Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-31
WAR INEVITABLE.
|HostiIities Between Crete and
Turkey Sure to Come.
Greek People All Arm;d and Eager
for the Sound Of Battle.
And Turkey Seems Prepared and Equally Asx.
ious for The Fray.

London. March 3.-The eyes Of all
Europe are ~anxiously turned toward
Thessaly where the Greek and Turkish
armies are assembling and little IL any
hope Is expressed that a conflict between
the two armies can be averted by the
Powers. A dispatch to the Times from
Its correspondent In Larissa, the head
quarters OF the Greek army in Thessaly
says:
The Greek army Ii now so large that
It Is the absolute arbiter Of the situation.
! am very much struck by the independ-
ence and impatient temper of the troops.
They seem 0n,y prepared to accept or
ders to execute the extreme Hellenic pro-
gramme.
THE peasantry also is armed as irregu-
lars. Then the schoolboys there are be-
ing armed with rifles. bayonets and
ammunition. II is no uncommon sight
to see lads of IL or Is fully equipped.
IF the island of Crete were not con-
coded to Greece IL Is evident that the
soldiery would demand Immediately an
extension OF the continental boundaries
over Greece.
No permanent peace Is Otherwise Dos-
siDle In this region. If Europe forces
Greece TO recall her army from Thessaly.
q large part of IL will become insurgents.
IL Will continue an independent guerilla
warfare In the mountains of Macedonia
and brigandage In the frontiers. Exter-
nal peace, will be paid for by internal an
archy and the state of Thessaly may re-
lapse into conditions like those of 1858 or
worse.
Ten thousand Greeks have been sta
TONED at the east end of the rontier,
with their BaZat Rapsani on the hiIlsides
north OF the Vale of Tempe. From this
point they are watching the Turkish posi-
Ions from Piatamona to Elassona. The
vale OF Tempe itself Is not fortified. as
the Greek line is drawn from 10 to 20
miles further north.
Indeed. the Greek force has no FORTH
Ted lines In Thessaiy. The Greeks seem
10 consider themselves only in the light
of an invading force and not as a force
occupying Il territory likely 10 be in
Vaded. As Il result of this. they cannot
stop, "a very numerous army anywhere
north OF the Thermopylae. They are re-
iying far too little upon the material de-
iScts.
The Turks hold the coast road with a
strong force from their base at Katerina.
The Greek commissariat force is slender.
though the Greek officers have all along
insisted that thc Turks themselves are
tniserably supplied in this particular and
mat there Is much INSTRUMENTATION in the
turkish ranks. But 1t Is very rare in
deed to find anyone taking a reasonable
view OF the real strength of the Turks
or of the character of the coming strug-
gle"
The Times correspondent at Rome SAYS
mat the view entertained in Italian off,
cal circles as to the outcome of the
affair is pessimistic in the
extreme. Little IL any hope is expressed
that a conflict between tine Greeks and
Turks can be ayerted BY the Powers.
m FHSctfdNtu FTtSS ulspatc from Attn
ems says: "Al the best judges of the
ropuiace's feeling here agree that the de-
termination of the Greek people to accept
solution OF the Cretan difficulty bur |
the annexation OF Crete is increasing |
steadily The cry is for no surrender.
opposition newspapers enoun the |
government for showing a disposition to
h national pretensions, and they
characterize any tendency to compromise |
as high treason. All feeling of despond- |
ency has vanished. and the multitude is |
eager for hostliities to begin"
The Daily Chronicles Athens cor-e- |
.spondent. Mr.. Henry Norman. says that |
has IT from a reliable source that /
Emperor William has offered the Sultan
the services of General Won Goltz and
other German officers IL the government
desires to avail itself of them in the diff
Guilty with Greece. |
The special correspondent of the Times
Salonika says that everything there
that the situation is becoming
more and more critical. Fifty thousand
men are now encamped around Elassona
md there are 800 Krupp guns between
and Aria.