Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-01-21
eREEcE's PROTEST

Allies in regard to his country, is the secon
protest the Greek monarch has placed befor
the United States through its principal new
agency.
Let the diplomats and warrior-statesnen G
Europe juggle with technicalities of treatie
as they may-and both sides are doing it'll
general opinion of the neutrals will ultimatel
uphold Constantine protest The neutral ma
tons will conclude that the brusque action o
the Allies in seizng-for it amounts to that
and occupying Lemnos, mbros, Mytilene, Cas-
telloriza, Corfu, Saloniki, part of Macedoni
and other portions of Greek soil is entirely be
yond even the most elastic conception of TIN
benevolent neutrality which Greece offered
On December T. King Constantine IS frs
statement to the Associated Press was printet
in the newspapers of America Part of thi
statement was as follows: -
Fl am especially glad to talk fer America, for
America viii und erstand Greece's position We are
both neutral and together determneG If 1t hui
manly possible, court distinctions by permit
ting ourselves be drawn into frightfal
of the present European conflict. Both trying
by every honorable means to guard our sovereignty.
protect our people, and stand up for nation
al interests who ut sacrificing that neutrality which
we recognize as our only salvation
.Just suppose the Germans in position to
demand that your country concede the use OF Boston
Seattle as the base for attack CANADA.
What would you say? And IL all your military
perience and the advice OF your General STAFF told
you that such landing was doomed to failure be.
cause made with inadequate force, and you real
lied that the British troops in Canada would pursue
the reteating &c rmans across New England, destroy
Ing as they went would you accept the prospect
without a strugge?" b.
Now.the whole principle of the Allied occu.
patton of Greece rests on the theory that Greece
by treaty with Serbia is bound actively to par
= :.
sufficient to say that neutrals differ fatty OF
the extent of Greece's obligation, many compe
tent author ties. holding that the. treaty will
Serbia was never Intended to cover the contin
gency of an attack on Serbia by the great Cen
trail powers in which Bulgaria-the original
enemy lis a, minor ally. Greece herself de
clares she is justified in remaining neutral
Thus unless this treaty Is nnqualifedly bind
ing, the Allies are carrying out in Greece al
most precisely the same violation of neutral
territory Germany originally proposed tc
carry out in Belgium-that is, the transporta
ton of troops across Belgian soil.
If we leave aside the intricacies of treaty
obligations, the sympathy of the neutral world
must be with Greece. In the name of common.
sense and common humanity, who can blame
Constantine for trying to avert from his PEG
pie the terrible fate that has befallen Belgium,
Serbia and Montenegro Always, after prom
Using aid if the smaller countries would stand
firm, the Allies have arrived too lat and the
little nations have been submerged by the red
tide of war. 1t was so in Belgium; it was con
spicuously Gin Serbia. What indemnity after
the war can compensate Belgium or-Serbia for,
their sufferings because the HES could not
block the invading Teutonst And who can
wonder that King Constantine doubts the abils
ity of the Allies to hold back the Germans and
Austrians from his frontiersf Has he not every
right of experience to believe that half or three
quarters of his country would be crushed by
the ,Teutons before the Allies could "muddle
through to a late defensef
Unquestionably there is mulch of German
sympathy at the Hellenic court. Queen Sophie
is an influence against active participation with
the Allies. Yet is has been plain from the
first that Greece was yielding more to the
Allies. than to the Teutons. Venizelos went
beyond all neutral limits in his promises, and
was dropped from the premiership, and then
the Allies attempted to hold Constantine to the
Venizelos pledges. 1t will be remembered that
French troops had landed at Saloniki before
the Greek parliament knew Of it, and what a
storm of questions the next two days brought
forfhin Athens while British and French sol
diers were being poured into Saloniki and adj
iacent territory Constantine stretched chem
evolent neutrality" thus far, but when the
Allies began9ccupyin many other portions of
his country, when they demanded that the