The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-03-09
IT IS NOT A WARLIKE DOCUMENT,
But a Fervid Plea For the Right to Aid the
Stricken Cretans in Their Struggles
Against the Bloodthirsty
Turks-Great Excite
ment in Athens.

receipt of the identical notes of the
powers and recognizing the extreme
gravity of possible results bound up In
the situation, proceeds as follows:
THE government of his majesty.
King George. having examined with
the closest attention the points where
on the great powers are agreed, be-
lieve it a duty to submit to the powers
its own opinion on the measures pro-
posed by them, an opinion which is
the outcome Of long experience and
profound knowledge of the Cretan sit
uation.
Moved profoundly by these senti-
ments animating the powers and their
| solicitude for the general peace, the
| Greek government will not fail in it's
duty, because Greece also has an ar
dent desire to contribute to the main
tenance Of peace and to preserve from
complete ruin islanders so long and
sorely tried and so often decimated
We believe that the proposed auton-
omy will unfortunately fail to respond
to the nobler intentions which inspired
it, and will suffer the same fate as
many previous unsuccessful expert
ments in Crete"
The reply then refers to six previous
| instructions in Crete, and argues the
unlikelihood that the present propos-
ais of the powers will terminate a
/ state of revolution. 1t continues:
| Anarchy will ravage the country;
| fire and sword I'm the hands Of blind
/ fanatlcism viii decimate a people who
/ do not deserve such a fate In the
face Of such a prospect our response
/ bility would be enormous If we failed
| earnestly to urge the powers to restore
to Crete what she already had at the
/ time of the enfranchisement of the
| other Greek provinces, and to lead her
back to Greece to whom she has prop
/ erly belonged since Capo Istrias was
president.
I'm the presence of the recent scenes
of massacre and pillage the burning of
| Canea, and the frightful anguish of
the Cretans exposed to and menaced
by the boundless fury of Mussulmans,
our whole country was torn with re-
morse for its own responsibility. It
| assumed last year to persuade the Gre
/ tans to lay down their arms but the
misfortunas which followed forbid us
again to undertake such a task. Even
had we attempted it our voice would
have been only a feeble echo, and
would not have reached the Cretan
| people.
"As autonomy would not fulfil the
noble aim of the powers, it is obvious
| what must be the situation of the un-
/ happy island from today until the es-
/ tablishment of autonomy If the pow
/ ers persevere in their decisions in the
face of the foregoing views, then in the
name of humanity as well as in the
interests Of Crete, the pacifying Of
which is the unique object Of the solicit
tude of the powers, we do not hesitate
to appeal to them on the subject of
another measure proposed by them,
namely, the recall of our troops.
Indeed, if the presence Of the for
etgn squadrOns and the conviction that
they prevent the landing of Turkish
troops are deemed to render unneces-
sary the presence of the Greek fleet in
| Cretan waters, the presence of the
/ Greek army in Crete is nevertheless
shown to be desirable alike from senti-
ments of humanity and in the interest
of definite restoration of order.
Duty forbids us to abandon the Gre
tans to the mercy of the Mussulman
and to the Turkish army which al
ways deliberately and Intentionally had
shared in the aggressive acts Of the
populace against the Christians. More
over, if our own troops, which are
worthy the fullest confidence of the
powers, had received a mandate to
pacify the island their desires and in
tentions would have been promptly re-
ceived with the most perfect satisfac-
tion. Then, order being restored. II
would be possible to ascertain the free
ly expressed desire of the Cretans for a
decision as to their fate.
These horrors, which have regular
ly recurred I'm Crete for many decades.
not only profoundly agitate the Hell
lenic people but interrupt also all So
cial activity and gravely disturb our
democratic economy and the finances
of the state. If we admit the possibil-
ity of forgetting for a single instant
our community with the Cretans in re-
ligion race and blood we could not I'm
silence allow the great powers to as
sumo that the Greek state is able long
er to resist such shocks.
Therefore, we appeal to the gem
erous sentiments animating the pow
= ers, and beg them to permit the q e.
tan people themselves to declare he !
they desire to be governed"
on the text Of the reply becoming
generally known through the city the
populace exhibited great excitement
and on all sides there was heated dis.
cussion of the consequences likely tc
follow.
The warship Hydra has aIread,
been recalled from Cretan waters
leaving only two small Greek vessels
IN that quarter. This is regarded as
virtual yielding to the powers so fal
as the fleet is concerned. 1t is held
however that the powers cannot now
shut the door against further negotia
uons. The cabinet, it IS understood
was unanimous as to the terms of tn,
reply the text of which was the per
sonal work of the king
The offer to place the Greek force.
IN Crete under a foreign general indi
Gates the readiness of the governmen
to regard the forces as gendarmerie
to assist the foreign marines in restor
ing ORDER