New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-08
protection Of the Government Of their adopted
country.
GRECO-TURKISH NEGOTIATIONS.

few more days-next Monday. to he exact
will sec the Greco-Turklsh armistlce endeu'
Then what? Peace Is not yet concluded. nor "
there any assurance that 1t will be before mat
time But II not, there must be rehew"i vi
the armstce or n renewal Of the war. FOre-
casts are even more contradictory than me
earlier stories about the attitude OF the Powers.
One day the Sultan Is said to be defiant OF Tie
Powers and insistent upon the cesslon or Ihes-
sally to Turkey. The next. he Is entirely sub
mjssiye to the will Of the Powers. Greece Is
yariously represented as wholly unable to pay
the indemnity demanded and as having the
money for 1t already At hand The people OF
Thcssaly arc rejoicing under benevolent Otto
man rule and are grooming under intoleraDle
Turkish tyranny. Amid such circumstances the
ancient query, What Is truth? comes forciDly
to mind.
II may well be recalled. how ever. that re-
sponsiblc Greek Minister. Mr.. Scouloudis, has
set forth with detail the inability OF Greece 10
pay the indemnity demanded, namely 4OO0OOo
Turkish pounds Before the war the annual
revenues OF Greece were only about 9oOOO'ooO
drachmai. They will now be much less. The
present year will show deficit or 4OOOO,VW
drochmai. The Greek war expenses amount to
forty-five millions The loss Of revenue In Thes-
Sly for at least two years must be reckoned
Mt ten millions n year, and the ravages OF war
have inflicted upon that province losses or
probably two hundred millions. How. In such
circumstances, Greece is to pay an indemnity
to Turkey Is desperate problem. Moreover.
the Greeks recall the fact that Turkey, although
required to pay Russia an indemnity OF 100000
600 rubles, has actually paid only one-tenth OF
that sum, while Servia, after her disastrous war
with Bulgaria. was let off without paying
penny Why, then. it is asked, should Greece
be compelled to pay 80 heavy an indemnity,
seeing that Turkey provoked the war, and that
the Powers declared In advance that neither OF
the bclligerents should reap any material ad.
vantage from It?
Some other phases of the situation must be
noticed. One Is the great strengthening or
SlavOnc influence throughout the Balkan PENN
sula. That Is a serious calamity In Its bear
lngs both upon the progress Of civilization and
the prospects Of lasting peace In those re-
sions second Is the simultaneous rehabili-
tation and decentralization of Turkey. There Is
70 question that the Sultan and his govern
ment arc much more secure in place than they
were year ago. 1t Is equally true that the adj
minisraton Of the Empire and the disposition
Of the people Are much more demorazed
Governmental reforms are indefinitely post
pOned and abuses are confirmed and intensified.
while agriculture and all Industries are terribly
disturbed by the calling out Of the peasants for
military service. A third evil Is the setting
back of Greek progress incidentally. The lit
lie kingdom had been making great strides for
ward. 1t Is now thrown back and so crippled
that whole generation may be required to
bring it up again to where it was year ago.
These are the conditions that confront the
Powers in settling the Eastern question. and
they are not such MS will form proud passage
in the history Of the close Of the nineteenth
century.