Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-01
KAISER's POLICY
In the Greco retan Affair Is
Studied With Interest.
will Favor Any Plan Of thu Powers
to R. store Peace in Crete.
military Authorities Agree that Turkey Il Bet.
Ter Equipped Than Gssscs.

| DcEllu, req. N.-W nALeVeF may Dc
| thought and said outside of Germany as
to the kaiser's line OF action on tire
| Greco-Crctan imbrogliO. the dominant II
not the unanimous opinion In Germany
Is that II has been consistent with his
whole Eastern policy and inspired by a
desire to maintain European peace. The
home papers which insinuate and the
| foreign papers which openly affirm that
family affairs have been an element In
| fiuencing the Kaiser. choose to ignore
facts which ought by this time to be open
/ to the world.
There is no feud or illwill now existing
| between the Kaiser and hts sisterA the
Duchess of Sparta. wife of the Greek heir
| apparent. The disfayor with which he
| treated her conversion from the Lutheran
to the Greek church Is a matter Of past
history. The Empress mother was the
medium OF an early reconciliation, and
| harmony OF affection between the Kaiser
and hts favorite sister has long since been
restored.
That the Kaiser sought. first Of all.
| the support of Russia for his proposal to
blockade the Piraeus. should dispose of
the report that family considerations
weighed largely with the Gar. The Kali
fact that King George Is brother Of the
dowager Czarina would affect the Rus
sian policy.
The history of our own time affords an
spoiled the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darm-
stad., brother of the then Czarina. the
Gear Alexander ii declined to interfere
privately or through diplomacy and when
Prussia annexed tiolstein-Gottorp. long
associated with the Russian dynasty
nothing was said from st. Petersburg
That the dowager Czarina has person.
ally interfcred on behalf of King George
is beyond all probabil The telegram
of encouragement and sympathy from
her to the King. which has gone the
rounds of the European press. was
fabrication. and events since have proved
T.
by motives in which family relations play
no important part.
The actual truth is that so far as the
Kaiser has taken any lead upon the Gre
vent. or postpone. the breakup of Tur-
key and to stop Greece from entering up
on war. which unless accompanied by
general conflagration in the Balkan
Of Greece ard the overthrow of King
George.
The Kaiser has been in consultation
with the German officers who have served
IN the reorganization of the Turkish
army and obtained during the present
crisis reports from the German staff still
connected with the Sultans forces. Their
sreports concur in stating that the posi-
ton of Greece. If assailed by land. is
absolutely hopeless. The Turks are inn
measurably better prepared for an inn
mediate campaign on the Thessalian
Greece and got ready for it.
Early in the current month the Porte
mad 1870 troops around the base of
Olympus and was prepared to direct that
force in two columns from Olympus and
Eiiassona districts upon Larissa. This
army has been reinforced to 45000 men,
Against them the Greeks have but
feeble force between Larissa and Phar-
salia. and only began when the war
storm seemed gathering to throw up
some works around Larissa. which has
long been projected, but persistently neg
lected. These Turkish frontier troops
are well supplied with artillery and in
santry ard are armed with the Peabody
Martini rifle. and are well led and alto
gether In good trim. According to the
opinion of the German officers best able
to calculate the course of the campaign,
the Turkish force by itself would suffice
to overturn the Greek mainland.
OF course a prolonged war, in which
the Powers would stand aloof and let
Turkey once more conqure Greece, is not
to be thought of. The total war strength
OF Greece would count for something only
If Turkey had simultaneously to suppress
an instruction in Macedonia. and meet
IN the field the combined forces of Servia.
Bulgaria and Montenegro. Even then if
none of the great Powers interviewed the
military opinion here quoted believes that
the Turks would hold their own. The
defenceless condition of Greece and the
awful consequences of unchanging the
tremendous forces of war and rapine in
AsuiOpedu turkey were undoubtedly the
weightiest conditions with the Kaiser.
During the Greeceo-Cretan negotiations
proceeding at Stamboul. last week. Baron
Saurna Won Jeltsch took no obstrusive
part. The Sultan has sometimes been in
direct communication BY wire with the
Kaiser. and has consulted Baron Saurma.
1t is said. on every important develop
meit. The entente between the Kaiser
and Sultan. however far it extends, has
no element of hostility to Greece. The
Berlin government supports the Powers
in any solution that will avert general
war. Cretan autonomy created under a
Greek prince with the Sultan as suerain
or with Prince Mavroeoocordatos as Cow
ernor, has had a backing from the Ger
man diplomats. 1t ought to be frankly
stated that the union of the island to
Greece has not the entire approval of
Germany. 1t Is feared and believed that
Crete under Greek rule would continue
to be the seat of chronic. Instruction and
The foreign Office received telegram.
last evening, from Lord Salisbury con-
veying the purport of the ultimatum to
GREECE proposed by the Powers and which
Will be presented by them jointly to the
Hellenic government The text of the
note shows that the proposals made BY
Russia to proceed at once upon the appli-
cation of rigid corrective measures against
Greece have been modified.