The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-03-10
Glory Of Greece
Stands Immovable in the
Path of Honor.
SPEAKS TO EUROPE.

London. March 8.-The Chronicle
tomorrow will publish a dispatch from
Athens. giving the full text of the
reply Of Greece TO the powers. After
brief premable the reply coasloues:
'.In view of the extraordinary grav-
ity of the results which will follow its
opinion Of the measures decided upon,
az opinion which is the resul: Of long
experience and a profound .acquain-
tapce with the situation Crete.
Impressed by the sentiments which
animate the powers and their solicitude
for general peace, the Greek govern
ment will not fail 10 this duty since
Greece also ardently desires to cootri-
butte to the maintenance of peace and
save from utter ruin the population Of
an islaod put to SO severe a trial and SO
often dlecimsted.
1--WE believe that the new regime Of
autonomy adopted by the powers uuhap
PLY cannot correspond to the noble To-
tentious tha, inspire it and that it will
suffer the fate of the different admins
trative system which at various times
aud without success have been tried in
Crete.
s.This is not the first time tba. Crete
6nds herself 10 state of insurrection.
Several times, on more than six occa-
siors. the horrors Of anarchy have
shaken and imperilled her existence
eff then the new regime With which
it isproposed to eodow Der is rot calcu-
lated to re establish order 10 a defaite
manner. the Greek government cannot
doubt the imposSibility Anarchy will
con,inae TO ravage the country with fire,
With sword in its bands; blind faua-
ticism will cootioue its destructive
work Of extsrminasiog a people which
assuredly does got deserve such a
fate.
Before such prospect cur respon-
sibility would be enormous if we did
no. more earnestly urge the powers not
to insist upon the scheme Of autonomy
proposed, but rather to restore to Crete
what she already had at the tine of the
eufrapcbisemeot of the other provinces
which formed the kingdom Of Greece
aud to lead her back to Greece to which
she belonged since Capriodis;is was
president.
10 the presence Of the recent scene
of massacre. piliage aud coDaagrations
10 Canea. 10 the presence Of the fright
full anguish to which the iobabitaats of
Crete have been exposed aud menaced
by the boundiess fury OF the Mussull-
man population who prevented the de-
parture of Christian families for Greece
which has always been providential
refuge for all these miserable beisgs.
our whole country was torn with re-
morse for the responsibility it had as.
sumed 10 oduciog the Cretans to lay
down their arms. The misfortures
that resulted forbid us to undertake
ooce more such task, and if we had
attempted it our voice would certainly
have been feeble Its echo would have
reached the Cretau people
..lt being the case. therefore, that a
new regime of autonomy could not fu!.
6l the noble aim Of the powers. it is
obvious what would be the situation of
Toe unhappy island from to-day until
the establishment of this regime If
the powers believe it to be their duty to
perse7ere 10 their resolutions With the
above views. aad 10 the oame of hu-
manity as we'll as in the interest of the
island. the pacl6catiou Of which is the
unique object Of the solicltude of the
powers. We do not desitate to appeal to
them oa the subjects Of the other meas
ures, namely. the recall Of our military
forces. Indeed if because of the pres
ence Of the Dotted States squadrons in
Cresan waters. aud 10 the conviction
tha. these squadrons will not permit
Turkish troops to dlsembark on the
island. the presence also of all the
ships of sbe Greek feet Of Crete is judged
to be unnecessary. the presence Of the
Greek army on the island is neverthe-
less shown to te desirable alone from
sentiments of humanity and 10 the in-
,erests of the definite re establishment
IF order.