Rocky Ford enterprise., 1898-11-10
THE CASE OF CRETE.
TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY
YEARS OF REVOLT.
The Powers to. Compel Turkey TO. Get
Out of the Island Which Has Bs"n
!, DrenShsd In tho Blood OF Christians
and. Pngnus, s.


Europe is prepared to hear anything
from the Orient. The powers have
sent their joint ultimatum to Turkey
and are awaiting the reply of the Su-
blime Porte. Whatever that reply,
they are determined that the state OF
affairs existing in Crete shall end. In
the meantime their warships lie In
the harbors OF the island, each power
maintaining order In its own zone Of
influence.
Among the Inhabitants of Crete. the
same elements are now at work active
ly that have been rotent there ever
since the island fell into Turkish
hands In 1928. In $50 the Greeks re-
covered 1t by conquest. They sold 1t
to the Venetians in 1904. In 1915 the
Moslems got 1t back. Ana they have
kept 1t ever since in much the same
manner that the Spaniards have held
Cuba. by garrisons of soldiers In the
seaport towns.
Over all was a pasha. who had TO
deliver up SO much revenue every year
to the sultan, and was welcome to
make as much more as he could. The
Moslems lived In the towns where they
were protected. and the Greeks lived
In the country.
OF the $50 years Of Turkish govern
ment the Christians had been in open
revolt more than 100 times. When the
Greek citizen could not. pay his taxes
he took to the mountains. where he
lived on the bounty of the peasants.
which he sometimes enforced. II nee
essary. at the point OF his rife. which
is ever his companion, and OF which
he will tell you he is fonder than OF
his wife. II the governing pasha
found that town was not profitable
he did not hesitate to arrange a mas
lsacre by way Of discipline. Two thou
sand years ago Crete had population
Of more than million. 1t probably
had nearly million at the beginning
OF the Turkish regime. as against 270.-
900 now.
In recent times this story Of slaugh-
ter and destruction has appealed to
humanitarian Europe. though not as
strongly as the outrages in other por-
tions Of the empire which had the po-
litical advantages OF being fairer game
for the territorial ambition of some
European power. Sporadic insurrec-
tion at time became general. as In the
case OF the bloody rebellions OF 1866.
1877 and 1883.
After the rebellion OF 1883 the sultan
made n truly Cnstilian promise to be
good and agreed to the provisions OF
the Halepa act. which received inter-
national sanction and provided ,or a
national assembly which was to lay
and provide for the collection OF rev.
enues. But the sultan's memory is
also truly Castilian. He soon abol-
ished the assembly and took charge of
the revenues himself. .,s
The powers then intervened and had
n Christian governor appointed. This
only resulted in a national assembly.
ing that the preceding governor had
misappropriated the funds which. were
to have been used for certain public
improvements. The sultan so man
aged his Christian governor then that
the Christians were worse of than
ever. A revolt began in March. 1896.
and the sultan slyly recalled him as n
rogue who had estranged his loving
subjects. and sent In his stead Mus
suiman governor to put down the re-
volt. which thcrcupon promptly spread
throughout the island.
Most Of the Cretan Christians are
Greeks, and all desire to be annexed to
Greece. They asked for their inde-
pcndence when the London convention
created the Greek kingdom In 1921 as
a sequel to the Greek revolution. But
the same cause then. as now, prevented
accession to their request. The pow
ers were afraid to allow the new nation
enough strength SO that 1t could be-
come factor in the affairs OF Europe.
With the events following the last
rebellion in Crete up to the close of
the Greco-Turkish war every one Is
familiar. The Greeks OF the main
land sent this time to their brethren
more than the assistance OF private
individuals. Col. Vassos landed in
Crete with regiment of soldiers:
Prince George. second son OF the king
of Greece. made demonstration with
a fiotilla of torpedo boats. and the
Greek government formally announc-
ed the annexation of the island to the
kingdom of Greece.
BY this bold diplomatic move Greece
hoped to cause a disagreement of the
powers on the question Of coercing
him. Then European war would re-
suit or they would have to stand idly
by to avoid a European war and allow
him to gain his ends.
The powers. however, at once flew
to their old cover. The balance OF
power must be maintained. They
agreed so far as to blockade Crete; but
the public opinion Of England would
not submit to the blockade OF the Pr
aeus. which was the desire of Emperor