The Topeka state journal., 1897-03-09
A BLACK PICTURE
Painted by SkOuzes the Greek
Prime Minister
Of What Will Happen in Crete
If the Greeks
WITHDRAW AT ONCE.
London Comment on the Reply
of the Greeks
Greeks Can Go From America
for $24 Apiece.

Athens March 9.-The reply of Greece
10 the powers as finally drafted is as
follows:
The government of his Majesty, King
George, having examined with the clos
est attention the points WhereOn the
great powers are agreed, believes it a
0uty TO submit to the powers its own
opinion of the measures proposed by
them, an opinion which is the outcome
OF long experience and profound know
IedSe or the Cretan situation. Moved
profoundly by these sentiments anima-
ting the powers and their solicitude for
the general peace, the Greek govern
ment will not fail in its duty; because
greece also has an ardent desire 10 con-
tribute to the maintenance OF peace
and to preserve from complete ruin the
islanders so long and sOrely tried and
proposed autonomy will unfortunately
TAIL to respond to the nObler intentions
which inspired it and will suffer the
same fate as many previous unSuccess-
full experiments in Crete
The reply refers to the six previous
instructions in Crete and argues the
unl1kehood that the present proposals
OF the powers will terminate the state
of revolution.
1t continues: Anarchy will ravage
the country; fire and sword in the hands
or the blind fanatics will decimate a
people who do not deserve such fate.
In the face of such a prospect, our res
possibility would be enormous if we
failed earnestly to urge the powers
had the time of the engranchisement of
the other Greek provinces and to lead
her back to Greece, to whom she has
properly belonged since Capo Istrias
was president.
In the presence of recent scenes of
massacre and pillage, the burning of
Canea and the frightful anguish of the
Cretans. exposed to and menanced by
the boundlesS fury of Mussulmans our
whole country was torn with reInOrSe
for its own responsibility. 1t assumed
lSf to H Low
down their arms, but the misfortune
which followed forbid us again to un-
dertake such task Even had we at
tempted 1t our voice would have been
only a feeble echo and would not have
reached the Cretan people.
LAS autonomy would not fulfill the
noble aim of the powers, it is obvious
what must be the situation of the un-
happy islanders from today until the
establishment of autonomy. If the
| powers 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 pacifyfng of
which is the object of the solicitude Of
the powers, we do not hesitate to- ap
measure, proposed by them, namely, the
recall of our troops.
Indeed if the presence of the foreign
SQuadrOnS and the conviction that they
prevent the landing of Turkish troops
are deemed unnecessary the presence OF
the Greek fleet in Cretan waters, the
presence OF lDc GTeek crete Is
nevertheless shown to be desirable from
| sentiments of humanity and in the in
terests of a definite restoration of or
der
Duty forbids US to abandon the Gre
| tans to the mercy of Mussulman
fanaticism and to the Turkish army,
which always deliberately and inten-
tionally has shared in the aggressive
acts of the pOpulace against the Chris
tianS.
Moreover, if our troops, which are
worthy the fullest confidence of the
powers, had received a mandate to pac-
ify the island, their Intentions would
have been promptly received with the
greatest satisfaction The sorrows which
have regularly occurred in Crete for
many decades not only profoundly agi-
tate the Hellenic people, but interrupt
also all the social activity, and gravely
disturb our domestic economy and the
finances of the state Even if we ad-
nit the possibility of forgetting for
single instant our community with the
Cretans in religion, race and blood, we
could not in silence allow the great
powers to assume that the Greek state
is able longer to resist such conditions"
ssCKOTTZE1S