New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-04
=, GORDON GoRDoN-sMITH.

Athens. Sept. 2O-I have to-day had
a two-hour conversation with one Of
the personages in the Greek capital
who is thoroughly au courant Of the
situation. cannot say that ! have
made as result much progress in
solving the enigma Of the Balkan stu
alton in the veg~ Of grace 1915. but
this IS not the fault Of my informant.
It is due 20 the fact that there is not,
in my opinion. any one living, man or
woman, who can predicate with Ger
tainty the trend Of the present situa-
ton.
In Greece" said my informant the
situation is summed up in one single
word -Venizelos The Prime Minister
has the whole country with HIM.
Whatever he decide 20 DO will be &C
cepted. be IL peace or war. ME tneie
Is no party pushing for war. at the
same time there are powerful interests
al work 20 prevent Greece throwing IN
her lot with the Quadruplice. these IN
terests. OF course. including the King
and the court as well as the General
staff. Put these influences VIII not
weigh an instant ia the balance II VI.
Venizelos should decide otherwise. he'
and he alone, can decide the oeStlnIes
Of the country.
"But IL is this very confidence thai
will make him hesitate 70 TAKE the
momentous decision Of plungirg the
country into war His responsibility
win be as unlimited as the confidence
,laced in him. As one Of the most
capable statesmen Of Europe, he VIII
naturally try 10 take no decision when
the country would support hali-heart-
edly. 80 as 70 enter on the struggle
with all the trumps in his hands
From all ! have seen and heard IN
Athens 7 can confirm all that my IN
formant said 20 me. VI. Nenizelos Is
more than ever the man Of the situa-
ton. and in mis- hands lies the future
Of Greece. and perhaps the Fate OF me
whole Balkan Peninsula.
Under these circumstances II is IN
teresting TO study the situation as
viewed in Greece. In the first place
Greece. with the exception Of an IN
fnitesimel minority animated by pure
~ personal considerations, Is over
whelminglv on the side Of the Quad
ruplice. 1t foresees that the victory
Of the central powers would mean the
march of Austria on Salonica and the
extinction forever Of all the dreams OF
& greater Greece which have inspired
Greeks for almost q century.
Why, then, one viii ask, If the Greeks
are so much in favor Of the Quadru-
plce, do they refuse to make the CON
cessions 70 Bulgaria which the Allies
demand, so that that state will march
on Constantinople This is the crux
of the whole question. The answer is
that however much they love the Al
lies they hate the Bugarians more.
They consider that Bulgaria stabbed
Greece and Serbia in the back, at the
instigation Of Austria. in 1913. The
proposal 10 hand over 70 Bulgaria Ka-
vala. Drama and Here's. three towns
inhabited exclusively by Greeks, will
be opposed by any Greek, from the
King to the last peasant. The distrust
and dislike Of Bulgaria and everything
Bulgarian prevailing in Greece are IN
describable. The Greeks point out
that a month ago the Austro-German
banks lent Bulgaria 250,000,000 francs
in gold. The political condition at
tached to the loan was never disclosed,
but every child could realize that in
such strenuous days as these the Cen