Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-01-22

and broken the covenant with Serbia, 60
ind himself between two fires, and his
ready for pnwnbrokers.
TREECE is kingdom Of fear. For three
VI centuries she feared the power Of Tur-
key. Of which she was province. A hun
dred years ago she won her independence,
only to meet the sinister hatred of Austria
and Germany. and she feared them.
The only country Of which Greece was not
afraid was England, and to her she owes her
first freedom.
In 1880 France and Russia Joined with
Great Britain to liberate Greece from all
terrors by making her secure as n separate
Government. In 1862 the same Powers
emancipated her from the fear of internal
rebellion.
For a time she feared only Bulgaria The
Balkan Wars established a status which
seemed firm, but the entrance of Bulgaria
into the present war has again overthrown
the balance of Balkan power Bulgaria de-
sires Kavala and Drama and seres, three of
the richest provinces in Greece. And while
Greece hesitates her favor is being de-
manded. Until the invasion of Salonica she
was being coaxed Now she is being com
PEELED.
Seeing eye to eye with the diplomats OF the
Entente is Eleutherios Venizelos. Standing
with his back to them, facing Berlin, is King
Constantine, and the Allies have given up
hope that he will break the hypnotic spell
which the German Svengali has over him.
Their fear now is that he will turn around.
For Constantine has a sword in his hand
the Greek army, still mobilized still being
fed by the Allies. still faithful to the Greece
which the King has disrupted.
The process of that disruption is fascnat-
ing. It started years ago when Constantine
was Crown Prince. In 1909 there was mill
tary revolution in Greece and the name of
the Crown Prince stricken off the lists
Before that his pretensons to military great
ness had been rather smartly taken down
when he was recalled from command Of the
Greek troops fighting against Turkey--a war
in which the Kaiser congratulated the Sui
tan upon every victory and in which Russia
alone saved Greece from annihilation. Con-
stantine went into exile and it was only the
coup d'etat Of venizelos making this re
tired bandit of Crete" Prime Minister, which
allowed Constantine to return. He made
up his mind then that he could control his
country by one way alone, and that way
was the army.
The gradual swerving of the King toward
Germany begins with the reconciliation with
his wife, from whom he was separated for a
period of years. The Kaiser forced the re-
Cancellation and shortly after made Constan-
tine a Field Marshal of the Prussian Army.
On that occasion Constantine publicly
thanked the Kaiser for the victories won
by Greece, singularly inept gratitude, since
the French had trained Greece, and Germany
had trained her enemies. Some months later
venizelos was again asking France for
loan. and had compelled apologies to be is
sued by Constantine. Since that time Con-
stantine has heard only German whispering
in his ears. 1t may be forgiven him that he
has forgotten French. The fact is that he
has forgotten Greek
Premier virtually the same powers granted
by the Parliament of England. He repre-
sents the people, and the King is bound to
respect the Office so that, in refusing to obey
the popular mandate which returned Veni-
zelos to office. Constantine abrogated the first
democratic right of his country, He has
made himself an absolute monarch. At the
same time he has broken his treaty with
Serbia, upon which not only that country
but the Allies depended His defense was
that things are different in 1915 from what
they were in 1918" Since then Constantine
has dehed his people, has held his army
a defense. and has kept marvellous balance
between the belligerents who demand his
help.
He has sacrificed the freedom OF Greece
temporarily, he would say-to its safety. But,
II he has been cautious, he has not been wise.
The invasion OF the Allies was inevitable, and
Greece, which could have saved Serbia, is in
a fair way to meet Serbia's fate, without her
glory and without her ultimate restitution.
For II the Allies win, Serbia viii be restored
and Bulgaria will pay, If the Allies lose,
Greece may yet be tTicked out Of her terri
tory to compensate Bulgaria.
These things Constantine preferred not TO
believe and he may have his secret treaty
with Bulgaria assuring him his integrity.
But he has no treaty with Greece, and under
the guns which point inward from Salonica.
which dominate every spot glorious in the
history of greater Greeks than themselves,
the subjects Of Constantine may yet rise 70