Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-20
AUS MONTENEGRO AGAIN AT WAR
CONSTANTINE IS
AGAINST ALLIES?
King OF Greece Regards Entente In.
vasion as Duplicate of Belgium's
Treatment.

| London, Jan. 20-The king of Greece
late Thursday summoned the Associ-
ated Press correspondent in Athens for
the purpose of making a protest
through the press Of the United States,
which he said was the only forum of
public opinion open to him against the
recent action of the allies in their op-
! erations at Saloniki, in blowing up the
bridge at Demir Hissar, in occupying
Corfu and other islands which Greece
claims. He said the situation is as if a
foreign power had occupied that part
Of the United States which had been
won from Mexico after the Mexican
war, and that the plea of military ne
cessity advanced by the allies was like
that given by Germany for invading
Belgium and Luxembourg. 1t is the
merest cant, the king declared, for
lGreat Britain and France to talk about
the violation of the neutrality Of Bel
they had done and are doing them
selves He denied the military neces-
sity for the blowing up of the bridge
or for the occupation of Corfu and he
also challenged them on the conten-
ton that submarines of the Teutonic
allies are being supplied from Greek
base.
He said that the allies in pique over
the failure of all their calculations in
the Balkans were trying to unload on
ity Eighty per cent of the Greeks at
their beginning were in favor of the
allies, but now not even 20 per cent
would turn their hand to render them
aid
King Constantine did not feel that he
could afford to demobiliZe while the
fate Of SaloniM is undecided, and,
while he did not think it probable that
Germany could be so successful in the
sense that she could take London,
Paris, or Petrograd, he believed that
it would be very difficult, if not i'm
possible, to conquer Germany in a
military way, if economic exhaustion
did notforce her to. sue. for peace. He
expressed finally the opinion that the
war would end in draw.
The interview with the king was
transmitted from Athens on Jan. 10
but was sent out from Paris only on
Jan. IS at 3:45 p. m. On Jan. IS, at
an earlier hour, the highest French
hority-whose personality is not
otherwise ndicated-gave an inter
view to the Associated Press in reply
to the statements made by the Greek
king
This authority denies any parallel
between the German invasion of Bel
GUM and Luxembourg and the temper
airy use of certain points In Greece,
which does not constitute an occupa-
ton, properly speaking, and which use
was made for the most part with the
tacit consent of Greece. The allies, he
said, only went to Saloniki to aid
lGreece's ally, Serbia, and to take up
treaty obligations which Greece did
not fulfill.
During the recent months, he added
the Greek government permitted Ger
mans and Austrians to violate its neu-
trality by using the Greek islands and
coasts as basis for provisioning their
submarines.
The charges about the bridge at
Demir Hissar were without foundation
the French authority said. and the
question Of the sympathies of the
Greek people was proved by their &C
ton at the recent elections and their
attitude towards NJ. Venizelos. the
friend of the entente. The authority
points out that, while the king de-
clares he cannot demobilize, he re-
fuses to add that the allies continue al
his request to advance money tC
Greece for its mobilization. AS for the
kings opinion regarding the result OF
the war, the authority says, it is pleas
ant that a sovereign who Is so i'm
pressed by Germany's strength should
publicly admit that she cannot be vic
torious, which shows how right i'm
partial people are in claiming that she
will be crushed.