IF GREECE TAKES CRETE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 528, 8 June 1909, Page 7

IF GREECE TAKES CRETE.

SHEVKET'S THREAT.

WILL MARCH AN ARMY TO ATHENS. (lIV ?Ei.eßUαi'h—fhesS iaSbcUf ibN-Cttt'Vii'iVilit;!

. • CcfiStantlHople, tfuite 6,. Shfcvkoi fcasJia, Commander of tiie ttird Aflhy Corps (and fosterer of .'the QmsUtto Won) lias threatened to ftatdi '200,000 soldiers td Athens if Uie annexation of Crete is; claimed by Greece. -.■■"■'■ ':•'■:

. fIiFFIOULT TABK FOp THE POWERS. LMt year the folir pHjtdbting J?6werS-i3H' Itt't'i RussiU) Pfiinee, and the High Commissioner of Crete (Mr Tdimis. farmerlj- Prmie Minister of Greece), that the for' ?li>\ 1 ??. °. f troops would leave the'isdlld by July next. It Was held that Hie naWβ eetataieH*. WBHH.be nblo-.to-KafeWfi . m ; « o mnt6 t,lo n preto has Udolfifed Wf uiiltth flf Greece, lind, tlie Cliaiiibet 1 vetcd ' iil' favour of union Mid tippbint.ed a bolilmitfee of six.to govern.in tho name df tho KihK of Crreece unti! the Greek GoVerhment CbuW as= Shin 1,1 f d J 11 i nis^1 t \ 011 "".ejelnndi The Pdft'ferS-stolnd On October; 28 that they \vo\ild ?!? 1^ f si 6 ¥ i 5' anil wbtiltl tl-bat with Turkey if ordcf Hvfii! iMilllalMd ftfld if la the Moslem elßliielit, • InvieW bf the Soldierlike matiner in which; Shevkfet Pifehft. theft: fsS 1 °f A^ e * CoiifetituHon, no* "stntca the 'base [JL 'I, : %™ task of the Powers is hot an The Case for' Greece..'. . ' : . Tho case for Ofeeee is Set out in a communication from an authoritative Greek ■ source" which was pub lulled ih- n The Tlffles" in-Janu-ary; It clainis that: :' ' : ■.' . «nI h H at rw*. of .Greek Government smqo the Cretaiis. proclaimed, time ffleiitlrt' S, iiSiwV , - o^-^ ■■ t t cip T -"land with-Greece has w f'§ tibl'fect. Iu its desire not'to add to the .difficultiesi.eonffon ittg ihe Great Pott. I™. m , tUo N pf fi4et,. the Gdvefnihent of Athens has taken iioi*teps in response (o the ■fS nJ ■ ' lie Cretan, people,- iVliTdll' fbllowcd the Bulgarian declaration'of -independence." After rttoilhtiilg tho recent hlstbf" bf the island and the.events which led to the pro. clamahon of nnibn With .Greeeer this coltiinShi. OfA'on oontinuesW It i B) " iadSed, : perfedtly """"(that the definite settldhijnt of the Oretafl $B**™* , ™° se .?« 3 . "P'r .1% four protecting Pβi vers Into wlios6 lands Turkey, was ibm polled to deliver tho island ton rears (lift with. ° P t? !§-■ ,tj dnd.it is the rllblm bV the PoWers in. the aspifntioilS o/ tin Cretans that has, enabled tho Government of Athens to use its infliiencetto make- the ! Creawait patiently Hie lletilsion of the Pow/.i'i% el t ftl ? B 4 8{ l ! ,e lie?, regime'in Turkey ffl-'^L 1 ii f "^ b teamed, jiiflfr Warmly In Gfeee* thdh othtf bnlkhh State) can" [« the YdtaHS TlirfeS'to coficf itrfitd their fitteiltioit 6h the Si&antic tm k of llin )ii teflial.reai'gHhisatißii oftL Eilm. cIAAI fram from raising a queslibil ttItUSS Settlement' lies wholly in.tho hands of•'the:l'bwcrs and whoso discussion cannot hut.cause gravo misunclerstandiMS b§ttveeu. Greeks alid Turks in lul'key .which must inevitable hinder tie wbrk.uf refufmV Cdhp tiering.that, besides the 8,000,000 Greeks bf S 1 !L% 11^ ,o , kln ?'' oni ''- tll(ito MO mow.- thali (5,060,000 Greek subjects of the Sultatl, it WbUld qertainly not contribute.to the siidtess of the Turkish Liberal party, if. they shblild foffe t tho sympathy of their. Greek-. fellow-BUbiects, whose aid Would be of so' niuch value In their great task. ■■-.

A Turkish Reply. 11l reply to this statement, Hesliid Sadi Effendr wrote t— "Tho ebliijtiunlbUtt-frtih & feck'authorised source .which 'The Times' published last Saturday is not o'lJy against facts and their true evillbcS hlsb. iiii Utopian tehdotibv 1o IJCKiti with, no one ignores that tho passivord in' Crete litis always 601116 • fi'Om Athens either before or after tho Bulgarian declaration of liidependeiicet and it, is fin ojieii sefsfet that dtlniig his Inst lotlr in Europe JCifiß Ucol'go did hot spftfe any dppdrluility to complete the work Started long ago. by liis rcpi'tsentAtivcs .abttJiul 111 vletf Bf getiurint* tlip Mliibn of Crele with Greece. "With regiirdto thtl statelneht. that the do-" finlto settlement of the Crbtait tjufcstion only concerns the four protecting Powers, tho authorwed author of tho communique will nilow mo to observo that as Creto continues to bo UndoSL^L t ? h .fi,t° 1 i '" 0 - i6li 7 t 1 ! 0 / 0 ,, is no. Hcllcnio arplnent which can forbid thoSfl Powers to ignore tho voico bf Turkey, tb tvllblh, nidt-e----over, they liavo given their solemn assuranco to respect the sovereign rights of tho Sultan dV6r tho lsllthtl. . "As to the threaloniiii hiht cont&ificil in the nuove-jiientioneu domihunique that • wtt mhV lose tho sympathy of 6,000,000 Ottoman Greek's -a grossly exaggerated figuro-I beg to state that this would merely mean tho loss of tho Hellenic clement, felhco W could liot. consider as Ottblnaiis thbsb bf bur botihttyriien who \jrbuUl sido With Grefcte i\t the tixpehso bf tiie Turkish Empire. Nb doubt it is flattering tb hear. from..tho author of tho warm friendship of.Greece towards the Young, Turks j but donsidenng that the profession of such friendships has jUst cost T':-'':nv I gr ea t territorial losses we nutt 1» "f Wo incline to attach lulien Valllb to aiiilaia.so costly. "Tho history of Turkey is lob'full of mohichtocs conMotcd with Crete to allow the Ottoman public opinion to submit meekly to thb union of that island .with Greecci Nor can the fact, that it is principally inhabited by Greeks jilstify-tho realisation of tho iinibit, for tho same argument Would libld good. in regard to other Turkish islands W-liCre the Circek blemelit havens to preponderate. This hlbnb i<j sufficient justification for Turkey tb bhpbse tho strongest resistanio to any attempt tb lay hands 011 Crete."