JONNART'S WORK

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume XLV, Issue XLV, 28 September 1917, Page 1

JONNART'S WORK

IN STRAIGHTENING GREECE. HIS OPINION OF ALEXANDER. Before he left Athens on July 7 M. Jonnart, the Allies' High Commissioner in Greece, received ' The Times's' Athens correspondent, and discussed the results of his mission. "We deeply appreciated," said'M. Joi> nart, "the honor, in the course of that mission, of representing your country. Before I left for Greece I "went to England, and there I perceived that public opinion was ready and anxious for firm action. In official circles there was perhaps more disquietude than we shared in France regarding the practicability of bringing about the King's abdication without bloodshed, but hi the sequel these doubts were dispelled, and I enjoyed the full support of your Government. Now our mutual work is practically completed, and we can. leave the destiny "of Greece in the steady hands of M. Venezelos. "The force of events hastened every-

thing. Tentative plans were, indeed, agreed upon in a general way at Salonika which would have brought about the fusion of the two Greek States more gradually after King Constantine's departure, but some obstacles would not melt, and I soonsaw that the only thing was to ask M. Venezelos to come to the Piraeus. M. Zaimis was very helpful, and rendered service by remaining as long as he did in office; but he was hesitant, and needed persuasion. I persuaded him to continue in office to take to the King the message demanding his abdication, and to advise the King to accept. "We should have been in an awkward position if there had been none to perform this difficult intermediary task. Justice should be rendered M. Zaimis for his aid in this respect. But he sent that unfortu-nately-worded telegram to Germany announcing the* abdication, and was somewhat expansive on the ex-King's behalf. I said to him in a friendly manner : 'M. Zaimis, you talk well, but you talk too much; your words and your actions do not agree.' " In reply to the observation that M. Venezelos was accused by his opponents of having rushed the situation, M. Jonnart stated that that was an unjust appreciation. M. Venezelos never hurried his hand. He insisted on final delay before taking office, though the new King was ready to receive him three days before. As to the impression King Alexander had made upon him, M. Jonnart said: "A good impression. He seems to have a clear idea of the role of a. constitutional Sovereign. He reasons well. He most willingly listened to a little constitutional lesson. " When M. Zaimis refused to consider the question of calling the May 31 Chamber, I went to the King and said to him that the obvious and only solution of the situation was the formation of a Ministry under M. Venezelos. 'I quite see that,' he replied; ' I quite understand. I suppose it had better be formed as soon as possible.' " King Alexander's first proclamation was a good intention badly interpreted," added M. Jonnart. "'When King Gonstantine had already consented to leave Greece, a crowd of a few thousands of his fapporters, as yon kuow, gathered round the palace shouting, and the ex-King, looking out of the window, said: 'Look at that! I've consented to go; but see the altitude of the people.' "This agitation was confined to persons whoso lot was more or less dangerously

thrown in with the ex-King's cause: but nevertheless I *felt that a clear manit'esta- ( tion of the fact that the ex-King had been superseded must be given to the populace. The proclamation in King Alexander's name was the clearest possible manifestation. This was left in M. Zaim'is's hands, hut ■unfortunately lie seems to have been, unable to reach the palace in time, as reservists were causing disorder round his house, and M. Negris (a. Cabinet who happened to be in the palace, hurriedly wrote the proclamation. He was much agitated, and declared that he was thinking of the ex-King's success in the Balkan campaign when ho used the phrase about 'following my father's footsteps.' In any case, King Alexander, who was equally agitated, signed readina it, with the most laudable intentions, aud so the mischief was caused. "' Another mistake was M. ZaiimVs statement that King Constantine might return to Greece. He assm-es me that he made this only in order to try to calm any possible popular excitement, not as a serious statement. It was a piece of valueless hyperbole, as of King Constantine's return there can be no question." " Tho future of Greece," continued M. Jonnart, "may be left in the hands of M. Venezelos. In all my long career as a parliamentarian I have met no statesman of more vivid foresight or with a- surer grip of the essentials to a country's progress. One of the greatest results of what has happened here recently is that Greece not merely gains her old place in our affections and finds her natural leader, but that there will also be available for the general councils of all the Allies the genius of M. Venezelos. None, be sure, will take a higher place than her at these councils, i " I am returning to Prance, where I shall 1 take part in a forthcoming conference to I - discuss various questions of loans and other : matters concerning Greece. She has Suf-

fered so much from the blockade and 1 from the fictitious finance of the old re- 1 gime that she is in pressing need of generous monetary aid. . ' " Nor is it merely a question of money, 1 which I trust England and France will ; provide, but of capable organisers and ■ business men to take a personal hand in the re-establishment of her position and \ the development of her largely untapped resources." '