Birmingham state herald., 1897-03-07
And the Plucky Little Kingdom Smiles While Ter
 TOT Holds Full Sway
France Joins England, While Germany Sides With Russia and the Petty Kingdoms Fall
 Into Line With Greece.

1 timacy between Emperor William and
 the czan should drive France into CO., operation with England. The suspicion
 and reaction against the Russian alli- ance is increasing daily in France, and
 in these days of rapidly moving events
 political frinedships in Europe may be suddenly altered.
 All these considerations have an inn portant bearing on the situation in the east, which, within few hours, will
 now reshape itself. Today's actual news is not important
 Henry Norman, of the London Chroni- cle, who is at Athens, telegraphs that certain eastern powers, meaning appar- ently England and perhaps France and Italy, are urging Greece in friendly, informal way to negotiate with the pow CTS for the gradual withdrawal of the Turkish and Greek troops from Crete, thus saving the dignity and making the ultimate union of Greece and Crete pos sible. According to all accounts the un- bending obstinacy of the German em- peror would make even this arrange
 ment impossible.
 It is known that every effort is being made to induce King George to refrain from declaring war against Turkey If, however, be is determined to resist the demand of the powers, as all accounts agree, he will do, a declara ton of war would be his best possible move. The powers would then be deprived of an SAcuSe lOf lHleTlerlnB on the ground or any violation of the international law and as Greece is an independent pow CT, there is no question of her right to declare war The embarrassment of the powers would then be immensely in- creased and it may safely be assumed that public opinion in eastern Europe and this country would prevent three, I>at last, of the powers from actively sup ' porting Turkey in such sfruggle. The porte has obtained money some ' where, not much to be sure, but if re- port speaks truly, enough among other things to pay some outstanding bills of
 certain patriotic firms in Birmingham,
 and to obtain renewed credit in that quarter Nobody seems to know whence the money has come, but a good many people would like to know. The effect Of ready cash is already apparent too, on the military movements in Mace donia, which are now continuous and orderly under the direction chiefly of
 Austrian and Swiss officers. The sol- diers are most of them Anatolians, Arabs
 and Arnaubos of good physique, and as
 the arms and ammunition of the in- fantry and artillery are in good condi- tion, 1t may be taken for granted that the men will give a good account of themselves to any enemy they may have to meet in the field. European officers in the suitan'S service declare confident ly, that if war is once commenced by | Greece nothing but the intervention of | the powers will stop the Turks from en- tering Athens. That, too, is the opinion generally held by military experts here and in France and Germany. The Greek 1 soldiers must win at the outset, or they will soon be overpowered. Others, how | ever, believe that Turkeys boasted mil- | tary power will prove as unreal as that of China in the recent war with Japan. Certainly the forces of disintegration have been diligently at work during the past fifteen years throughout the Turk | ish military and naval forces.
 A report that Greece had arranged a common plan of action with Servia and | Bulgaria has been current in many quar- sters, but 1t may be dismissed as untrue
 Up to the present the interests of these 1 little powers in Macedonia are too con 1 ficting to be reconcllsd at short notice, but there is good reason to believe that young King Alexander of Servia has been in communication with Prince Fer dinand of Bulgaria. with the object of arranging joint action in certain eventu- alitieS and such action is unlikely to be pleasant to Greece. There is another fac
 tor in the situation to which no one has recently given thought, and that is Mon tenegro. Th= doughty Prince Nicholas is prepared at short notice from the czar to | go anywhere and to do anything. His army is not much to boast of as regards numbers, but in personal material it has | no equal among the minor states of Eu-
 
 tenegro will take hand in it beyond shadow of a doubht.
 Nothing so much impressed those who were present at the Mansion House din ner to MT. Bayard as the speech and personality of the prime minister. The pressure of responsibility under which Lord Salisbury is living in these ominous days is something almost beyond con- ception. Ths burden has no visible ef- feet upon him. There were no signs of weariness, care or even abstraction, in his appearance or manner as he joined apparently without reserve in the fes- tivities of the evening He had attended a long cabinet council early in the day, spent several hours at the foreign office and had just come from the house of lords where he had announced the gov ernment's Cretan policy in a detailed for peace or war required careful weigh ing. Then he made speech after the dinner which was a gem in language, thought and sentiment.
 Colonel John Hay, who is believed to bs the coming American ambassador to England, has already engaged for the coming season the fine mansion, No. 5 Carlton House Terrace which is the town residence of the Earl of Caledonia. It should be added in explanation of Col. Hays foresight in securing quarters in London in advance of his actual appoint ment as ambassador that it was a case of genuine necessity Had he waited longer it would have been impossible for him to find adequate accommodations for the coming season for love or money. --------------------- JEFF DAVIS FIRST.