372 



GREECE. 



Olympia. It likewise ratified a new treaty 

 concluded with the Laurion Mining Company, 

 and, in April, was adjourned by the Govern- 

 ment. The Opposition, which had remained 

 absent to the close of the session, protested 

 against the legality of the proceedings, and, 

 when the King sanctioned the resolutions sub- 

 mitted to him by the ministry, they raised 

 against them charges of violation of the Con- 

 stitution and high-treason. 



In order to calm the extraordinary excite- 

 ment prevailing in the country, the King again 

 tried the formation of a new cabinet. The 

 Greek embassador in Paris, Konduriotis, to 

 whom the task was at first assigned, failed in 

 his attempt, and the new cabinet was then 

 formed under the presidency of C. Trikupis, 

 one of the leaders of the ultra-Democratic 

 party. Another leader of the same party, 0. 

 Lombardos, assumed the Ministry of Finance. 



The new ministry issued a proclamation to 

 the Hellenic people, announcing that the Con- 

 stitution would be restored and would hence- 

 forth be faithfully respected. The most urgent 

 laws, which admitted of no delay, would be 

 provisionally issued by royal decree, but they 

 would be submitted to the new Chamber for 

 ratification. Immediately after its organization 

 the new Chamber would be called upon to des- 

 ignate the members of a definite cabinet who 

 would be acceptable both to the majority and 

 to the King. A royal decree ordered the dis- 

 solution of the Chamber, and the holding of 

 new elections on July 20th. The new Chamber 

 was to meet on August 23d. 



Very exciting rumors about this time not 

 only agitated Greece, but produced a sensation 

 throughout Europe. It was reported and very 

 widely believed that the King was determined 

 to resign, and that a regency would be appoint- 

 ed to govern the country during the minority 

 of the heir-apparent to the throne, the young 

 Duke of Sparta. The Eussian Government 

 was said to have sent to the Piraeus three ships- 

 of-war to take Queen Olga on board and bring 

 her home. Part of these rumors was speedily 

 contradicted, but it was generally admitted 

 that the condition of Greece was most deplo- 

 rable and that a severe crisis might be expect- 

 ed at almost any time. Since the failure of the 

 Cretan insurrection, no foreign questions and 

 hopes for a remodeling of the map of Europe 

 and an extension of the limits of Greece have 

 any longer diverted the attention of politicians 

 from home matters, and, thus circumscribed 

 by the narrow limits of a small kingdom, the 

 parties have become more captious and intol- 

 erant than ever. The narrower the subject of 

 Controversy, the more fiercely it has been dis- 

 cussed, and the Opposition spies out with mi- 

 croscopic eye defects in every existing institu- 

 tion, in everything that the Government does 

 or proposes to do. The nature of the Athe- 

 nian politician renders administration almost 

 impossible. The place-hunting of Greece makes 

 that of every other country insignificant, and 



the aspirants to office pursue one another with 

 a ferocity which neither patriotic feeling nor 

 the authority of the sovereign can restrain. 

 One cabinet succeeds another only to be over- 

 thrown in its turn. The number of men who 

 have held the highest offices is almost in- 

 credible ; those who have been placemen of 

 an inferior degree are not to be reckoned. The 

 Chamber consists of 190 deputies, and is gen- 

 erally so divided as to make a majority hope- 

 less. Five distinct parties are reckoned in it, 

 and each of these sections has its chief or chiefs, 

 and each aspires to rule. Each of them has 

 had its turn at one time or another, and each 

 has succumbed. 



The new elections took place in July, with- 

 out any pressure being brought to bear upon 

 the electors by the cabinet. In the new 

 Chamber, Kumunduros was believed to have 

 58 trustworthy adherents; Deligeorgis, 40; 

 Zaimis, 30; Trikupis, 30; and Bulgaria, 17. 

 The session of the new Chamber was opened 

 by the King on August 23d. In the speech 

 from the throne, the King promised that a new 

 ministry would be formed from the ranks of 

 the majority of the Chamber, that the Consti- 

 tion would be conscientiously observed, the real 

 estate taxes reorganized, and a military edu- 

 cation provided for all citizens. The speech 

 was well received by the country. The Cham- 

 ber elected Kumunduros as President by 136 

 against 17 votes, a mark of confidence which 

 induced the King to intrust to him the forma- 

 tion of a new ministry. Kumunduros had in 

 the new ministry, in addition to the presidency, 

 the Department of the Interior. The other 

 members of the ministry were : Kondastapu- 

 los, Minister of Foreign Affairs, in one of the 

 former cabinets Minister of Justice ; Colonel 

 Karaiskakis, son of one of the leaders in the 

 War of Independence, Minister of War ; Aire- 

 rino, Minister of the Navy ; Papazafiropulos, 

 Minister of Justice ; Milissi, Minister of Public 

 Worship ; Sotoripulos, Minister of Finances. 

 The new premier, in the name of the ministry, 

 fully explained his plan of government, and 

 announced bills for employing the monastic 

 property for the establishment of agricultural 

 banks, for introducing a landwehr, for improv- 

 ing the electoral law, and for making the min- 

 isters responsible. The new President of the 

 Chamber, Zaimis, assured the ministry that it 

 would be strongly supported by the represen- 

 tatives of the people. In November the 

 Chamber resolved to impeach all the members 

 of the cabinet of Bulgaris for violating the 

 Constitution. Two of the members, Valassa- 

 pulos and Nikolopulus, were moreover charged 

 with having accepted bribes at the appoint- 

 ment of three bishops of the state Church, 

 and Delyannis, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, 

 with having appointed embassadors for whom 

 the budget had not made any appropriations. 

 Of the laws passed by the former Chamber dur- 

 ing the absence of the Opposition, twenty-one 

 were declared to be invalid on the ground that 



