Evening star., 1922-12-03

to collect a large portion OF the total
amount of reparations.
POincare Must Act.
AS matter of fact, even though the
French government has issued a de-
NAL to the proposed sanctions. Premier
Poincare cannot permit the German
situation to drag indefinitely. His
political future is at stake. Already
pertinent questions are being asked
in France as to why he has not car
ried out his Germans must pay" pro-
nunciamen:os. enunciated Immediate
ly before and after he took the pre-
mler's portfolio. Poincare personally
favors just such moves. and undoubt-
edly the French government has plans
whereby the sanction enforcement eX-
petitions can be realized within twen
ty-four hours after a final decision to
act Is reached. But Poincare, as
briand and others before him. has
found out that saying and doing are
doing has been frustrated by menace
to the entente. Agreements never
have been possible. but if Bonar Law.
Poincare and Mussolini reach agree
ment in their coming conference.
there is every reason to believe that
France eventually will gain all that
she asks without endangering the al
lies concord. But. unless there be con-
! crete understandings and Germany
actually is brought to book. made to
pay in money and in kind with an
early response. too, then the position
of Poincare is IL hazardous one.
Situation in Greece.
Fate again has dipped brushes in
human blood to write the word progress.
Whether this progress be forward or
backward is not known. But though
vast revolutionary ideals be realized in
Greece. though the nation through the
execution Of six statesmen and military
leaders during the past week definitely
, set in motion forces which will lead
Grecian people to d better era, foreign
nations are not So sure but that the
executions. bloodthirsty and barbaric as
they appear to have definitely been re-
vealed. soon will lead to tremendous
upheavalS and prolonged chaos before
anything definite is achieved in the way
! to good government and orderly ad-
vance
Greece undoubtedly we'll nigh alienat-
ed all sympathy during the years by
mistaken foreign policies and war of
conquest. The execution OF former
Premier Gounaris and his Constantinian
cohorts was but a step on the part of
| the Greek revolutionary committee. now
all powerful. to fix responsibility that
the demands of the Grecian people for
vengeance De met.
Caused Many Of Nations Ills.
There is no question but that many OF
the present-day ills were caused by the
executed Grecian statesmen. But there
Is a grave question as to whether in
the final analysis Gounaris can be
blamed for Greece's peculiar courses
curing the course Of the world war
True. blame might be laid at the feet
OF hins Constantine and Sophia, the
KAISER OF Germany. 1t Is but natural
that the Grecian statesmen Of that
period and during Constantine's later
rule should smirk and faun. Those
knowing Constantine's personal charac-
ter1stics know that they would NOT have
obtained official favor and would NOT
nave lasted unless there was pronounced
aesTes OF complacency to royal whims
alao. nau 'nousn a1nstantine be out Of the
way. ms brother. Prince Andrew. a
prisoner in Athens. still faces grave
anger OF suffering the Same fate Of Tho
discredited and dead statesmen.
ehudoer as the world must at the
revoitins method of wiping out those
to whom was attributed manv of
Greeces woes, nevertheless 1t remains
fact that the wishes of the Greciar
people that there be more democratic
government are furthered by the re-
movai OF the Gonstantinian school of
statescraft. How constantly they
were menace Is indicated by con-
stant machinat tions leading to the re-
turn OF Constantine after venizeIos
not only had won world respect for
Greece. but unlimited territories
iands which since have been bartered
for the chtmerical dream Of Constan-
tine. who declared that he vet would
achieve the old limits of the Byzan-
tine empire. He sought to outdo by
military conquest what Venizelos did
by statecraft. He failed miserably
as his present exile will testify.
venizelists Cnrelentink.
Though Fenizelos shuddered at the
action of the revolutionary commit
tee. his cohorts in Greece. who ever
fare upon the disciples Of the old or
der. are accepting the executions as
but furtherance Of their desire to
control the destinies of the country
without interference. The revolu-
tionary committee has given sanction
to the present limited monarchical
system, but dispatches indicate that
the republican organization Is making
progress in movements to complet ely
sweep aside all signs of the old order
and place Greece among the republics
of the world.
Greece is rapidly approaching the
point where there can be little tenn
porizing between the old order and
the new. There is belief in both Lon
don and Paris. not to speak OF Wash
ington, that Greece within the next
six months will go through a period
of political spasms. but will emerge
from the crisis with a stronger and
more liberal government onece more
in attune with the real wishes of the
peOple.