Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-10-13
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throne among his majesty's grand
children-to Princess Marina, his
cousin, and the Duke of Kent, has
turned British sympathies toward
him. France, heretofore Venizelist.
is said to be friendly to a Greek
monarchy especially since the Greeks
have become a part Of the Balkan
Entente "a pro-French bloc. Gen.
| Kondylis, on the other hand, is more
suspect with being pro-Italian than
any other Greek politico- military
leader and the true Anglo French at
/ titude will not be revealed until after
November. 1t was British withdrawal
of support that lost Constantine his
crown the second time and French
pressure and aid to VeniZelos that
drove him into exile during the war.
What has been done before can easily
be done again. Greece, like Portugal,
Is owned" by the British financially;
they are more like dependencies than
Canada, Australia or South Africa
although they are juridically sovereign
states.
The Greek Republicans aren't saving
much as the plebiscite nears They
are hiding their time. Sporadic dis
orders are occurring here and there,
strikes are breaking out and street
gangs of Royalists are cracking Veni-
zelist heads while the police look
idly on. The Communist newspaper
Rios Pastis has been suspended and
the Republican press is strictly CEN
sored. There is evidence, however,
that the opposition is quietly organiz-
ing in Thrace and Greek Macedonia
and on the islands. The Republican
leaders, exMinister of Interior Peri
cles Rhallys and George Papandrieu
have their followers well in hand. The
air force is reported to be Royalist.
The navy is ''on the fence" 1t is
certain that the opposition will not
precipitate bloody civil war as long as
there is threat of war in the Mediter-
ranean, especially as the government
has pledged itself to support Great
Britain and the League against Italy.
There was a dramatic element in
the return of King Constantine, the
first depoSed ruler to win back his
crown after the war-and thus far
the only one-which is not found in
the present situation. The Greeks,
under Venizelos, we're at war with the
Turks. They had occupied Smyrna,
Moudania, Broussa and practically
dominated Constantinople, which was
held by interallied police. For nearly
1000 years there had been a legend
in the land that Constantine and
Sophia (the names of the Greek rulers
who lost ConStantinople to the Turks
would some day win ConStantinople
back and re-establish the Byzantine
Empire. Playing upon that legend,
the Royalists pointed out that Con-
stantine and the German Sophia were
the appointed ones" Priests and
peasants took up the crusade. They
rallied to Constantine's standard and
envisaged it floating over the most
historic church in all Christendom-
st. Sophia in STEAMBOAT
But, unfortunately for Constantine
and Greece-the French at Mersina
and the Italians at Adalia were
friendly toward Renal. Paris and
Rome much preferred a new Nation
alist Turkey, ruled by Moslems friendly
to their financial interests, to a new
Greece. dominated and directed and
exploited by the British. Also the
Russians, by defeating Baron Wrangel
and Gen. Denikin and their White
armies in the Black Sea region and
the Caucasus. had dealt England
severe blow. Lloyd George grabbed at
the opportunity to get out from under
his Greek commitments and to inflict
a reprisal for the ousting Of Venizelos.
The inevitable Greek debacle in Ana
tolia and the Smyrna massacres fol-
lowed, and Constantine passed out of
the picture, never to return.
The broken-hearted ruler died in
Sicily. His body was brought to
Naples, where the coffin rested in q
little Greek Orthodox church several
weeks awaiting authorization 10 be
transported to Athens for burial. The
permission never came. The Greek
priest grew tired of having his chapel
used as a mortuary 50 he hired q
room in q nearby building. There,
covered with withered wreaths, lay
the royal bier until 1t finally was taken
to Northern Italy for entombment.
The back rooms Of the building in
whose reception room all that was
mortal of King Constantine waited
served as q "maison de tolerance"
rendezvous for madonnas Of the
street.
Sic transit gloria!
Constantine, however. will be re-