Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1898-11-11
THE CASE OF CRETE.
TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY
YEARS OF REVOLT.
The Powers to Compel Turkey TO Get
Out of tho Island Which Has Deen
Drenched In the Blood of Christians
and Pagans.

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-
iblime Porte. Whatever that reply,
they are determined that the state Of
affairs existing in Crete shall end. In
tthe 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 1923. In $50 the Greeks re-
covered 1t by conquest. They sold 1t
ito the Venetians in 1904. In 1646 the
IMoslems got it back. And they have
kept 1t ever since in much the same
manner that the Spaniards have held
Cuba, by garrlsons OF soldiers In the
seaport towns.
Over all was a pasta, who had to
deliver up so much revenue every year
ito 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
iessary. at the point Of his rifle. which
Ills ever his companion, and Of which
The will tell you he ia fonder than Of
This wife. II the governing pasta
found that a town was not profitable
The did not hesitate to arrange a mas
!sacre by way Of discipline. Two thou
Island years ago Crete had population
;of more than million. It probably
had nearly million at the beginning
iof the Turkish regime as against 270,-
,000 now.
In recent times this story Of slaugh-
tier and destruction has appealed to
Humanitarian Europe, though not as
lstrongly as the outrages in other por-
!tions Of the empire which had the po-
lllitical advantages Of being fairer game
for the territorial ambition Of some
European power. Sporadic insurrec-
ltion at time became general, as In the
lease of the bloody rebellions of 1866,
1877 and 1883.
After the rebellion Of 1888 the sultan
made truly Castilian promise to be
good and agreed to the provisions Of
THE Halepa act, which received inter-
national sanction and provided for a
national assembly which was to lay
land provide for the collection of rev.
!enues. But the sultan's memory is
Ialso truly Castilian. He soon abol-
,ished the assembly and took charge of
the revenues himself.
The powers then interviewed and had
ia Christian governor appointed. This
only resulted in a national assembly,
which was ineffective, except in prov
ing that the preceding governor had
Incorporated the funds which were
ito 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.
.ani the sultan slyly recalled him as a
rogue who had estranged his loving
subjects, and sent in his stead a Mus
sulman governor to put down the re-
volt, which thereupon promptly spread
Throughout the island.
! Most of the Cretan Christians are
Greeks, and all desire to be annexed to
Greece. They asked for their indie
pendence 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 a 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. Inc GTecRS Oh the main
land sent this time to their brethren
more than the assistance of private
individuals. Col. Vassos landed in
Crete with a regiment Of soldiers;
Prince George second son of the king
.of Greece, made demonstration with
IA notilla of torpedo boats, and the
Greek government formally announc-
led the annexation of the island to the
kingdom of Greece.
BY this bold diplomatic move Greece
hoped to cause disagreement of the
bowers on the question Of coercing
him. Then European war would re-
suit or they would have to stand idly
by to avoid 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
II