Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-07-05

religious convictions OF tho faithful OF
the Koran and the expulsion en- ruasse
OF the Greek populations exiled from the
country OF their ancestors after having
been despoiled OF everything?
How can We speak of repr.sals when
on the one side there Is a free departure
OF people carrying their little fortunes,
and on the other. people who are perse.
cuted. pillaged. violated massacred9
Every day since three months there have
come into Greek ports thousands OF
Christians in rags. starved. having lost
all they possessed
NJ Venixelos. replying to an interpella>
don in the Greek chamber the subs
tuct OF Turkish prosecutions OF Greeks
In Thrace and Asia Minor. said:
-
We have not to the present placed In
doubt the explanations given BY the
sublime porto as to tho per-
treek secutions endured by the
p.n1r Greek element In Turkey.
But We have not failed to
place In evidence that II the Ottoman
government desired 1t could stop the
evil Besides the Greeks from Thrsce,
who number tens OF thousands, who have
ned to Greek territory. there are 10000
moro who have ned to the islands near
Asia Minor. There arc. besidea $4,000.
perhaps $1,000. who at this moment are
spread along tho Asiatio coast implor.
Ing the sending OF ships to save their
lives. preserved by abandoning their
homes. their fortunes. all they possessed"
NJ Ventzelos declared that the govern
ment had promptly sent ships and pro-
visions lis 1t possible" he asked, that
tnat situation could be prolonged. and. II
The premier held that he would fail In
his duty II he failed to say that that
situation was extremely grave II an end
was not made promptly Greece could not
over the yictims.
The premier hoped that the assurances
given by the Ottoman government that
the prosecutions should cease would be
realized.
For a fact. at this writing dispatches
from Constannnople indicate disposition
on the part OF the Ottoman government to
treat the question In a friendly spirit
Talaat Bey. who had been charged with q
mission to make an examination Of tho
situation. had found that many officials
had been guilty and had promptly pun
isned them. The porte had addressed the
ecumenical patriarch, through the inter-
medtary Of the Russian embassy express.
Ing its good will and asking the condi-
tons upon which the patriarchat would
be disposed to open the orthodox churches
and schools. thus restoring confidence to
the alarmed populations. The porte, at
the same time. had addressed to the en-
oassies a note Offering to the powers the
for the pacihcation OF the troubled re-
gfons OF Asia-Minor by referring the dele
gates OF the powers directly to TaIaat
Bey.
4
The proposition Of the porte Is adro.t
ana creoitaole to the ministry. It avoids
thus anything calculated
Line foTteS to wound the Ottoman
pronoeal sensibility by referring
the question to the pow
ers. The proposition is also. most op-
perfume for it furnishes to Europe the
occasion Of an Intervention which may be
utilized in many ways in the interest OF
peace. not only peace between Greece
and Turkey. but peace generally. peace.
for example. in Albania
dispatch from Constantinople, dated
the 9th uitimo. corroborates recent
news and says that the Greek reply to
the note from the porte was most friend
ly, and accepted the porte's propositions
which included the exchange of Turkish
and Greek property and the appointment
OF a Greco-Turkish commission to SUI
pervise the arrangement. Greece ex-
pressed the hope that the incidents which
have disturbed the good relations be-
tween the two countries would not recur,
and declares that Mussulmans in Greek
territory are treated on an equality with
other Inhabitants y
The patriarchat In his reply to the
porte, submitted to him. throughsthes Rus
sian ambassador. demanded thas- all the
and abandon tiIetr hgmeg shgtQ pc re-
stored to their houses OCCUPIED by
Mussulmans). that restitution should be
made and the boycottage and persecu-
ton Of Greeks should cease and guaran-
tees for future protection should be
given.
In a subsequent session OF the Greek
chamber at Athens NJ. Nenizelos. reply
ing to Deputy Callerghis, who complain
ed that the government had not annexed
certain conquered provinces. declared
that the annexation Of Macedonia was
derived from the treaties Of London and
Bucharest AS for the Epirus The IRON
tiers had not yet been definitely hxed. but
a royal decree would soon be published
and the annexation Of the islands would
be announced.
In the course of the same session Com
mandant Spiromilio, chief Of the Chin
ara" who Is also a deputy
To Receive from Arta, declared that
Greece should prepare 10
Refugees. receive besides the thou
sands of refugees from Thrace and Asia
Minor. the 100000 Epirotes abandoned by
the great powers to Albania"
1t is assumed that when the relations
between Greece and Turkey have become
absolutely pacific Bulgaria. too. will fall
into line In fact. Bulgaria has already
given evidence OF a change OF spirit by
the publication of a pacific note from
Sofia. in which the director of the press
at the ministry Of foreign affairs invited
the Bulgarian press to abstain from pub
fishing articles tending to incite the pub
lie against the Greeks.
This action on the part OF the Bull
garian government is inspired by Tur-
KEYS change OF front, and for another
reason which will serve Bulgaria as an
other cruel lesson. Bulgaria has recently
a attempted to float q loan in Germany.
Among the difficulties attending the OPP
erafion is the certain action announced
Ia the Gazette de FRANKFORT:
'sThe French and Russian banks had
exacted that In case the 120 millions
proposed by the German consortium
should be effected. Bulgaria would be
held to fulfill the obligations she had
contracted with France and Russia. Tho
affair thus loses its immediate interest
'or Bulgaria.
That there is a powerful peace innu-
ance behind All the manifestations which