The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-05-17

country which has ooon at war CON-
tinuously for nine yeafa, which has
been tndustrially ruined b. war aud
10 heartily sick Of war to the last
peasant. and yet determined to 70
ON fightiug-that is the strange
case Of Greece today, according to
American observers who have re-
Gently returned from there.
Crops in the rich central valleys
Of Greece are rottius on the groaAd
for lack Of men to gather them
Industry Is In chaos. Boys are
growing up into manhood without
knowing any occupation except war
and each new generation. - II
reaches military ase. IL drafted to
MI the ranks. The finances Of the
country are in . tangls which il
will take q century to straighten
out. And yet Greece tights On, not
in self-defense, but ia the effort to
consolidate an empire.
Greece, the observers say, Ia the
puTest survival Of the spirit Of ma
tionalism. which formed the pres
ent Huropean states out of chaos
and 10 slowly giving way to the
world spirit, the sense Of interna-
tional solidarity, the feeling that
all nations together have . COM
mon responsibility for the human
race.
Allied diplomacy has played ita
part in the Greek situation. Thu
allies wanted consolidated Greece.
And doubtless strong groups with
in Greece have fomented war be-
cause they expected commercial
advantage both from its contin-
uance and from its ultimate sue
cess. But. in addition to these dip
lomatic and commercial ingredients
which 60 into the making OF all
wars, Greece 10 said to be sustained
BY q genuine popular faith in a
great Greek empire. Although there
are undercurrents OF popular oppo-
sition to the war. the typical Greek,
who has been starved and ruined
by war, is still willing to 20 on
fighting for his dream of a greater
Greece. He has not shared the
great disillusionment which was
brought to the western world.
The Allied Policy.
To understand the part played
by the allies in bringing about the
present situation in Greece one
must glance back to the 18th CEN
fury history. Since in 1854 Great
Britain and France fought with Ter
key against Russia. they have re-
NAMED united on one principle in
the Balkin question. Neither DOW
er would allow either Russia OF
Germany to get command of Con-
stantinople and the Dardanelles
because these places exercise stra.
tegfc command over the routes ia
Asia Minor, India and the far east.
Russia and Germany now being dis
posed of, the allied statesmen feel
the need OF a stable Balkan coun.
try to prevent any new attempts
at interference. By the treaty OF
Sevres. Greece has annexed almost
all Of European Turkey and has
her eastern frontier on the Black
sea, completely cutting of Con-
stantinople from the north. Also,
through the efforts OF Venizelos,
she has been given a large slice
OF Asia Minor around Smyrna. For
the consolidation of gains which
doubled her area, financial and
moral support were vouchsafed
from England and France. Then
last December came the political
change in Greece. venizelos, OF
whom the allies were sure, was
overthrown to permit the return OF
Constantine, suspected of pro-Ger-
man leanings throughout the war,
The Turkish nationalists movement
then showed unexpected recupera-
tive power, and in March inflicted
q crushing defeat on the Greek
armies in Asia Minor. Greece con-
sequently finds herself up axainst
q stn war to retain her new terri.
tory in Asia Minor at the very time
when allied support is withdrawn
because Of the defeat Of venixelos.
This is where the feeling of ma
tionallty comes in. After 4 century
Of aspirations for national aesran.
dizement the Greeks are now do
termlned to fight on for the Greek
empire, which for the first time
seems within their grasp. It il this
determination to pursue q war for
Greater Greece in spita ~ Il. 80: