Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-23
PREMIER vENIZRLoS-CREECEs MODERN ULYSSES
Drawn for The Sunday by s.. j. We

ed the King to abdicate for having vio-
lated the constitution. On June IL
Constantine abdicated In favor of his
second son; on the 18th he left for
Italy; on the 9th VeniZelos left Salon
Xxi and entered Athens with a regiment
of Cretans, wearing French trench he'll
NETS.
When victory came VeniEelos could
boast of Hellenic contingentS on the
Macedonian front fighting beside the
French, the English, the Italians and
the Serbians. Their military value had
been NIL, which is not disparaging for
the Greek nation, for only q united
people can fight.
If, after the years of home recon-
struction and OF the Balkan wars, Veni-
zelos had been guilty Of political and
moral errors, during the peace confer
ence. where he could sit among the
victors, he was even more guilty. For
not only did he commit all the errors
that are the penalty of politicians who
must. in order to keep themselves in
power, give glory" to their country, but
he also had to commit all those that
were nothing but the ransom for his
having kept himself in power during
the war with the help Of foreign bayo-
nets. And by that again did he aug
in Greece.
At the time of the foolish armed
western Cor western-paid) expeditions
against the Bolsheviks-Giolitti and I
were the first to stand up in public
against the futility of such q war
Clemenceau. meeting Venizelos at one
of the sittings Of the peace conference
said:
You are our ally. are you not?"
And Venizelos, suavely:
Can you doubt 1t, Monsieur lie Presi-
dent?"
well. then, do send q division imme-
into Southern Russia
Venizelos saw at once what blunder
this would be from q Greek point Of
view. But he was no longer a free man
after Saloniki. And q division was sent
to wretched failure In Ukraine-and
this increased Greek rancor against
him.
Diplomatically. he seemed to meet
with nothing but success. BY the
treaty of Neuilly concluded with Bull
garia, and by the ephemeral treaty of
SevreS with the Turks, he could boast
of having gained Eastern Thrace, with
Dedeabach; one Of the coasts of the
Sea Of Marmora and of the Darda-
nelles: the islands Of Imbros. Tenedos
and Samothrace; the greatest part Of
Southern Albania and In Asia Minor,
Smyrna and q considerable zone
around it.
In an agreement with the English he
secured the promise that Cyprus would
be given to Greece within O certain
time. and this nglo-Grecian agree
Signor Tittoni had guaranteed to him
during the Peace Conference in Paris,
by an agreement signed on July 20.
1919, that Italy would give over to
Greece all the Island of Dodecanese
with the exception of Rhodes, and that
as far as Rhodes went Italy pledged
herself to give the island to Greece
after a plebiscite, when England would
give her Cyprus. The same agreement
established
That Italy pledged herself to give her
support to Greece for the annexation
of Southern Albania
That, on the other hand, Greece un-
dertook to stand by italy at the Peace
mandate over the state of Albania lex
cept its southern part) and to recognize
Italian sovereignty over Avlona.
When / came to power in July, 1920,
and took cognizance of this agreement
which Signor Tittoni had kept secret, I
absolutely failed to see how 1t could be
of any use to Italy. considered that a
power like Italy ought not TO have writ
ten ageements to the effect that Greece
would support" an essential point Of
Italian interests at the conference; as
for Italian interests in Albania. I held
that there was absolute contradiction in
wanting living Albanian state on the
one hand and in taking from 1t, at the
same time, one Of its lungs, Avlona.
This being so-and bent on settling