The Washington times., 1915-11-07
THE MOVING FINGER WRITES

recalls to mind the stirring conflict |
between the French states-general |
and King Louis XVI, which culmi-
mated in the reign of terror. Greece !
thlrsts for power and glory, for a
reflection in the present of her an
cient majesty and grandeur. Ever
since her independence was restored
in 1919, her statesmen and people
have coveted the lands inhabited by
people ethnologically akin, and de-
sired the remuneration of her for
mer possessions in the Egean and
Mediterranean. With all these, and
more, seemingly within her reach if
she would but stretch out her hand,
her ruler intervenes between the ma
tion's desires and their realization.
The first prince under the pres
ent kingdom was deposed. A reac-
tion set in and the country was
turned against him. A constitution
had been wrested from King Ohio
of Bavaria, making it the more easy
to be rid of monarch who did not
measure up to Greece's standard. In
1868 the throne was placed in the
keeping of Prince George of Den
mark, whose son. Constantine, the
present ruler, married a sister of
the German Emperor in 1889. Under
this house Greece suffered disas-
trous defeat at the hands of Turkey,
in 1895, but others than the royal
family were made the scapegoats,
and the two victorious Balkan wars
all but oblterated the memory of
the humiliating peace with the
porte.
Now again the nation has decided
for war, but the King, in defiance of
the constitution, without regard to
any principle of democracy, is deal
ing with the question as if Greece
were his pawn, rather than trust.
That a popular revolution has not
broken out may be attributed to the
fact that Constantine is master of
the army, which may almost be
called his creature, and that its of
fcers entertain high respect for him.
But they will not be blind forever,
though they may recover their
proper vision and resolution too late
to benefit their country by seizing
the present opportunity.
1t is too late for the Greeks to as
sist the allies in preventing the
Serbs from being crushed, for
Serbia already is laid waste and
weeps from her ruins. But there is
still chance for Greece to redeem
her honor, which she lost when she
violated her promise to go to Ser
bias assistance, by throwing her
strength with the allies against the
, onrush of the Austro- German Bull
garian armies through the Balkans
, If she sits supinely and permits the
, invaders to establish themselves in
, Bahama, there is danger that when
: the war is over she will find herself
little more than an Austrian or Ger,
t man satrapy, with Bulgaria, her ira
: dtional enemy and neighbor, cher,
= ishing ambitious designs respecting
5 Saloniki and other rich Greek terri
tories.
5 Venizelos, who has no interest ex
= cept Greece, stands sentinel over hi:
3 nations welfare. whether he viii
silently acquiesce in the usurpatioI
, of the state by the King, or cal
e upon the protecting powers, Eng
? land, Russia, and France, who gav'
= Greece independence, to rid the ma
t tion of the dictator, is not ye
e known. There is little doubt tina
n the nation would follow it's owl
: prophets in preference to a foreigl
k prince who not only moves contrar.
r to national sentiment and upsets it
fundamental laws, but who jeop
It ardizes the very existence of tn
S state by his high-handed acts i
h favor of its enemies.