THE CRISIS IN GREECE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 222, 25 October 1909, Page 2

THE CRISIS IN GREECE.

It is dillicult to foretell into what ii ternal diiliculties the military and pol iical crisis in Greece may shortly involv that unfortunate country. The crisis ii Greece, however, differs from those o Turkey and Persia, and was born o other causes than those which ar chronic in liussia and are no wraiupaii iu Spain. The Greek army and peopl have no serious grievance against Kin; George and his family. There has heo, no talk of dethronement and no denial) for 11 republic. The revolt, if revol there Ims 'oecn, was wholly a militar one. it sprang from the army, and it requests were voiced by its officers. A Uie sime time, there was mueb popula sympathy behind it, and, being a rail, lary protest that extended from th highest to the lowest soldier, it coul not well be suppressed. In plain term: it was mutiny, but mutiny on so lurg and completed scale t.bat'the civil an was powerless to resoiu it. Happily th Government, bowed to the inevitabli M. Ralli, the Premier, retired, 11. llin romiciiaelis succeeded him, Parliamen was promptly convened, and message received within the la«t few days ai nonuced that the Greek Chamncr na conceded all that was demanded. Th inner history of this bloodless rcvolutio may be traced back as far as the iguobl defeat indicted oil Greece by Turkey i the Xureo-Creck War of the nineties The Greek army at that time was eon: maiided by the Crown Prince (the Duk of Spartaj, and whenever, and as fas as, the Turks advanced the Greeks n tired, or if they could not get awn. quickly enough they were soundl beaten. The four sons of King Georgi all of whom hold high commands, hav Hover been popular since, and the crown iug national humiliation came, from th •unitary point of view, when Greece wa torced to evacuate Crete at the rcqu.es of Turkey. A few weeks since the ofli ccrs and garrison issued a pronuncia mento urging the convocation of I'arli.i nient to pass measures of army reorgan isation, and asking that the Crow; Prince and his three toothers should b relieved of their posts. As this mutin agninst lawful authority was followe' by the mustering of troops and thei encampment outside the walls of Athens there was nothing left for wise ruler to do but to obey, and this, as we hav said, was done. The new Premier issuei a scmi-ollicial communication on th military coup, iu which he was at pain to show that there was nothing ant; dynastic about it. Army reform was a. that was asked, and army reform woul be granted. As for the request that tn Royal Princes should be relieved of thei high commands, this, he argued, wa rciilly formulated iu consideration o their Highnesses' best interests, an. would be duly considered. In brief, th Premier put the best face he could upo: the matter, and as his object was th patriotic one of avoiding a poasibl sanguinary conllict, he made haste t summon the Chamber so that th people's representatives should decide That the Premier's view of the crisi was justified may he gathered from th cone of the debate in the Bule. Th Deputies were not over-eager to approvi the high-handed, illegal, and inutiuoui policy of the Military Committee, ant might possibly, had they received any 3iicourageinent from those most nearly concerned, have taken the chances "that would have followed on their refusal, the Crown, however, more wise than they, suggested the acceptance of the reforms and of the resignations of the Princes.