GREECE. 



hrld :it Athens. It was addressed by Profess- 

 in- Papponigopnlon, Cocino, and Darnala, who 

 dwelt upon the intolerable position of the 

 Greek provinces of Turkey, and expressed 

 regret that the powers, in their proposals for 

 tin.- paritiration of the East, had ignored the 

 iiiti-ivsts and just claims of these provinces, 

 thus creating an inequality between them and 

 the provinces inhabited by the Slavs. They 

 maintained that the Greeks had been treated 

 \\iih neglect, as the reward for the services 

 they had rendered at the wish of the powers 

 to the cause of peace, and they urged the 

 (iivi'k nation to complete its preparations and 

 hold itself in readiness for every eventuality. 

 To a deputation visiting him from this meet- 

 ing, Minister Kumunduros replied, on the 3d, 

 that Greece would act very unwisely if it 

 should now plunge itself into the inevitable 

 dangers attending a participation in the Turk- 

 ish controversy. When it came to a settle- 

 ment, Europe would not ignore the rights of 

 Greece. An armament would cost money, and 

 whoever sought it must apply to the Cham- 

 bers. On the 20th of October the minister- 

 president laid before the Chambers .the pro- 

 gramme of the Government. Without believing 

 that war would come immediately, he would 

 have Greece ready for any event, so far as 

 concerned necessary preparations. He had a 

 bill to lay before the Chambers to perfect a 

 military organization, so that Greece would 

 soon be in a position to demand and defend 

 the rights it claimed. The bill contemplated 

 the imposition of an obligatory military ser- 

 vice, and an increase of the regular forces. 

 The military exercises which the youth in the 

 schools had gone through during the year 

 would facilitate this work. Besides, all men 

 between twenty and thirty years of age should 

 be drilled, and if necessary incorporated into 

 the army. By such measures, the Government 

 u on Id soon have a considerable force on a war 

 footing. In regard to internal policy, the 

 minister advised the leaders of the different 

 groups in the Assembly to select a ministry 

 which knew the wants of the country, and go 

 hand-in-hand with it. The bill introduced by 

 Minister Kumunduros provided for a land- 

 force of 200,000 men, of which 120,000 should 

 consist of active troops, and 80,000 should be 

 anrollod as reserves or Landwehr, and for 

 the raising by loan of the sum of 10,000,000 

 drachmas, to be secured by an increase of 

 taxes. The deputies, shortly afterward, 88 to 

 77, passed a vote of confidence in the Gov- 

 ernment, approving its precautionary policy. 

 Nineteen deputies, however, did not vote. 



On the llth of November the Minister of 

 Foreign Affairs, M. Contostavlos, made to 

 the Chamber an address, in which, after ex- 

 pressing his agreement with the views pre- 

 viously expressed by M. Kumunduros. he 

 made substantially the following declarations : 



We have followed a peaceful policy, and shnll ad- 

 uere to it, unless events compel us to another. In- 



VOL. xvi. 24 A 



aiunuch M there exists a probability that we may t 

 mbamned t>y the events of a war, we propone 

 militury preparation*, not UH significant of warlike 

 designs, but as a measure of precaution. W< . 

 that Europe, guided by u sense of jui-tico and n-' Ic- 

 ing a permanent peace, will undertake efficient nd 

 suitable steps in the Eunt, to secure the rights of tie 

 Christian people and preserve tranquillity, and will 

 thereby facilitate our adherence to the policy which 

 we have marked out und held to, but for the further 

 observance of which we need a moral support. In- 

 deed, 1 would be wanting in sincerity if I sought to 

 conceal the fact that continued inactivity when the 

 future of the Greeks subjects of the Porte is con- 

 cerned would be scarcely conceivable, nay, would 

 be impossible, for the kingdom of 'ireece. What 

 binds the free Greeks ana the others is not only 

 community of race, language, thought, and national 

 traditions ; it is in a higher degree the consciouc- 

 ness of the obligation that free Greece owes to all 

 Greeks. For the freedom of the Greek kingdom 

 was obtained only by the common struggles of all 

 Greeks, and no power on earth could bind Greece to 

 quiet and inactivity in the face of the perpetration 

 of injustice against the subject Greeks. 



The defensive bill passed its first reading in the 

 Chamber of Deputies on November 28d. Sub- 

 sequently the clause providing for an increase 

 of one-half per cent, in the taxes on articles of 

 consumption, for the purpose of securing the 

 interest and payment of the loan of 10,000,000 

 drachmas contemplated in the bill, was lost on 

 a second division 82 to 81. Upon this vote 

 Kumunduros and his fellow-ministers resigned. 

 The formation of a new cabinet was under- 

 taken by Deligeorgis. Upon the appearance 

 of the new ministry in the Chamber the depu- 

 ties, by a vote of 88 to 59, made it understood 

 that it was not acceptable to them. The King 

 seemed to have no resource but to call Kumun- 

 duros again to the head of the ministry. Be- 

 sides the office of minister-president, Kumun- 

 duros also took charge of the Department of 

 Justice. Bubulis was appointed Minister of 

 the Marine, and the other ministers of the old 

 cabinet were retained in the posts they had 

 previously held. A proposition made by the 

 newly-organized ministry to refer the bill for 

 defensive preparations to a special committee 

 was adopted by the Chamber, 101 to 57 Zai- 

 mis, Trikupis, and Bulgaria, with their fol- 

 lowers, voting for it, while only the party of 

 Deligeorgis stood out against it. After that 

 the Chamber approved of the obtaining of a 

 loan of 10.000,000 drachmas for the reorgan- 

 ization of the army and for other especial mili- 

 tary measures 



Judicial processes were begun, February 7th, 

 against M. Valassapulos, ex-Minister of Wor- 

 ship; M. Nikolapulos, ex-Minister of Justice; 

 and the Archbishops of Cephalonia, Patras, 

 and Messene, for simony. The case was one 

 that attracted great popular interest. The court 

 was held in the new court-room, in which the 

 Chamber of Deputies had sat for three months, 

 and which was capable of holding one thou- 

 sand men. The President of the Court of Cas- 

 sation, Balbis, presided over a court of twelve 

 judges. The Chamber of Deputies was rep- 

 resented by five prosecutors chosen from the 



