brighten
up.
But one of the first measures proposed
to give Crete chance for internal peace
the constitution Of an autonomous govern
ment under a competent Chiefs not yet
within sight The few reliable press core
sponQents who aIe wiring from Canea aHti
ct her points concur in stain gthatautonony
means to the Crctan Christians the root
and branch eXtirpation OF the McslemS.
and among their notab!es free acquisition
Of more land Massacre and spcliation
are described as the fiIst principle of CIetan
patriotism. among MCslems ard Christians
alike, though il must toe acknowledged
that displays OF this sort Of patriotism! have
heretofore been a special pTeIoeatiye OF
the Moslem population, upheld 10y Turkish
bayonets.
The Paris journal Des Debats today
publishes a letter from an officer OF the
French squadron, which shows, if true,
an awful condition of affairs. This Of
ficer declares that the facts he sets forth
in his letter are vouchei for by the surgeons
OF the cruisers who are performing duties
ashore. He declares that many Moslem
children of tender age have been violated
and babies slashed with sabres He adds
that in war the Cret an Christians resemble
wild beasts
The tremendous difficulty of govern
ing on civilized methods such people has
exercised the minds of Lord Salisbury
and NJ. HanotauX, the French foreign min
lister, more perhaps than 1T has the states
men of the other European governments.
The lead of English and French opinion
is so distinctly n favor of appointing a
Greek prince to administer Crete that
neither Lord Salisbury nor the French
foreign minister can risk defying it.
The Russian government has aims of its
own, apart from justice TO Greece or the
pacification Of Crete. SO while the pro-
posaIs from England have successfully
had reference to the nomina ton OF Prince
George of Greece and to Prince Mavro-
cordato, and those of France to either of
these. or to Prince Waldepar of Den
mark, Russia, with its imperial support
ers in Germany and Austria, has put for
ward first Boso Petrovitch and next
Prince Danilo, both Montinegrins, in the
actual pay Of the Gar
Undoubtedly the selection of q Greek
prince as governor would help to APP
pease the Cretans There are now 40, 600
of them under arms, capable of offering
desperate resistance to a much greater
number OF troops than can be employed
under the mixed occupation. Ifthe Cretans
feel obliged to fight, the occupation will
end in a bloody fiasco, and with Greece
at bay against the Turk on the frontier,
the European mess viii become worse
than ever.
The Irish lords and landlords, to whom
Lord Salisbury lately refused their re-
quest for a royal commission to inquire
into the administration of the land acts,
will get something like their commission
Nv dipt Of lohbyinr in the houSe a nj WORRY