Northern Advocate Daily With which is incorporated the Northern Mail Daily. MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1916. THE GREEK POLICY.

Northern Advocate, 18 December 1916, Page 2

Northern Advocate Daily With which is incorporated the Northern Mail Daily.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1916. THE GREEK POLICY.

Registered for transmission through the post as a newspaper.

Many different opinions are held regarding the wisdom ,or lack of wisdom shown in Britain's policy in Greece. While a few months ago there were many who preached the doctrine of patience, the attitude of the King has resulted in a big diminution in their numbers, and the demands for prompt action are most insistent in many quarters. But whether the British course of action was right or wrong a wellinformed writer points out that the problem from the beginning has been a most difficult one, and in this regard it must be remembered that the solution would have been stiil more difficult had it not been for the promptitude with which Britain primarily, although almost immediately followed by France, accepted and acted upon M. Venizclos' invitation to land troops. That invitation was -withdrawn by the King almost within the hour. But Britain had been so quick in throwing in the small force available that the revocation came too late, and the Allies thus

secured, without recourse to force, a footing that may yet. and in all probability will, prove invaluable. It must not be forgotten that the Allies, in dealing with Greece, have to keen steadily in view the fact that they stand before the world in this Great War as the declared champions of the small nations—that they are avowedly fighting for the freedom of the little people* to govern themselves in tho way which each may think best for itself. The necessity for maintaining this attitude must all along have sadlyhampered the actions of the Allies. While Germany, already bereft of any reputation for regarding anything but her own interests, would doubtless have speedily forced matters to an issue, the Allies had to approach the situation with ail delicacy, or else, to the great gratification. of the enemy, stand apparently coi.ivi.-fed oi the very, crime of which they were loudly accusing that enemy The relations of the Allies to Greece were, of course, not comparable with those of Germany to Belgium, and may have afforded justification for the use of force in order to precipitate a crisis. But it would probably have been difficult, to persuade neutrals of this. Hence, no doubt, the seemingly overdone patience with which the Allies have deemed it necessary to treat the. ostensible vacillations of

King (,'ousfantine, although they may always ha\'e been capable of interpretation as hostility. With regard to the later and ■_ , rn ; .'-e.r phases of the Kin.us treachery, it must be renienibered that, although M. Venizelos has headed a National Party whose purpose was intervention on the side of the Allies, he has still sedulously proclaimed his loyalty to the Crown. Even ye!, while calling upon the Allies for protection, ho has not, so far as we have been advised, renounced his allegiance to the reigning monarch. The situation is probably one unparalleled in history, and although there is now so great an outcry ou account of 'ts present apparent gravity, it in,r- y.-i, prove that, with the far future iv view, the diplomacy of the Allies, not Britain only, may not have boon wholly mistaken. But while the arguments advanced by the writer are

sound and reasonable in many respects it is necessary to face the fact that the situation has been steadily growing worse. The policy of patience and moderation was to a great extent dependent upon the Allies success in the Balkans. Had the Allies been in a position to effectually deal with the Bulgars in Macedonia, and had the Roumanian intervention proved successful, there would have been an entirely new phase placed upon the Grecian question. At one time we were in a position to show tolerance. Is that so now? Further dalliance with scruples and theoretical discussion of what the world would think is the right thing to do, may land us in disas j ter. Late messages say that Greece has accepted all the Allies' demands, but this story has been told so often that it must be received with serious limitations.