The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-25
~ IA MAnauIsE DE roNrENoy.

i. IN N4tA3t tSt III
REECE. owes deep debt Of graf
4 i,udc to King George. for,
Y L while his ministers and the
principal statesmen of his king
dom have been engaged in long Sc
RES of foolish squabbles. which have
ccomplished nothing beyond discredit-
ing the nation TO still greater degree
abroad even than formerly. he has
been successfully using his personal
influence with the foreign powers to
secure through them from the sub
lime Porte. Its consent To the coustruc-
ton of the very brief connecting link
between the northernmost point of the
Hellenic railroad system, at Larissa.
and the point of the Ottoman railroad
system nearest the Creek frontier,
For several years Greece has been
vainly endeavoring to secure this con-
ccssion on the part of Turkey. But
II was IN vain, for sultan abdul Ha-
mid held that as long as Greece was
cut OH from railroad comm unication
with the remainder OF Europe her
growth and dey elopment would be i'm
pe6ed and her prosperity impaired. He
did not consider ii OF advantage TO The
Porte that Greece should he strong and
rich.
j When Abdul Hami1 was cverthrown.
negotiations We're again started by
Athens with the new Turkish govern
ter would lsors more amenable. But
Just at that time the Military league
in Greece acquired the upper hand. and
there was SO much tax IN connection
Herewith OF war with Turkey for
the final emancipation OF Crete, thar,
OF course. matters did not progress,
At length, when things quoted down,
King George took hold of the subject
himself. and instead OF dealing with
the Sublime Porte. through any Greek
sta tesman or diplomat, caused the
question to be reopened at Constant
lnople through the ambassad ors of his
bro ther-in-law. the late King Edward
and of his nephew, Car Nicholas OF
Russia.
These two ambassadors called the
attention of tho new sultan to the fact
that If Greece had been restrained
from attacking Turkey or from Of
ture TO compel the Porte to declare
war, last year, ii was wholly due tc
the influence of King George and tina
from an Ottoman point OF View i
would be Infinitely better to strength
en- his hand at Athens, and to have
a firmly established government there
capable of keeping the dlsorderly ele-
ments under control, than some roVo-
ltas. which would be certain to pro
mote trouble in Crete and to .consti.
tute menace and source OF disor
der along the southern, frontiers g
| the empire. They argued that pros
porous Greece. busly engaged in de
| vel oping her industries, would prove
a far more quiet and friendly neiShhol
| than Greece that was cut off IRON
any connection by land With the re
| mainder Of Europe.
1t is in acceptance of these views am
with desire of strengthening George!
| throne, and at the same time OF recoS'
| nizinr what he has done to proven
his subjects from embarkins upon hos
|tilities against Turkey, that the Sultar
has at length granted the, frman au
and Grecian railroad systems, which
can easily be completed within few
THANKS to this the journey, from
| Vienna to Athens will be reduced iron
/ tour to less than two days, and tn
terribly Uncomfortable sea Journeys
cjtfler from Salonica or from Brindis
to the Piraeus, which have been n
now. will be avoided AS ATHENS !