The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-05-07
THE WAR ENDED.

The war between the Greeks and the
Turks is virtually at an end. The de-
cisive battle has been fought and won by
the superior mum bers of the Turkish
army and the superior generalship of
Edhem Pasha. The Greeks have no
longer any hope of opposing an effective
resistance to the advance OF the victorious
hosts, and are ready to agree to the ac-
ceptance of almost any terms which the
powers may arrange.
The ending OF the war by no means set
ties the problem of which it was the out
come. AS matter OF fact the armed
struggle and the battles between the
Greeks and the Turks have formed only
an episode in a drama which has been
holding the attention of Europe for years
and seems now to be indefinitely pro-
longed. Turkey will be allowed to reap
but little reward for the success Of her
arms, and the Greeks will not be COM
pelled to suffer much from their rashness
in undertaking 10 battle with superior
power against the counsel and warnings
of Europe.
When the war is formally ended and the
opposing armies have returned to their
homes, and the old, or possibly new,
boundary lines have been drawn between
them, the diplomacy OF Europe will re-
sumo the problem of the Levant at al
most the exact point where it left off at
the outbreak of hostlllties. Whether the
successes OF the Turks have to any extent
modified the views OF statesmen remains
to be seen. 1t is extremely probable that
they may have greatly changed the atti-
tude of Turkey herself, and may render
the Sultan and bis advisers more difficult
TO deal with than they were before they
had tested the strength of their army and
proven their abilities as fighting power.
If this should be SO, the war, so far from
ling the diplomatists in settling the
difficult issues before them, will have the
opposite effect, and may yet have conse-
quences whose influence will be felt for
years to come.
1t can hardly be said that the result has
been surprise to the world. The most
ardent friends Of Greece did not expect
her to win unless the subject peoples OF The
Balkan peninsula should rise to aid her in
common war against the Turk. The
Greeks themselves evidently expected this
uo'ActohSSs liz VI 1uI hlou Ter
ritory by the irregular troops before war
was actually declared and the advance
into Epirus Immediately on the outbreak
OF hostilities are evidences of the fact that
the Government at Athens counted on an
uprising OF the subject peoples of those
provinces as soon as the Greek armies ap-
peared and afforded force around which
the insurgents could rally. These hopes,
as we have seen, were disappointed, and
with the retirement of the Greek troops
from the Turkish frontier the last chance
OF Grecian success was lost.
For the present the movement toward
the destruction of the Ottoman EN- pire is
checked. The Turk has once more shown
Europe that he will fight for his domin.
ions to the last. and die sword in hand
with his face to the foe. This will delay
the independence of the Balkan people
for while, but nevertheless the move
ment toward that end will begin again.
For more than a hundred years the Turk
has been forced slowly backward from the
line Of his European pire when it was
at its greatest extent. Province after pro-
vince has been wrested away from the
Sultan, and the same forces which accom-
plished so much in the past will sooner or
later complete their task by the complete
overthrow of Mosiem rule in Europe.
The end may be far off, but it is inevitable.