Evening star., 1925-02-05

In my last article, under the head
ing In Today's Spotlight" an out
line was given of events and condi-
tions leading up to the expulsion
from Sonstantinople of the Greek
patriarch OF the Orthodox Church, by
order of the Turkish government.
/ Tho resentment of the Greeks and
other adherents of the Orthodox
Church (14o,oOo, ,ooo) at what is
claimed TO be a violation of the
pledges made in the Lausanne con-
ference that Turkey would not inter-
fere with the patriarchate's estab-
lishment in Constantinople, appears
to increase in seriousness. An OH
cial Of the Greek government says
that while 1t is hoped the situation
will not be permitted to go as far as
war. 1t is a serious crisis because 1t
seems to indicate that this expulsion
Is but a first step of aggression, to
be followed by a systematic effort to
harrass the patriarchate out OF Con-
stantinople where it has been for
seven centuries, and to violate other
conditions of the Lausanne confer
ence. It indicates. he claims, that
Turkey is undertaking to profit by
the disagreements Of the western
allies Italy, France and Great
Britain; otherwise the powers would
not permit the aggression. for it was
because Of a similar disagreement
between those great powers that
Greece was defeated in the recent
war, in which France
and Italy strongly supported Turkey
with arms and officers, and Great
Britain half-heartedly aided Greece.
From that standpoint, argued the
diplomat, the friction between Tur-
key and Greece today, as manifested
by the Turkish attack upon the lib
erty of the patriarch. is possible only
because Of greater influences under
the surface. The trouble, therefore,
may center not in Constantinople.
but possibly in Rome, where Musso-
lini seems to need a stimulus to
arouse Italian -nationalism. Or II
may be in Paris where prepared
ness" is an acute issue. Or 1t may be
in London where they are ever dis
cussing the route to India across
Asia Minor.
y x v x
The wording of the Lausanne treaty
makes no specific reference TO pro-
tecting the patriarchate in its tradi-
tional location in Constantinople,
where 1t has been for seven CEN
turies by direct sanction of the Turk
ish government, but, during the de-
bate preceding the capitalization of
the treaty, Kenaal Pasha, represent
ing Turkey, agreed that the patri-
archaic should not-be disturbed. The
treaty specifies that all Greeks who
had resided in Constantinople prior
to October 30, 1918, should be permit
ted to remain. The Greeks now point
to the fact that all members of the
synod, including the patriarch, have
been regularly and officially regis
tered since 1902 as officially living in
stantinople, and that 1T is bad
faith to claim that in expelling Con-
stantine vi they are expelling the in
diyidual and not the official. Greece
openly threatens armed defense of
that position.
The tragic interchange of popula,-
tions between Turkey and Greece,
which has been going on for 1s
months, is about completed. It was
demanded by Turkey in It's effort to
clear it's domain from Greeks, many
OF whom had been born In Turkey
and had never lived in Greece. AS
orthodox Christians they were alien
in spirit to the government Of Tur-
key.
Prior to the agreed interchange,
tens of thousands of Greeks had fed
from Turkey, following the armies;
but no young Greek men were per-
mitted to cross the Turkish boun-
dary; all men between the ages of
Is and SO were turned back into the
interior-the deserts and mountains
and Of these not 10 per cent have
ever escaped or been heard of. Tur-
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