The troubles between Greece and Turkey are still unsettled, and though thewar clouds look lower and more threatening, the storm has not as yetbroken.
Several matters have, however, been made clearer to us.
The first and most important is that there is no such thing as a Concertof the Powers.
It has been hinted for some time past that the Powers were not agreed asto the course they should take with Greece, but it is now openly knownthat there is no prospect of their agreeing at all.
This was found out when Greece refused to obey the Ultimatum of the Powersand withdraw her troops from Crete. The Powers threatened to blockade thePiræus and the ports of Greece. The reply of Greece was to charter everypossible ship, and send men and arms to the frontier, and to tell thePowers that she would declare war on Turkey the moment her ports wereblockaded.
Then the world waited to see what the Powers would do. But the Powersdid nothing. There was no blockade of Greece, and according to thelatest accounts there is no chance of one for the present.
It gradually came out that the Powers had had a seriousdisagreement—England, France, and Italy standing out against theproposed forcing of obedience from Greece.
It was even said that the Admiral of the Italian Fleet had asked to beexchanged from duty in Crete, because by reason of his having servedlonger in the navy than any other officer of the various fleets, he hadbeen made Admiral of the Allied Fleets, and it was his duty to give theorders for any action that was taken against the Cretans or Greeks. Heliked his work so little that he asked his Government to recall him, andsend some one else in his place.
It would seem that the trouble with the Powers is that they cannot allbe brought to see that the Turkish Empire is really in such a state ofdecay that nothing can keep it from falling to pieces.
Germany, Russia, and Austria believe that the Empire is still strong,and can be held together by the powerful arm of Europe. To do this theyare willing to crush and sacrifice noble little Greece.
England, France, and Italy, on the other hand, do not believe in thesaving of Turkey. They refuse to allow a brave Christian people to bemartyred for the sole purpose of shoring up an Empire that is a disgraceto civilization, and had much better be pulled down, so that a new andmore creditable sovereignty may be built upon its ruins.
The work of the Powers has failed in every direction.
The Admirals of the Allied Fleets which are blockading Crete, receivedorders from their governments to spread the news through the island thatthe Powers offered Crete home rule under a European Prince, and toassure the Cretans that the blockade would be removed the moment theGreek troops were withdrawn from the island.
The Cretans would not listen to this. They sent replies, signed bynearly forty thousand men, representing the entire Cretan population,declaring that they wanted no such arrangement.
Not one of the signers approved of the idea of home rule. The Cretansare determined to be reunited to Greece, their own mother-country, andthey intend to fight until they gain their point.
This action on the part of the Cretans turned every one's attention