New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-17
The Election of Constantine

The deposition of Constantine, the pro-
German King OF Greece, has been deter
mined upon by the Entente, according TO
The Tribunes dispatches from Rome The
Duke Of Aosta is to succeed to the throne
and the Greek government Is to JOIN Tort
unes with the Allies.
Such a decision, resolutely enforced
would mark violent and salutary change
in the Entente's Balkan policy. Hitherto
that policy has been amazingly irresolute
and barren. The Entente powers have
procrastinated and drifted. They have
miscalculated and mudded. They have let
invaluable opportunities slip through their
fingers. Their blunders have played again
and again into Germany's hands, until a
situation highly favorable to them at the
outset has become nearly desperate from
the military as we'll as from the diplomatic
point of view.
First came the Bulgarian fasco. Tur-
KEY had probably sold out completely to
Berlin before the war began. But Bull
garia had not yet mortgaged herself. Fer
dinand. "the European" as he styled HIM
self. was a cold-booded bargainer. he
was willing to enlist on the side whose
terms seemed the more remunerative. The
Entente angered both Serbia and Greece
bv Offering Ferdinand territorial conces-
sions At their expense. But these conces-
sions were insufficient, and after dragging
negotiations along until Germany was
ready TO strike at Serbia he naturally &C
cepted the far more liberal terms which
the two Kaisers offered.
Although his double-dealing was appar-
ent. Serbia was not allowed to strike at
him while Germany's Russian campaign Of
1915 was in progress. When that had
ended triunrphsntly and Mackensen's
legions we're descending toward the Danube
il was too late TO save Serbia and Monte
negro.
Greece. under pressure from Constan-
tine, the Emperor Williams brother-in-
law and servile adherent, repudiated her
treaty with the Serbians and refused to go
70 their assistance. The two little allied
kingdoms, which had bravely held off the
Austrian armies for more than a year,
were crushed by frontal attack from Hun
gary and flank attack from Bulgaria.
Greece might have been brought into the
Entente early in 1915, in spite Of Constan-
tines secret opposition, if the Allies had
then offered compensations in territory
large enough to tempt her to make war on
Turkey. But the Entente was then negotlat-
ing with Italy, and Italy's pretenslons IN
the Near East clashed with those of Greece.
Ncnizelos tried TO get Greece into the war
on the side of the Allies before Italy could
enlist in it, and thus strengthen Greece's
position as a claimant when Turkey should
he dismembered. But his far-seeing states
manship did not appeal to Constantine's
narrow and bigoted mind and the failure
Of the Dardanelles expedition unhappily
justified Constantine's contention that an
attack on Turkey by way Of the Straits
was an error of strategy.
The second gigantic blunder of the En-
tente policy was its long-continued toler-
ance Of Constantine as a political and mill
tary conspirator, threatening with the
modified Greek forces the rear of the Sa-
lonica army and paralyzing its freedom of
movement After Venizelos was driven
from power through the Kings unconstitu-
tonal usurpations it became evident that
the Allies had nothing on earth to expect
from the Greek government but obstruc-
ton and treachery. Still they acquiesced
in Constantine's continuance in Office.
They allowed him free hand to organize
Greece against them.
Rumania decided last summer to cast her
lot with the Entente. But her position was
insecure if Germany and Austria Hun
gary could attack her from the north and
west and Bulgaria and Turkey could at
tack her from the south. A diversion by
Sarrail's army against Bulgaria was nee
essary in order TO relieve the encircing
pressure on Rumanis. But Sarrail could
not move because Of the threat TO his rear
by the Greek army under Constantine So
Rumania was sacrificed, just as Serbia and
Montenegro had been sacrificed, to the IT.
resolution ana SlVOAl @lI4SsS VI 'ilN A>'NN''NN :
policy.
Now at last Constantine. after having
been allowed to do incalculable injury to
the Allied cause, is 70 be dealt with as an
open enemy. He should have been deposed
more than a year ago. He became a
usurper when he defied the will of the peo-
pie and suspended parliamentary govern
ment. As Sir Edward Grey pointed out in a
statement made to the British Parliament
shortly before the Asquith Ministry fell,
the three powers which established the
modern kingdom Of Greece-France, Great
Britain and Russia-guaranteed the Greek
people a constitutional form of govern
ment. The treaties under which Greece
hocan,o an independent nation also bound