This is the story of the Greco-Turkish war. The great Powers stood quietly by and let Greece be sacrificed, and then insisted upon a shameful treaty, that will bring ruin and distress to a sister country, because the financiers were unwilling to lose money they had invested.
The Powers are, however, by no means satisfied with the result of their fifteen weeks of deliberation and discussion. They feel that the Sultan has got much the best of them at every point, and even though he has agreed to do so, they are uncertain whether he intends to keep faith with them about either Crete or Thessaly.
It is said that as soon as the first five million dollars is paid he will invent some fresh excuse for keeping his soldiers in Thessaly a little longer, and that he will lengthen the time little by little, until, in the end, he will retain possession of Thessaly altogether.
He has already hinted that he does not mean to keep faith about Crete.
He told the Italian ambassador the other day that in return for the good terms he had made with Greece he expected the Powers to be very lenient in regard to Crete.
The ambassador, much surprised at this remark, ventured to remind the Sultan that Home Rule for Crete had already been agreed on.
The crafty Sultan smiled and shrugged his shoulders, and intimated to the ambassador that the settlement of affairs in Crete was not quite so sure as he seemed to think.
The conclusion of the peace has left every one weary and annoyed. The Powers evidently feel ashamed of the part they have taken in the affair, and are seeking to find an excuse for their own wrongdoings by blaming their representatives. It is therefore rumored that all the ambassadors at Constantinople are to be changed, because the Powers feel that they have been outwitted by the Sultan, and can no longer have any influence with him.
It must not be supposed that the Greeks are taking the matter quietly.
A feeling of intense indignation prevails throughout Greece. Mass-meetings have been held protesting against the treaty, bonfires have been built at which the people have eased their feelings by burning copies of the hated peace document. It is even thought that the Greek Congress, the Boulé, may refuse to accept the treaty as it stands.