San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-04-05
EACH OF THE POWERS WAITING
FOR THE OTHER TO TAKE
THE INITIATIVE.
No One Willing To Assume The Re-
SpOnSitility Of Governor Of
Troubled Crete Christians
MaSSacrei In Sight Of
Foreign AimiralS.

New York, April "a dispatch to
the Herald from st. Petersburg says:
1t begins to look very much as if
England and Russia were undertake
ing the pacificatiOn of Crete as they
at the present moment are the only
two powers actively disposed. The st.
Petersburg Herald today says.
las matters appear, we merely
await the day when the telegraph will
bring us the news that England, with
one of the powers, has received
mandate to pacify Crete"
1t is understood that England has
intimated her willingness in case of
need to cooperate with another pow
err, at the same time letting it be
known that the fact is distaSteful
enough and undertaken only in case of
absolute need to prevent massacres.
The position of Germany, which has
been much criticised as being the pow
er that urged strong action and now
fails to act up to her part, needs no
definition. 1t is distinctly given thus:
Germany advocated in the strongest
possible term the immediate blocEad-
ing of Greece as the solution in the
cause of peace, but that was six weeks
ago. Then neither the Greek nor the
Turkish army had been modified
and the position of the king of Greece
would have been saved and the dan
gerOus public agitation stopped. For
lack of promptitude in action Eng
land. France and Italy have been
deemed by Germany to have encourag-
ed the Greeks and Cretans in their
lawlesSness and brought about the de-
plorable and discreditable position in
which matter already Germany refus-
es all responsibility.
That is the reason why Germany re-
fuses to take part lin sending troops
and so sacrifice herself for the rsults
of the weakness of others. In Russia,
England is said to have been the
greatest offender in her fatal indeci-
sion, causing a we'll knon parsonage to
remark: England makes a PROPOSE
ton which we accept, and before
our reply has time to reach London
she changes her mind and launches
some other idea, cancelling the first
For instance. it was Lord SaliSbury'S
cabinet which suggested the blockade
of VolO. Now they don't want it.
Thus it is easy to understand the ir-
ritatiOn which exists here, at the
present unsatisfactory condition of af-
fairs, for which Russia is in nowise
responsible, but into which she is I'M
willing yet inevitably drawn"
The utmost efforts are being made
to procure an efficient governor for
Crete. Belgium has been approached
but, although she has many competent
men, none care to risk life and repu-
tatiOn among the Cretan islanders,
whose latest massacres of Mussul-
mans, women and children,in whatever
place they have taken, as in the hills
of ZIrO are fresh in memory. The
definite appointment of Admiral Can
evaro to the direction of affairs fall
ing. the selection of another governor
is approved here, but apparently OBJ
jected to by the French.
New York, April 5.-A special to the
Journal from Canea, Crete, says:
In the engagement at Akrotiri seven
Christian insurgents were killed and
eighteen wounded. The MOslem ir-
regulars cut the dead Christians in a
horrible manner. They are now eX-
hibiting human ears and noses and all
this was allowed to go on while the
admirals, spy glass in hand, watched
the progress.
On the Moslem side there were sixty
killed and wounded. Among these
were many Of the Moslems from Kan
dands, who were rescued from the in
surgents by. the admirals who promis-
ed that they would not be allowed to
bear arms against the Christians
again.
During the engagement yesterday
not a shell was fired against the Mos
lem irregulars, although they were at
tackled by the Christians in direct OPP
position of the orders of the admirals.
Insurgents under similar circumstan-
ces. have been shelled by the allied
fleets.
The admirals say that they had load
ed cannon and were ready to fire
on the MOslems when they saw Major
L. tn 20