News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1897-05-05
WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING.
Causes and Origin of the War Between
Greece and Turkey.

course OF events wonder what III is all
about, And these people are always
very numerous and want to know at
once the why and the wherefore of
4 something to which they had paid no
previous attention. just now they
are asking why the Greeks and the
Turks are at war and what the
Greeks hope to gain by it. Unless
they are answered they will go
through the entire campaign wonder
ing over the causes of the disturb
anCe.
There are near causes and remote
causes. To give all the latter, one
must write book, but they may be
condensed into the one statement
that between the Turks and the
Christian peoples they conquered CEN
turtles ago, whether now freed from
or still under their yoke, an ineradi-
cable, intense traditional hatred ex-
lists. The Turks have always been
oppressOrs, of subject populations,
and government by massacre has
ever been their favorite method of
reform. Now take the case of Greece.
There is a kingdom of Greece, but
there are as many Greeks outside of
it as in it. The Greeks inside sympa-
thze with the Greeks outside, and
the Greeks outside want to get in
side. Inside your wife and child have
a chance of living to decent old age,
and you will be pretty secure in your
industry and earnings. But outside,
if you are Christian, your wife and
child are apt to he massacred and
your property stolen from you.
CRETANS AND GREEKS.
The Cretans are outside, and they
are Greeks for all practical purposes.
They fought like devils for Greek in
dependence, but were themselves kept
dependent. Now, there was an in
surrecUion in Crete last year against
Turkish rule, but this was put down.
The instruction broke out again
last winter, and this time it was
more formidable. The Turks began
killing Cretans, and the Cretans
Turks. At about this time the coast
towns of Crete began filing with
Christian refugees from the interior,
and the foreign cOusuls advised them
to cross over to Greece. Well. some
10000 of them, impoverished, Woe
begone and bearing all the marks of
Turkish misrule, were soon landed in
Greece. What was the natural effect
of that? The Greeks became terribly
aroused, and popular sentiment in
favor of accepting the invitation of
Tho ne loo InpC 10 he
island and annex it to Greece became
irresistible to the king and the gov
eminent. 1t meant the loss of his
crown to King George to thwart the
national will. So the Greeks invaded
Crete to rescue it from the curse of
the MOslem rule.
...., THE POWERS.
Then the six great powers of
Europe, dominated by the three en-
perors OF Austria, Germany and Rus
STA, ordered the Greeks from the
island. eve will look after Greece, "
they said. Crete has always been a
special favorte of ours, and while we
cannot allow her to become a part of
Greece, we will give her autonomy
and nice, new Turkish governor.
But no one could tell what "autOn-
Omy" meant, and besides, while the
Greek troops were ordered from the
island, the Turkish troops were to
stay. The Greeks would not retire,
and the deadlock, if continued, meant
war. The powers blockaded the
island, threw shells at theinsurgents,
and did no more. Meanwhile on the
mainland, Turks and Greeks began
to concentrate on the frontier, where
collisions between armed forces un-
der the circumstances were newt
able. Thus came the war.
WHAT GREECE WANTS.
When it is asked what Greece can
expect to gain by fighting, one must
reply that the belligerent attitude OF
Greece is due mainly to a highly
wrought feeling which encompasses
patriotism, sympathy for the Cret.
ans, traditional hatred of the Turks
and pride that rebels at backing
down without struggle. They had
reached the point, as both individu
ais and nations sometimes do, where
they would yield only under the pres
sure of overwhelming force. In such
an attitude there is little thought o.
material gain, although the Greeks
aspire to possess many things that
would make them a stronger anC
wealthier nation 1t is this magnif
cent recklessness, this splendid aban
don in the face of great odds, that
excites the admiration and sympa
thy of the civilized world. Undoubt
eddy the Greeks had hopes of winning
allies, or exciting instruction within
the sultan's dominions before the
contest had long continued, but theil
courage in going to battle unaideC
against foe of overwhelming supe
riority lacks too much of cool calcu
laton and concern for selfish interest
to permit us to regard their actor
as inspired other than by simple en-
thusiasm, emotion and fine impulse
in the main. Sometimes such cour
age yields rewards in the end, and i
there are any in store for Greece TIT
the future will reveal them.
Under an act passed by the las