Evening star., 1935-10-13

he tried to break down the Venizelist
influence among the military units.
He revamped the general staff and
launched campaign against the
Turks with troops who refused to fol-
low their new Royalist leaders. l was
billeted with Greek army corps at
Broussa. in Anatolia, when the Con-
stantinist officers began arriving. A
new chief of staff had just appeared
from Moudania, Marmora seaport. l
was slipping after dinner coffee with
him in the Hotel dAnatolie and as the
general started for his quarters I
casually asked major whom l knew
to be Venizelist, how many Constan-
tinists were in the room. Glancing
around at the IL or Is officers present,
he said:
There was one; there are none
now" The C. of S. has just departed.
The rank and file of the army today
probably remains Republican - and
certainly Venizelst-at heart.
Another element which will cause
the Monarchists trouble. if they seek
to take over the government imme-
diately without slowly consolidating
their strength. is the Communist
group. The Greek labor movement.
like the Spanish, is honeycombed with
Communists, syndicalistS and an
archist cells. In the recent election
the Con munists polled IL per cent Of
the vote. They are powerful in Athens,
Kavalla, Salonika and the ports. They
work closely with the Republicans
and anti-Royalisv groups in Thrace
and Macedonia. They are especially
influential among the 100000 Ana
tolian Greek refugees who are settled
in the Salonika region and along the
Graeco-Bulgar frontier.
Lack of Leadership.
The recent startling growth of Mon
archist strength in Greece is more
apparent than real. 1t is due rather
to lack of leadership among the Re
publican5 than to Royalist sentiment.
VeniZelos, now well into his seventies,
has lost his grip. Gen. Pangalos, once
popular military idol. is in exile. Sir
Basil Zaharoff, who financed so many
Greek revoltS and Balkan wars, is a
doddering old man baSking in the
sunshine of the French Riviera. The
dreams he sought to translate into
reality with his fabulous millions have
crumbled about him; the one great
romance of his adventurous life passed
with the death of his Spanish consort.
His influence with the French and
British governments ended when the
cannons of the Western front ceased
eating up the munitions of Vickers,
Ltd Even the Casino at Monte Carlo,
with which he amused himself, is
drifting toward the rocks and the once
impregnable bank all but went broke
over a million dollar run of luck" q
few months ago.
Last, but not least, the contribu-
tions of wealthy Anglo-G Greeks and
Graeco- which were an
unfailing fund for Venizelos and the
Republicans have been drying up as
the world depression deepened Money
talks in Greek elections. 1t was their
money that smoothed the pathway of
the crafty Cretan statesman, that and
the friendship of Lloyd George, Glenn
enceau and their successors. 1t was
the millions of the late Mrs. William
B. Leeds, and the political astuteness
of an eXpatriate Greek-American,
Constantine Casanges, that put across
the first restoration of King ConStan-
tine and his German Queen, Sophia,
sister of the Gentleman at Doom"
as Constantine was pleased to call
his defunct kinSman. Where the
Georgists are getting their money
these days is not clear. But they will
not need much in the November Sd
plebiscite because the economic crisis,
the slipping Venizelists, the recent
Inflated army revolt and the Medi-
terranean controversy, all have played
into their hands. President Zaimis and
Premier Tsaldaris, supposedly ardent
republicans also have succumbed to
monarchist pressure; the cabinet is
subservient and Parliament is more
or less joke as constituted.
DdAAUk DOA 4NUb S0CICus
Although Greece has always paid
lip-service to democracy, and will
even permit sailors and soldiers to
vote in the plebiscite, the ballot box
is not sacred institution. In the
Constantinist plebiscite the voters
cast as many votes as they could get
away with. A few days after the
balloting was driving with Sir Fred
erick Halliday, British commissioner
of the Athenian police. His chauffeur,
George, was displaying fistfull of
official ballots. In an effort to explain
to me the mystery of why there had
been more votes cast for Constantine
than there were voters in the country
Sir Frederick asked his chauffeur:
George, how many times did you
vote?"
Eight times. suh" said George, who
as levee worker in New Orleans had
learned his English from Southern
darkies.
But don't you know that was
against the law?" said Sir Frederick.
Yes, sub, boss, but dem Constan-
tlnlStS WuZ doin' de same thing and
All voted very time ah had a chanel
for Mister Venizelos."
With the election machinery in the
hands of the Monarchists there can
be no doubt as to what votes will be
counted in the coming plebiscite. It
is extremely doubtful If the anti
Royalists, knowing their predicamenr
will even put up fight. They may
abstain as they did in the parlia-
mentary elections and thereby con-
ceal, and conserve their strength.
Cabinet Decree Sought.
The Royalist leaders, Gen. Kondylis
and Mayor Kostas Kotzias OF Athens
are urging the re-establishment Of
the monarchy by cabinet decree. They
are suggesting. in hope of weaken
ing the opposition. a constitution
modelled on the British parliamentary
system. They are even offering COM
plete amnesty to Venizelos and some
200 army officers in exile and free
dom to thousands of political pris-
oners in Greek jails If anti-Georgist
-