The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-02-26

PEELED from Greece and any German
propaganda rendered virtually impos-
sible. that there has grown UP any
popular feeling against the entente,
Part of this Is due to the entente's
identification OF their greater cause
with the personal ambitions Of Veni-
zelos; but a great deal has also been
due to the very unfortunate handling
Of the allied control In Greece. When
you write q personal letter Of no pos
sibIe international significance to a
friend or relative here in Athens and
post 1t in Athens and 1t Is held a
week. opened and half its contents
BACKED out. Il makes you pretty
cross-not because it is unspeakable
with ell the world, but because It is
so silly. For, after all, IL you want to
plot with q man living In the same
town you don't write him a letter. You
put on your hat and go to see him.
Half the people in Greece have been
continually exasperated by just this
sort OF unintelligent control which
any telling. But to say that they are
pro- German because they dislike hav-
ing their private letters opened or
their homes entered without any legal
authority whatsoever is childish.
"It is a vicious circle. The entente
take exceptionally severe measures
because they allege the Greeks are
pro- German. The Greeks very natur-
ally resent the measures thus taken
as would the Americans or anybody
else. The entente then turns around
and says: You see that proves that
the Greeks are pro-German as we
suspected
'The fact of the matter ia that there
IL even now less pro- German feeling
In Greece than in the United States,
Holland or any of the Scandinavian
entente propaganda in Greece even
now than there is anti-Hellenic
propaganda in England, France and
Russia. The whole feeling OF the
Greek people towards the entente
powers today Is one Of sorrow and
establishment. They had heard so
much of this war for the defense Of
little nations that it has been very
great shock to them to be treated as
| they feel very badly. even cruelty, for
no reason and to nobody's profit. And
more than anything else, after all the
! Greek government and Greek people
have done to help the entente powers
since the very outbreak of the war,
they deeply resent being called pro-
German because they haven't been
willing to see their own country
destroyed as Serbia and Rumanla
have been Destroyed.
"As have tried repeatedly to point
out to the entente representatives
there can only be one certain
guarantee of the safety of the allied
| forces in the Balkans as far as the
Greeks are concerned-that is mutual
confidence. The assumption that every
| Greek is an enemy and not to be
| trusted is merely a standing challenge
| to every hot head Ito attempt some
| thing irreparable - irreparable for
| Greece as we'll as for the entente.
'T have done everything I could to
dissipate the mistrust of the powers,
I have given every possible assurance
and guarantee. Many Of the military
measures that have been demanded, l
myself suggested with view to tran
QUILTING the allies and myself volun-
| tarily offered to execute. My army,
which any soldier knows could never
conceivably have constituted danger
to the allied forces in Macedonia have
| been virtually put in jail in the
Peloponessus. My people have been
disarmed and are today powerless
even against the revolution and they
know from bitter experience that
| revolution is a possibility so long as
the entente powers continue to finance
the openly declared revolutionary
party of Venizelos. There isn't, enough
| food left in Greece to last a fortnight.
| Not the Belgians themselves under
German rule have been rendered more
| helpless than are we in Greece to-
day.
isn't it time, therefore. calmly to
| look at conditions in Greece as they
are, to give over a policy dictated by
panic and to display little of that
high quality of faith which alone is
the foundation of friendship"