New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-19
IF 1T BE WAR!

Greece will fight That Is the latest news
from Southeastern Europe and it is probably
| true. For several days the drift of affairs has
| Enthusiastically been toward war. Russia and
| Germany. with words of peace upon their lips.
have done all in their power to make peace i'm
| possible, except amid conditions worse than
war. Greece accepts the challenge despite the
! fearful odds against her Her commander in
Crete establishes his force among The SphakianS
| of the White Mountains-a tribe and a region
never yet In all .he centuries subdued by alien
arms The historic Banner of the Cross, which
| led TO victory three-Quarters Of a century ago, is
| taken from its shrine and borne by the Crown
! Prince TO the Macedonian border. warship
| OF the Great Powers fires upon and sinks n
! Greel. vessel. Russia sends warShips laden
with troops through the Dardanelles. Austria
complains 10 the Porte Of Turkish atrocities at
Uskub, and Uslub is just beyond the Austrian
border, on the road TO SalOnca. Surely. here
are the elements of war, all close at hand
If it be war, the blame for it must rest else
where than upon Greece. She will have been
| literally forced 10 take such course IL Is a
dreadful course, but II IL not the worst. Had
Greece refrained from intervention in Crete.
what would have followed? There is no ground
| for imagining anything other than that Crete
| would have been made n second Armenia
! Turkish troops would have been poured in,
and the Christians outraged tortured and butch
cred by tens of thousands. Who would have
hndered? The Great Powers? The notion IS
| absurd. They could not agree on measures 10
| save Armenia They cannot now agree on a
| lust course in Crete There Is not the slightest
| reason to suppose that the outrage and massa-
| ere Of hundred thousand Christian Cretans
| would have aroused them to anything more than
| n maintenance of their concert Of naction. If
| the King Of the Hellenes had sat still and apa
thetically watched such devltres at his very
| palace gates he would have been swept from
| his throne by an indignant popuace. II the
| Greek Nation had endured it without resortng
TO the utmost possible means for preventing IT,
| il would have been unworthy Of the name Of
| Nation.
The Great Powers can crush Greece easily
| enough no doubt. They can destroy the
Piraeus. lombard Athens, depose the King. and
mt the country under the rule of Turkish
Pacha backed by an army OF Bashi-Bazouks
But before that Is dore there may be n flame
started that will not bo so easily put ont. n
blow struck by Greece in Macedonia would set
all the Balkans ablaZe and before the fire was
ouenched the map OF Europe might have to be
rcmada. II will be no light thing for the united
Powers to wage war upon Greece against the
will of the people of three of them, and against
| those principles of justice which, however sue
ccssfully for time ignored, inevitably assert
| themselves with overwhelming force in the af-
fairs Of Nations as of men. If it be war, then.
every lover of liberty and justice throughout the
world will sympathze with Greece. and Will
wish for her victory in this new crusade.