Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-06-13
CONSTANTINE ADVOCATES IN
FAVOR OF HIS SECOND SON,
PRINCE ALEXANDER.
QUITS ON DEMAND
OF ENTENTE ALLIES
Once Peoples Idol Loses Favor and In.
fiuenee Because Of Pro German Poll
disqualification Believed to Give
Important Advantage to Allies in
Present War.

has abdcated in favor of his son
Prince Alexander.
Alexander, the new king, is the Sec
ond son of the monarch who just alb
dictated. The crown prince was Prince
George, who was born July 10, 1890.
Prince Alexander was born August 1
| 1898. He was a captain in the first
regiment of artillery in the Greek army
Premier Zaimis Tuesday made the
announcement that Constantine had
| designated Prince Alexander as his
successor He said also that Constan-
tine and Crown Prince George would
leave the country.
Constantine has expressed the inten-
| ton of embarking on a British warshir
and proceeding to Switzerland by way
! of Italy. Allied troops have occupied
Elassona without resistance. There
| have been no disorders in Athens ur
to the present King Constantine's alb
dication was the result of demand
made by the entente allies.
Reign Has Been Brief.
| The reign of Constantine I. as king
of the Hellenes was brief, dating only
George T. was assassinated in Saloniki
| Brief as the reign was. Constantine
had enjoyed a period of remarkable
popularity and increased the territory
of the Greek monarchy by over fifty
per cent.
Born on August ]. 1868 he was edu :
Gated largely by private tutors from
Leipsc. which was'said to have stamp
ed upon him a permanent German in
fluence His military education was
furthered by attendance at maneuvers
in Germany He became a brother-in :
law of the German emperor by marry
ing the latter's sister, Princes Sophia,
in 1889.
His alleged pro-German leanings.
thus indicated, were not always popu-
lar with his people, and during the
European war strong party antag-
onistic to his desire to have Greece
preserve neutrality and in favor of join
ing the allies precipitated a cabinet
| criss which was weathered with diff
Guilty
The Peoples Idol Once.
The most interesting chapter OF
| Constantine's life is the way in which
| he became the peoples idol Like his
father, he had his ups and downs in
favor the Greeks being quick-chang
| ing in their likes and dislikes. In 1885
he saw his country drifting into wal
with Turkey, he sounded warming
| that the Greek army was utterly. un-
prepared for a campaign. The infantry
was armed with condemned French
rifles. which had cost 81 each; the
cartridges were Is years old; there was
no cavalry: the artillery was obsolete
and it's officers few. Nevertheless, the
country decided upon war. The result
was disastrous-a humiliating defeat
for Greece. Immediately the popular
tide turned against it's rulers, whom II
denounced as foreigners who coulo
have little in common with the Greeks
The king and queen We're hooted in the
streets. and the officers turned theii
backs upon the crown prince.
| A similar spirit was reused agains
the royal house when. in 1909, Kins
| George tried to oppose the nationa
! clamOr for the annexation OF Crete
knowing that Turkey swas eagerly
awaiting such an excuse to bring sec.
ond crushing defeat upon Greece. This
time the clamor almost became a re.
volt, and the king was obliged to yielt
to the demand Of the military league
both for a reorganization of the army
| and for the dismissal of the crown
prince as generalissimo. He thereupor
decided to accept a command in tn
Russian army but tn, opposition t.
| him was smoothed and he was restored
to his former dignities.
Captured SaIoniki in 1912.
He finally became a national her
in the Balkan war of 1912, when h.
led an army of 10000 Greeks to TIL
capture Of Saloniki, causing 1000
Turks to lay down their arms. Hi
popularity was such as result of thi
fact that Greeks in America raise'
several thousand dollars with which
to purchase a gift sword, inscribed
ITO Constantine, the Liberator.'
When Constantine came to tn
throne 1t was said he aimed to restor
the former grandeur of the Helleni
empire, and that he was believe
in the old national prophecy that un
der the reign Of a Constantine and
Sophia the Eastern Empire would b
called into life again and the eros
restored on st. Sophia at CONSTANT
nople in place of the crescent.
BY the peace treaties signed ate
the Balkan wars, Greece added a con
siderable stretch Of Turkish territor
to her domain and in December, l9l;
the long desired annexation OF the Is
land Of Crete was carried out Kin
Constantine himself hosting the Hell
lenic flag over the fort.
j, with the entrance Of Turkey int
. the European war the question OF tn
intervention Of Greece soon becam
to be seriously considered, but Kin
Constantine insisted upon strict neu
trality. The cabinet, headed by Pre-
mier venizelos, which was for war o.
the side of the allies, finally tendere
its resignation. The Greek attitude a
least 50 far as the war party was con
cerned was largely to the effect tina
K Greece had no hand in the war, he
interests might suffer when peace va
arranged.
i Upheld Nations Neutrality.
The Athens correspondent Of tn
London Morning Post on March 2!
1915, attempted to explain the situa
ton in letter in which he said tina
in the second month Of the war tn
, Greek premier had intimated TO tn
I, ltentente powers that Greece would joi
their cause actively IL the necessH
should arise and with the commence
ment Of the operations against tn
Dardanelles the government believe
the time had come for Greece t
, abandon her neutrality. The kim
4 hoyycver. refused to cOuntenance tn