Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-07-01

L. New York, July 1.-The decision OF the
| British to support Greek activity in the
Near East and in fact, TO rely upon
| Greek Military strength TO suppress the
| Turkish Nationalistic efforts in Asia
Minor is one of the most interesting
developments of recent months. 1t Is,
too, one more evidence Of the rapid
changes which are now taking place In
political associations.
Both for the French and the Italians
thus new British policy will be unweicome.
For the French it means direct answer to
their own manoeuvres to obtain re-
vision of the Turkish settlement and such
a revision as would leave the Turks with
their power still considerable. For the
Italians it means British support for
that nation which in the nature of things
must be the chief Italian rival In the
Eastern Mediterranean.
For the Greeks British patronage now
has an inestimable value Greece has
just added greatly to her stature as n
nation. At the moment when the First
Balkan War broke Greece had popula-
tion of 100000 and an area of approx
mately $4,000 square miles, little more
than half that Of New York state. BY
the two Balkan Wars she doubled her
population and very nearly doubled her
area. The World War has added more
than 100000 more people and today
the Hellenic Kingdom, with its new
acquisitions in Thrace. in Asia Minor,
in Epir,s and in the Aegean, for Northern
Epirus and the Dodecanes.ls Island have
been assigned to her, must be nearly two
thirds as large as Italy and have popula-
ton of upwards of eight million.
But this is only the beginning for the
Greeks. Their ambition is to reoccupy
Constantinople and to revive in Asia
Minor the glories of the Byzantine En-
pire. Venizelos, with his usual good
sense has displayed extreme moderation
in pressing Greek claims both at Con-
stantinople and in Asia Minor, but he
has laid the foundation on which the
great structure of the future can be built.
IL Greece can now make good her foot
hold at Smyrna and fortify her posses
sions in Epirus and Thrace, she can
look forward confidently to still another
great expansion In the future
Meantime she has a considerable
army, trained by French officers and
greatly expanded by the additions TO
her territory and population. This army
has been largely equipped by the Allies,
during the Salonica Campaign. BY con-
trast the Turkish army of kemal Pasha,
which it has now to face, and has actually
encountered in recent days. is in a hope
less state so far as equipment and ma
terial are concerned. Ii represents the
ruins of those armies defeated by Allenby
in Palestine.
Provided the Greeks obtain q certain
fairly modest measure of support from
their British friends, it should not be
difficult for them TO meet and check any
Turkist effort to reconquer the Egean
literal, which the recent Turkish settle
ment has, with certain plebiscite condi-
tions, assigned to Venizelos. And if the
Greeks are able once TO make good their
hold on Smyrna and its immediate hinter-
land, then there is little reason TO doubt
that slowly but surely they will advance
inland along the railways which lead
eastward from the Egean Coast.
Greece chief dangers remain in Europe.
She has still to gain possession OF Northern
Epirus, although Nitti, with a stroke of
real craftsmanship, sought to placate
rightful claims in that quarter Whether
Giolitti viii be equally friendly remains
problematical But even if Italy con-
sents finally to Greek occupation Of
Epirus, it will now be necessary TO deal
with the Albanians, who have lately
risen and driven the Italians to the Coast
Greece will therefore need troops In
Epiris as well as in Asia Minor
Even graver is the situation in Thrace
where the Turks, declining TO accept the
orders of the Sultan. whom they hold a
prisoner of the British in Constantinople,
are planning to resist Greek occupation
as provided for in the new Turkish
Treaty, and are openly joining hands
with the Bulgarians, who lose Western
Thrace, as the Turks lose Eastern, by
the terms of the new arrangement. A
real Bulgarian intervention would call
all Greek troops to Thrace, but it NAV
be doubted whether Bulgarian, after
three costly and unsuccessful wars would
venture upon a fourth in the face of
probable Rumanian and Serbian attack,
for Rumania and Serbia are almost as
much concerned in Bulgarian affairs
as the Greeks.
But with trouble on all her frontiers
IL is plain that Greece faces a difficult
situation, has indeed arrived at a peat
crisis In her history. If she surInounts
the present obstacles she seems certain
to become one of the most considerable
of the second class states of Europe and
TO revive most of the traditions of the
Byzantine Empire in the Near East.
As for the British, they will derive from
the Greek Association certain obvious
profits. First of all the ambitions of all
the European Powers, who seek TO re-
place the Turk both at Constantnople
and in Anatolia will be blocked. Instead
or French influence supreme