Evening star., 1916-10-01
KING AND VBNIZELOS PART WAYS

September ) the King of Greece was
road to take. Since
King Constantine then. that is on the
NM, 25th ultimo, the ex-
AAos OoA"' premier. Venizelos
having waited long the decision of the
king. parted from him and took the
road to Saloniki. the road to revolution.
That King Constantine has dallied
with his destiny is painfully apparent.
He has been singularly Indifferent to, IL
not positively defiant CT. the will of
the people, and this attitude. as we
shall see, is temperamental and char
acteristic.
At this hour there is at Saloniki a
revolutionary committee of national de-
fense composed of Col. zymvrakakio.
Lieut.. Col. Matakaris, the commander
of the gendarmerie. Kokalas: NJ
Argyropoulos. ex-prefect Of Damas:
the representatives of Ave sections of
Macedonia. etc. This committee was
constituted several weeks ago to CEN
tralize the movement of opposition to
the royal policy which permitted Greece
to be violated by the Bulgar invasion.
The committee of national defense
having vainly proclaimed it's protesta-
tions launched an appeal to the peo-
pie and a proclamation to the army; it
demanded the return of N. Venizelos
to power and appealed for volunteers
Ito drive the enemy from Macedonia"
To that appeal the 18th Regiment of
Infantry responded. and likewise the
gendarmerie of Salonik. There was
some resistance to the national move
ment and some defections on the part
of some troops, but the excitement was
comparatively mild and no blood was
shed. Nevertheless, the committee con.
tinued it's work, sending emissaries to
solicit adhesions, inStituting courts
martial. creating sanitary service
and a press bureau.
: The committee is not anti-govern-
mental, declared a member: sit will
submit to government when the latter
executes the national will. All Greece
will adhere to the movement"
Under such circumstances the i'm
portance of the departure from Athens
of Venizelos is significant. A dispatch
from Athens announces that the ex-
premier. will visit Crete and Canea,
where he will deliver addresses to the
people to prepare them for the revolu-
tion which it is expected will be estab-
lished at Saloniki. That Greek revolu-
tions move slowly is manifested by the
intention attributed to NJ. Venizelos "to
invite King Constantine to place him.
self at the head of national defense
movement" Constantine has the un-
usual luck to have fallen into the hands
of such an even-tempered revolution
ary leader as Venizelos.
The proclamation promulgated from
Saloniki says, in part:
THE king. forget
The Saloniki ting the traditions of
the race and having
AAocIdMatl0n. become the repre-
sentative of interests of the stranger.
has given up without resistance to the
cruel invader the paternal soil and IA
vored his invasion, subjecting also the
Hellenic people and degrading the
honor of the flag and the Greek army.
I'VE will align ourselves on the side
of the allies and with their aid drive
the invader from Macedonia and the
rest Of Greece
To the soldiers the proclamation
said:
The enemy that but yesterday you
had driven from Macedonia at such
great sacrifices has dared again to
completely with him who led you to
victory during the Balkanic war. To
obey those who have surrendered with
out resistance is inadmissible.
The hour has come to unite your
efforts to those of the nation to con-
tinue the great work we have under
taken seven years ago. and we invite
all soldiers. officers and suhohicers to
align themselves on the side OF the al
lies to achieve that sublime mission.
Saloniki thus looms UP as the pro-
spective capital of Greece and tomor-
row the revolutionary capital Of re-
publican Greece. The situation has
become intolerable for Greece as for
the allies, and cannot be prolonged in
definitely; it is necessary that the crisis
should have a solution and that Greece
should be taken out of this abnormal
state.
It is quite time. The Greek problem
has not yet been solved by the powers
of the entente for two reasons-hrst, |
for regard for the Hellenic people,
which for a time seemed regardless
and Indifferent; second, because OF
Russia's indulgence and opposition to |
the wishes. of the entente. A long |
time ago France and England had eX-
ercised their rights as guarantee pow
ers and re-established by force the |
regime. But the car can |
no longer oppose the wishes of his col |
leagues for the security of the allied |
army. it's base at Saloniki, which must
be reinforced and Solidified in view OF
the very serious operations now immi- |
nent from Salonlk1.
Z
:.
Too long the patience of the allies has
permitted Constantine and his intrigu- |
ing court to poster them
Tba Rn1oor to the profit of Berlin,
Vienna and Sofia. The
4nVaSlon. king sent off Venizelos
when it was a question of ceding ka-
yala to the Bulgars in exchange for Cy-
prus and Smyrna with the Hellenic lit
toral of Asia Minor. which was the price
of attaching Bulgaria to the entente
But the king permitted Bulgaria to take
Seres and Florina when Bull
earia came as allies of the Germans. The
king has favored spying to the profit of
Bulgaria and her friends. He has or
ranized a secret service to the preju-
lice of the allies. Gen. Dousmanis. his
former chief of the staff, was very ac-
the enemy He delivered Greek forts
with their guns and munitions and war
material to the enemy.
NJ GounariS. in quitting the presl-
jency of the council, caused Berlin to
be advised that the change of ministry
would not prove hurtful to German in
terests in Greece. Baron Schenk was
very energetic German agent and his
oropa ganda was little in accord with
he spirit of neutrality, manifested byi
such works as the following: The es-
of submarine ports In the
aegean; wireless telegraph stations
tho Austrian and German (