New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-07
THE EASTERN QUESTION.


Spahis of Bosnia and the Bulgarian Pomahs J."
Rhodopc the newly converted Moslems ana the'r
descendants displayed all the zeal and fanaticism
of proselytes; they hated their Christian ie"o"-
countrymen with a perfect hatred ana were
abhorred by them In turn as apostates and rene
gades from the national cause. To-Day t"e
Mussulman Greek Of Crete Is to all intents ana
purposes Turk and is so regarded by his Chrls-
.ian kinsman.
EUROPEAN MEDDIING.
Crete and the smaller island OF Samos DOM
played an important part In the Greek war VI
independence. and should have been made part
of the new Hellenic Kingdom They would nave
been had the European Powers kept their haiius
off But the Powers were marplots Ihey III
sisted on forcing both Crete and Samos pach
under Turkish rule or encouraging Tnrke! u
retake them, the reconquest OF Crete peins ei-
fected by Egyptian troops under Mahomet AL
Samos WAS presently made autonomous. and
has for half a century been peaceful. prosperous
and contented under a Christian Prince OF It's
own But although the Powers promised 10 90
something like that for Crete. actually nothing
was done until 1868 when. after an insurrection
which lasted over three years and cost me
Turkish and Egyptian treasures some fO.oo~Vo"
Turkish the scheme Of reforms known as the Or
ganic Statute was drawn up This measure
which, In appearance at least. conceded Il large
amount OF sef-governmcnt TO the island. even
ually obtained a somewha. wider importance
being proposed by Article HXIll OF the berhh
Treaty as a basis for the reforms to be- intro
ducad into other portions of the Empire
This statute gave the island a legislative as
sembly and judicial system Of It's own But the
latter soon became r,ockery. while the former
was reduced to impotence by being forbidden
even to discuss any matter which had not pre-
viouslv received the sanction Of the Governor
In brief the Organic Statute proved failure
and tho island became as dsconter' ed as ever.
Another bloody instruction occurred In lsiS
and in the fall OF that year. through the media
ton of England. the so-called Pact OF Haiepa
was drawn up in the village Of that name, and
was approved by the Porte.
THE PACT OF HALEPA.
This instrument retained the general system
of the Organic Statute. but provided for its more
practical application. 1t gave the local assem-
bly, real legislative authority. and required the
appointment of a Christian Civil Governor for
term OF five years though the Military Governor
was still 10 be MahOmetan. The trouble that
now arose was a factional one. The Cretans d.
vided into two parties, and the one Wnich was
the weaker invariably intrigued against the CiviI
harass him. The Military Governor also IN
trgueI against the Civil Governor. and the re.
suit has been thai from 1878 down to the presen.
time only one man has had the resolution 10 nolu
the latter office for full term. All the others
were driven to resign IT,
In such a state OF confusion the judicial system
soon broke down. the native gendarmery Prot 80
q failure and little could be done to develop the
resources of the island. crisis came In 1851
The Governor deemed il to be his constitutional
duty 10 bestow a certain number of appoi ntment'
- Iil nfs nd g
Piled by taking up arms and Withdrawing 10 the
mountains Many of the Mahometan beys sup
ported the Conservatives even alter tneiI ue
parture from Canca. but once the lame OF lnsuI-
rection was set alight the haf-dormant tana'I-
cism Of both creeds became aroused the horrors
of 1861 and 1873 were re-enacted ana the isIahu
was again plunged in civil war. In the space OF
a few months about one hundred Christians ana
Mussulmans were murdered. S,S96 dwelling,
houses 1872 schools. ffty-seven mosques ana
fourteen churches were burned. and many tn""-
sand pounds worth of property was destroyed
ABROGATION OF THE PACT.
The ipsurgent Christians got the worst OF II IN
this rebellion. The Porte, for once. acten WIFI
and, to say the least. with consioer-
able astuteness NJ Tricoupis was at this time in
office and the Turkish Government. aware tha'
the Cretans invariably seek counsel from Athens
induced the Greek statesman TO persuade the IN
sursents not TO resist the occupation OF the more
strategical posts In the lsianu ID! the
imreral troops. Once master OF the SITUATION
the Porte showed its hand. Shakir facha a
uuesulmar and a soldier. was appointed van
q nd invested with military authority, martial law
was proclaimed Albanian gendarmes were quar-.
tered in the Christian villages. and the nrman OF
November 1889. Issued Wnlcn aoiogateu
-. i,,nortant provisions Of the Halepa Pact.
The five wears tenure of office by the Governor
was abolished. the mode OF election 10 the Cen
oval Assembly was altered and the NUMBER OF itS
,arohars reduced. and the Porte appropriated
tho whole Of the customs revenue. whlcn, IN VII
tue of a supplementary arraheemeIl, maui ~,
1851 had been shared between the lihpe!laI anu
the Cretan treasures The firman was unques
,iorabIy illegal and violated a convention pos
sessng international sanction AZ tnat can h,a w
said in it's favor Is that the Pact or lfaiePa, wn1'
II modified had been amply proved 10 De uh"o'A
able. $500 -,oa auto
For the next five years Crete was ruled auto
cratically and without an Assembly, pE sue
nccsior NJ Nussulrnan governors Orders. indeeo
,,.ere given 10 hold fresh elections under the new
system bur tho Christians maintained an attl,
tude of sullen and passive resistance ana reIuseo
~ go IN tho polls The attention OF the Powers
~ attracted 70 the state of the island. and
eventuallv toward the end of 1894 the Porte was
ind iced to max new departure by me noln,na-
tion Of a Christian. Alexander hara'heouoi'
Pacha TO the Governorship.
LAST YEARS OUTLOOK.
This should have satisfied everybody Kara
tbeodory was acceptable to both Christians ana
Nussulmans The Assembly met again for the
first time since 1850. and passed som" good laws.
Unfortunately these were vetoed by the Porte,
and that caused trouble. The chief measure
thus treated was financial one. Owing to sew
eral had harvests. there had arisen deficit IN
the Cretar Treasury of some fTl2O.Wr' Ihen II
,,as discovered that officials al Constantinople
had illegally been appropriating the proceeds
of the tax on manufactured tobacco. aggregat-
ing iT1OOm0 The Cretans demanded, therefore,
the reimbursement to their treasury of that sum
V hich would have wiped out their deficit rms
the Porte refused Then the Ctetans voted 70
raise q loan to cover the deficit This could easily
have been secured. and could have been paid OF
i'm few wears But the Porte objected 10 IL Also
Thereupon reform committee" was organ
ized largely it must be confessed. by disappoint-
ed office seekers. and began agitating Tor re-
volt The Christians in the rural districts armed
themselves. and the Mussulmans fed TO the
towns for safety Numerous murders were COM