Evening star., 1915-12-19
THE NEUTRALITY OF GREECE.

The oracles Of ancient Greece were not
more uncertain than those Of. modern
Athens Greece. We
The Government. were told in the
Vaci1lations., the military occu.
patton of Saloniki by the armies Of the
quadruple entente, had invited the en-
tente to occupy that city. presumably
with complete sense OF her obligations
in the premises. Since then Greece has
appeared to vacillate, even questioning
the authority Of the entente to occupy
Saloniki and thus alisning herself on the
side Of those who charged that the occu-
patton was violation of the neutrality
of GREECE. Until the 18th instant. indeed.
the political situation was most embarrass-
ing. dispatch dated London. Decem-
ber II. said: 1.-THE entente powers accord
ing to newspaper reports are expected to
request Greece to give a precise answer
Immediately to the notes presented by the
entente ministers. This action is to be
taken. according to the reports. in view OF
the contradictory statements concerning
the attitude Of the Greek government"
Whatever attitude Greece may take in
her relations to the quadruple entente ar
mics which have definitely established
permanent base of operations against the
united German-Austrian and Bulgarian
forces at Saloniki it is above all necessary
to show the exceptional neutrality of
Greece as established by treaties.
A dispatch from Athens cites an in
terview with the French minister there
and which appeared in the Athenian jour-
nal the Nea Imera:
Greek neutrality Is not an ordinary
neutrality, but friendly neutrality to-
ward the quadruple entente. For the pass
age and sojourn of allied troops on Greek
territory the Hellenic government has
given guarantees and made engagements
from which it cannot withdraw"
When NJ venizelos, the former pre-
mier. abandoned the power to NJ.
Zaimis. the latter
Assurances Of hastened to give the
-. most positive assur-
ruple entente Of the friendly neutrality
Of Greece NJ Skouloudis, in turn. con-
firmed these declarations. and he re-
called, besides. that Greece was bound
by ties of gratitude to the protecting pow
ers King Constantine assured the French
minister that nothing had been changed
by the presence of the allied troops at
Saloniki to alter the friendly relations
Of Greece toward the allies.
The visits of NJ. Denys Cochin,
member of the French cabinet. and
also Of Lord Kitchener. British min
lister of war. to Athens. had convinced
the king that the allies were at Sa-
loniki not by liberation. but by virtue
Of a right duly established by treaties.
The first the treaty of London OF 1877;
the second. the treaty Of 1885. which
prescribed the Intervention of the pro-
tective powers England, France and
Russia in the execution OF the arrange
of London of 1863. by which Great
Britain ceded the seven Ionian Islands
with Corfu, to the Kingdom OF Greece.
which had chosen as sovereign Prince
William George Of Denmark. after hav-
ing expelled Otho the Ravarian.
Now. as the ondon Times claims. no
one may maintain that. recent events
in Greece resulting in the arbitrary
dissolution Of the chamber. the con-
vocation Of electors. when two-th'.ns
of these are mobilized. is conformable
to the letter and spirit of the treaty
of 1863 or to the actual Greek consti-
tuition. Greece. indeed. NAV be con-
~idered as absolutely subject to the
three protectine powers. according to
the treaty Of 1853.
The president of the Greek council o.
ministers, NJ Skouloudis. former col
laborator OF NJ. Venice
IT, Mo,;fa.% los. communicated to the
French govern ment,
GIatltude. through the interme-
diary of NJ Athos Romano. minister
of Greece at Paris, an official note de-
claring that the Hellenic government
had resolved to manifest its gratitude
toward the three protecting powers
France, England and Russia. These
nowers had never ceased to assure to
Greece the benefits, of an Independence
guaranteed by the treaties. What Is
the nature of these engagements which
Justify the debarkment Of allied troops
at I.emnos, Tenedos, Mftylene and
Saloniki?
When Greece revo1ted against the
tyranny of the Turks a provisional
government was established by the act
Of the CONGRESS- of Epidaurus. Janu-
ary 10. 1922. Greece turned to the
decidedly hostile. He affected to see
in the Greek insurrection people
who spoke of justice and liberty, a
dangerous return to the principles OF
the French revolution and a new effort
of liberal doctrines. whose germs he
had sworn to extirpate from sub
jueated Europe.
Metternich's dislike Of revolutions
that were liberal caused him to be
despised by the Greeks. who were es-
sentially devoted to democracy. The
Greeks sent delegation to the con-
gress at Verona whose plenipoten-
tiaries in council were dominated by
Austrian influence. The demands of
the delegation were refused on the pre-
text that 1.-The revolt Of Greece was
rebellion against the legitimate SOW
ereign" Moreover. the savant Fall
merayer. professor at Augsburg.
maintained in his arguments against
latter was "a new form of pan-Slavist
peril. and that there did not flow a
single drop of Hellenic blood in the
veins of modern Greeks. and that they
were only a mixture of Sarmates and
Albanians. speaking, one does not know
why. a language akin to that of
Pericles."
equally cynical were inspired from the
fact that the Hellenic insurrection had
found throughout Russia sympathy and
support. 1t was at Odessa that there
was established an association OF
proscripts. drawn together by a COM
mon suffering. souvenirs and hopes,
united to organize resistance to Otto
man barbarities. For the cordial hos
pitality Of the Russians the Greeks
were grateful. Greece, reborn, recog-
nized the many services rendered her
by the citizens of Russia. England and
France, and especially in her mani
festo of August, 1925, where in formal
terms Greece expressed her resolution
to place herself under the protection
of England.
At the same time one of the most dis
tinpIfshed chiefs of the Hellenic insur