Middletown transcript., 1915-11-20
THE GREEKS MAY
TURN IN SALONIKI
Intimates Troops Seeking Ref
uge There Will Be Disarmed.
ASKED TO DEFINE ATTITUDE
Kitchener Expected To Remind Con-
stantIne OF Guarantees and
FaVors-oreat Struggle
In South.


at Athens of the Entente Allies un-
Questionably are greatly alarmed at
hints that If the Franco-British troops
in Serbia attempt to fall back toward
Saloniki the Greek authorities may
seek to disarm them. limitations of
this nature have come from the
premier and minister Of finance, and
the assurances from Greek official
sources of warm friendship and ben
evolent neutrality do not carry COM
plete conviction.
Besides the claims to hospitality
which the Entente Allies declare they
have on Greece, in view of the then
Premier Venizelos' invitation to them
to send a force to Saloniki to enable
Greece to fulfill her treaty obligations
to Serbia, which, however, Greece
repudiated, Earl Kitchener or the en-
tente ministers are likely to draw the
attention of King Constantine and his
government to the fact that the con-
stitutionalism of Greece was guaran-
teed by France, Russia and Great
|
after Great Britain had ceded the
Ionian Islands to that country and the
three powers had agreed to contribute
$4,000 ($2O.OOO) yearly for the per-
sonal use Of the King.
This, 1t is contended, binds the
Greek people to the Entente Allies
and should King Constantine overrule
the constitution which the followers of
M. Venizel0s insist he did when he
dissolved the chamber, it is suggested
in some quarters that King Constan-
tine would be reminded that his re-
tention Of the throne of Greece de-
pends on the continuance of friendly
neutrality toward the Entente Powers.
The Germans, on the other hand,
are declared to be assuring the Greek
government that Greece will be pro-
tected against the Entente Allies
should that country support the Cen
trail Powers, and that as evidence of
the ability of Austria and Germany
to do this they are dispatching more
submarines to the Mediterranean,
which could be used against any feet
threatening Greek ports.
Meantime, the fight for Serbia pro-
ceeds without abatement. The Aus
tro-Germans and Bulgarians claim re-
peated successes, but it is apparent
that their progress is slow, the Ser
bians now having reached their noun
tain fortresses on the Central Serbia
and the roads, or want of roads making
it difficult for the invaders to bring
up their heavy artillery with which
they always back up their infantry.
In the south there is little or no
change. In the district northwest of
Uskup the Serbians still hold the
Katchanik defile, barring the Bull
garians from the great plain of Fo-
sovo, while to the southwest of Us
kup a desperate struggle has taken
place for the possession of Tetovo
which has changed hands several
times. The Bulgarians recaptured
Tetovo, but a report received at the
Serbian legation says the Serbians
have again reoccupied the town.
The Bulgarians are reported in great
force southwest Of Veles, where they
hope to check the French advance on
that town and in the direction of the
Babuna pass, farther west.
There has been a revival Of hard
fighting on the western front. The
Germans claim to have captured 300
meters of a trench near Ecurie, while
the French report the repulse Of Ger
man attacks against the Labyrinth in
Artois, and also against Tahure, in
Champagne.
The Russians continue their of
fensive west Of Riga and are making
an effort to secure control of the rail
way which connects Mitau with Win
dau. Farther south they have attack,
ed the Germans near Smorgen, on the
railway running eastward from Wilma
This attack probably was undertaken
to prevent the Germans from sending
reinforcements to the Riga sector
The Germans claim to have driven the
Russians back across the Stye River
The Italians are continuing thei1
offensive against the Austrians
Vienna's report, like the preceding
ones, says the offensive his failed.
Along the Italian front the fighting
for Gorilla dominates the situation
The Austrians are said to be feeling
some anxiety for the fate of the city
the fall of which might be expected
to have a decided effect on the Ser
bian campaign,