The Washington herald., 1910-10-16

/ the empire. Accordingly. they have
adopted a policy OF the most intolerabie
provocation toward the Greeks
Puts Boycott on Commerce.
| Initiated by the government, boycott
has been organized throughout Turkey
| against Greek commerce. The Greek
clergy and the Greek merchants at Con
/ stantinople and In other Turkish cities
and towns have been deprived OF priv
| ileges and prerogatives which they have
enjoyed for hundreds OF years and that
were not even taken from them az ;he
time Of the Greek war Of independence.
near a century ago Huge bodies Of Turk
| fish troops are being massed upon the
| frontier, where bands Of Turkish irregu-
| lars are making constant raids into Greek
| territory for purscses Of rapine. plumber
and destruction King Georges envoy at
/ ConstantlnOpIe has been subjected % so
much eontumely by the members Of the
| Turkish government as TO render her
/ diplomatic intercourse a matter OF viz
/ tual impossibllty And. as q climax 10
| all this, Turkey now threatens that In
the event OF Venezelo. who has been
| elected 20 the assembly by a number Of
| constituencies in Greece and who IS IN
/ doubtedly the one strong man in the
/ kingdom its only statesman, and the
master Of the situation, being intrusted
with the premiership. or even with
ministerial portfolio II viii regard his
| nomination as a casus beln.
For although Venezelo is a Greek by
birth and origin, belonging 10 one OF the
oldest families Of Athens. yet he has un-
/, I'll quite recently made his home "a
| Crete. where he distinguished himself as
1 the most vigorous adversary Of every
| thing Turkish, and as the champion OF
the annexation OF the island 10 Greece.
! The Porte claims him as a rebellious sub
| ject OF its own. Greece. on the other
hand insists that he is a son OF her
| soil; and there the matter rests On
Yenezelo's appointment 10 office by popu-
/ lar acclaim In Greece-he is a man who
IS regarded by the great powers as the
only man in the country possessed Of
! the ideas Of constructive Craftsmanship
necessary 10 cope with the legislative and
| administrative chaos IN Greece-Turkey
| viii declare war. II Greece yields. Tur-
key will merely invoke some other pre-
text for a conflict For the present gov
! eminent al Stamboul IS bent. through
motives OF self-preservatio upon an
immediate war with the Greeks.
Alone, the latter has no chance what
soever against the German-trained.
splendid!y armed, and perfectly disci-
army and navy OF to-day are IN a stu
]
time OF their last trial OF strength with
the Turks There is no organization, 10
discipline-ofiicers do not salute one an
other, or soldiers their commanders. IN
the streets Of Athens-the ordnance and
the small arms are antiquated while
the commissariat and supply department
exist merely upon paper. Both Greece
and Turkey know full well that Germany
and AUSTRIA will decline 10 intervene in
behalf of the former
Germany Supplies Munitions.
Indeed. II is Germany that has furnish
Cd the arms. the munitions, the men-of-
war and even the training that are 10
be used against Greece. But az Athens
some hopes are entertained that Bulgaria.
which has long been spelling for a night
with Turkey. will create n diversion upon
the Ottoman border. probably invading
Macedonia with her magnificent army.
Bulgaria would probably carry with her
in that case both Servia and Monte
negro. Roumania. according 10 the lat
est authoritative advices from Europe,
is bound by some kind of a secret con-
vention into an offensive and defensive
alliance with TWkey-a convention re-
I Gently concluded through the agency OF
Austria and GERMANY That would bring
Roumania into the held against Bulgaria f..
|. and Roumania has for many years been
an acknowledged party 10 the Triple
, Alliance, which would thus be drawn
into the conhagration.
That Great Britain. France. and Rus
STA can afford 10 remain Indifferent 70
this eruption or that universally dreaded
volcano. known for hundred years as
the Eastern Question. Is not for one mo-
ment 10 be believed; and the next two
or three weeks will determine whether
OF not a European confagration without
parallel since the Nepoleonic wars at
the beginning OF the nineteenth cen
fury. will break out. affecting the great
colonial dependencies Of the powers con-
cerned. in the Atlantic. In the Pacific.
in Asia. in Africa, and IN North and
South America, a conflict from the en-
bers OF which, after all is over, the Unit
ed States II It holds aloof. may pick the
chestnuts
Copyright 1910. by the Brentwood Company