The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-10-07
GREECE ONCE HAD GREAT OPPORTUNITY. 10 STRIKE A BLOW
Premier Venizelos Recalls What Would Have Hap pened if Turkey Had
 BeenAttacked Quickly

Athens. August f2-(Correspondence) There was a moment when Greece could have struck a decisive blow in the Bal kan area of the European conflict had King Constantine followed the ideas or his responsible ministers, said Eleutner- jos venizelos, president of the councli of ministers, in the course of a tax with the Associated Press today,
 MT. venizelos was going over the stormy events of the past two years, during which he had been in and out of power with alternate Constantine anti-ally and venizelos pro-ally regimes, eliminating with the recent abdicauon of King Constantine and the return or Venizelos to undisputed mastery of the situation.
 T had strongly recommended to the King that the Greek army should be thrown against Turkey at the very out set of her cooperation with the central powers, when Germany was first unfold ing her imperial design of reaching southeast across the Balkans. through Bulgaria and Turkey, to Asia Minor and the German dream of Bagdad and the Persian gulf. At that time Turkey was entirely unprepared for defensive land operations, and all her energies were occupied in warding off the first British
  Greek army struck 8 blow at that mo- ment it would have been decisive. and would have changed the whole course of events in the Dardanelles campaign and the Balkans. The report since made to the British House of Commons fully confirms my view in that respect
 Mr. venizelos had cited this as show ing that the ministry, and not the King, was responsible for the action of the government
 While Greece Is a monarchy" he said, "it is a constitutional monarchy, in which the constitution clearly lays down that the ministry is the body respon- sible for government action. Here are some of the provisions"
 And the president recfted, offhand and by heart, the text of the articles, giving the ministry full control of af- fairs.
 'aThe executive power appertains to the King who executes 1t by respon- sible ministers named by him.
 The right of proposing laws apper- tains to the chamber and to the King, who exercises 1t through the interme- diary of ministers.
 No act of the King Is valid and can be executed if 1t is not countersigned by the competent minister whose sigma ture renders him responsible for the act.
 '.Tn no case can an order of the King. verbal or written, relieve the respon- sibility of the ministers"
 Those provisions make it perfectly clear where the responsibility resides for the action of the government" added Mr. Venizelos. And yet, in disappearing this action of our army against Turkey the King took the view that he was responsible to God while l took the view that I was responsible under the constitution to the people for the conduct of the government"
 When MT. Venizelos was asked if the allied powers, particularly England and France, had any ulterior motives in in. tervening in Greek affairs, he was much surprised.
 Not in the slightest he said emphat. ically. Tt has been disinterested so fal as Greece is concerned. The allies have naturally desired the friendship and co operation of Greece, rather than her en mity and her going over to the German ic powers. But beyond that there ha: never been a thought of interfering witf the independent action of Greece as 2 sovereign nation. As guaranteeing pow CTS their only aim was to have the con stitution of Greece carried out. The lib erty and independence of Greece has never for a moment been in question.
 '.Will Greece declare war against Ger many?" was asked.
 "A state of war already exists" said the president. "Our. army is actuall, l taking its part in the fight against tht central powers. As the provisional gov ernment issued a declaration of war there Is really no need for a new dec laration of war"
 MT. venizelos expressed the earnes hope that public opinion in the United : States might be informed on the event of Greece. We recognize" he said, "tha the United States is one of the grea civilizing and moral influences of tn world, and that it will exercise large and perhaps decisive influence in tn settlement of the war problems relatinl to the smaller nations and the Balkans And with public opinion rightly informe' Greece will feel assured of the powerful friendship of the United States