Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-08-27
Island in Throes Of Revolution and Inter
national Troops Are lplesS
-
PRINCE GEORGE MA.$ VAIN APPEAL
Asks tnsurgentr : .urn to Homes Under
Pair iartial Law.
PRESS Wr sEs d- ALL CENSORED
Real Condition of Affairs on Island Has
Been Carefully unoealed.
REBELS HAVE Nv FdTH IN PRINCE
Grecian Ruler said to Have Abolished
Liberties which Were Even
Recognized by the sultan
of Turkey.


ATHENS, Aug. 26.-(Special Cablegram
to The Bee )-The Island of Crete has now
been in the throes Of a revolution for four
months and the interna tional troops whose
duty II is to restore order are in a help
less position. Prince George the high COM
missioner has appealed to the insurgents
to return from their mountain Businesses
to their homes lie has threatened them
with dire penalties failing their submission
and as a last resort is establishing martial
law throughout the island. Instead Of
checking the revolt these methods have
accelerated its pace and the high com
missioner and the four supervising pow
ers-Britain, France, Italy and Russia-are
faced by a very difficult and delicate prob
lem. All messages TO the foreign press
are being vigorously censored, and the real
position of affairs is by this means con-
cealed. The insurgents number thousands,
and although for commissariat reasons the
armed forces In the mountains are kept
within limits, they have the sympathies
and will have the active support, If need
be- of the whole population.
From the resigned members of the min
istry downwards there is unanimity in the
demand that the regime of Prince George
shall come to an end.
The men are encouraged and led by Gre
tans of education and social prominence.
They are well armed with rifles and have
plenty of ammunition, and it would take
at least twice the 5000 foreign troops
at present in Crete to drive them from
the almost inaccessible heights which they
have made their stronEholds.
Prince George has promised reforms. but
the insurgents have no faith in his prom
ises Their only hope is to preciptate
the interference of the powers by rev.
olutionary means.
The present deadlock cannot he allowed
! to continue, and as there are many indica-
tions that worse is coming the knot may
have to be after all cut by the sword.
! 1t will be remembered that certain mem
bers of the international consular corps
| at Canea at the time of the outbreak OF
the present revolt declared that the move
ment was only a local one Unfortunately
this has proved sadly incorrect, The stu-
alton is one that may at any moment
| lead to trouble among the powers Of Eu-
! rope
Prince is Arbitrary.
J 1t might be thought that the Cretans
have no cause to be troublesome. They
! have been freed from the bondage of the
| Turk; a prince OF Greece with full local
| powers has been placed in authority over
/ them, and the necessary "sinews" placed
! at his disposal and at the disposal of the
! island. Therefore, their action may appear
! to SAVIOR Of ingratitude.
! Yet this is not wholly the case. In plac-
ing Greek prince over them, Europe at
! tempted to wash its hands Of the whole af-
fair. There are consuls at Canea whose
business was to watch over the administra-
.
most obviously omitted to do. Prince
George has ruled the island in much the
same manner as his cousin, the czar, rules
Russia.
1t is true that the prince placed Greeks
from the mainland in all the leading posts,
! but this the Cretans admitted at the com
mencement, at least, to be only right. But
, soon Prince George withdrew one privile ge
| OF liberty after another. Anyone daring to
demonstrate was prosecuted and even inn
prisoned; deputations OF the most infuen-
tial islanders were abused by the prince as
If they were mere schoolboys, and he him
self superintended the elections.
The result was that the Parliament be-
came a farce, the councillors nothing but
the creatures of the prince and every man
who dared to demonstrate was branded as
traitor to his country Privileges such as
even the IlBnl OF the Villagers TO elect
their own headmen or mayors, enjoyed
even under the Turkish. rule, were with
drawn. The loan made to the island by
the powers was frittered away and today
there are stll no roads in the entire island
except one of a few miles in length. Wherc
a rocky, barren country like Montenegro
has magnificent roads through most Of the
land and every village possesses a tele
graph station and a school Crete enjoy,
none Of these, and, what is more, they are
not even contemplated
Turkish Rule More Liberal.
Towards the end it was common remark
of the islanders that they enjoyed NOR,
liberty under the Turks than under tn,
autocratic rule Of Prince George As al
remOnstrances failed signally, since elec
tions were declared to be cooked" an,
popular feeling muEzled a few traitors
gathered together and talked matters over
Venizelos, a noted lawyer and later leadc
of the now obliterated opposition, was an,
is stll the brain Of the movement. !
Greek patriot and nObleman named Manos
} "A Balliol, oxford man, too. by the way
: Joined him and placed funds at his dis
: pCsal, Very soon an influential commit
tee was formed.
: With great secrecy their plans grew {;
] maturity Allnu6n hlc ulsCouLenL was WlQel
: known, and one evening several hundret
men mobilized In the mountains benin,
r Canea. II was there at Theriso that tn
; leaders busily organized their men, con
structed a provisional government an,
drew up many proclamations.
/ Some very half-hearted attempts wer
2 made TO dislodge them by the local authori
1 ties which. however, only resulted in tn
death OF few unhappy gendarmes Tn
international troops were called out, an
| marched in an aimless manner to and frc
e TO the intense amusement OF the 'fnsurg
I, ents," and very much 10 their own disgust
. The traitors were surrounded isolate
, and threatened. but still they managed t
y live heartily and became the masters q
n the situation.
Z II is believed that there are only two SC
J. ! lutions to the Cretan problem. One pla
= suggested is the removal Of Prince Geors
r by the powers The other is annexation
T. Greece. The winter may scatter the revC
a lutionists and prevent them from success.