The San Francisco call., 1897-05-30
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ween Greece and Turkey, and with less
prospect than ever before of arranging
matters on a permanent basis satisfactory
to themselves and to the two nations prin-
cipally concerned.
The Sultan of Turkey stands to-day in a
very different position from that which he
occupied in 1873 when the Congress of
Berlin took from him ThessaIy and part
OF Epirus and gave it to the Greeks. as
from that of his predecessor, Mahmoud
Ii, who, after long war, with his naval
| power destroyed at Navarino and a French
army in the Morea, was obliged at the
| ioint dictation of Russia, France and Eng
| land 70 acknowledge the independence of
Greece and accept such boundary limits
from the latter as they proposed.
With victorious army of over $4,000
men occupying all of Thessaly and Epirus
and reserve of 200 600 more at hand, the
ma iority of his people enthusiastically
supporting him and demanding that he
retain all that ne has conquered and the
Sheik-ul-I lam advising him that it is the
will OF heaven that ne should do so, Abdul
Hamid Is in position to dictate terms OF
peace and boundaries rather than be COM
pelled to accept what the powers see fit 10
allow him.
He has again acquired by force of arms
what was taken from him in 1873, when
he was weak and hum bled, and he has the
precedents of German reten ton of the
Danish provinces and of Alsace and Lor-
raine to sustain him in the face of Europe
and, although the powers declared at the
outset that no matter how the war re-
SnItaH naithar Groaoo pn Turkau
make any territorial acquisition, at least
two of them, Russia and Germany are in
cliued TO recede from that position in
favor of Turkey, while England and
France are moro fixed than ever in their
determination that the STATUS quo ante
bellum" shall be observed.
In commenting on the first settlement of
| The boundary question in 1881, an eminent
English authority, thoroughly familiar
with every point involved, said that '.it
would never be settled permanently until
1t was settled right, and that that should
have been done then, when the time and
circumstances were opportune.
Greece has always regarded Thessaly
and Lower Epirus as naturally belonging
10 her. The majority of their people are
Greeks, and they took a most active part
in the struggle for independence, though
not allowed to reap any of the fruits, the
powers reiegating the country of Bozzaris
and his com patriots to Turkish rule.
While Greece took no active part against
turkey at the time OF the Russo Turkish
war and her name was not even men,
TONED in the treaty cf San Stephano, a
welI-tlmed uprising about Dhom oko. in
Thessay, in 1878, brought the question
before the Berlin Congress and it was
proposed that all of Thessaly and Eprus
proper should be given to Greece. This
would have put the boundary on the
crests of the Amaches and the Pindus
mountains, for the most part natural
barriers and cut by gaps or practicable
passes in but few places. Strong opposi-
tion was shown to this, however, especi-
ally by Russia, and compromise was
finally effectad on line which left
Turkey Mount Olympus and the upper
part of Thessaly and all of Epirus orth
of Janna and the Kalamas River. The
deimitation of this boundary was left to
Greece and Turkey. A part OF it, between
Olym pus and Metrovo, was surveyed and
marked in 1881 and subsequently, but in
spite of all her urging and diplomacy
Greece was never able to get an inch OF
territory beyond the Arta River. Turkey
held on fast to Lower Epirus.
The fortune of war has even been less
kind to Greece. lie Turk still holds
Epirus ana his armies cover ali ThessaIv.
which the voice of Allah says he must
keep. Even at the concerted dictate of