Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 143, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 July 1917 — AMERICA IN WAR MEANS FREE WORLD [ARTICLE]

AMERICA IN WAR MEANS FREE WORLD

Former Premier of Greece Says Democratic Nations Will Attain Peace Ideals. CHANGE IN RUSSIA PLEASES Attempt to. Establish “Divine Right” in Greece “Doomed to Failure," Says Famous Statesman — Sympathies With Entente. By ELEUTHERIOS VENIZELOS. (President of the Greek Provisional Government.) Salonica.—The change that has taken place in the Russian government has been hailed by the new Greece with sincere joy, becansethe abolition of despotism and the triumph of democratic principles in Russia proves in the most conclusive manner that the struggle now going on in the world is essentially a contest between democracy arid autocracy. The entrance into the war -of the great American republic is the most emphatic confirmation possible of the nature of the world conflict. The struggle of the Greek liberal forces against King Constant ine’s clique has never been a fight between people* favoring war and those who favor peace, but it is a struggle of democracy against autrocracy. No party wished for a prolonged period of» peace more than the Liberals, especially after the exhaustion resulting from the tw.o recent Balkan wars. Sympathies With the Entente. Because of the democratic sentiments of the country, however, as well as on account of the bonds of gratitude and common interest. existing between the powers that guaranteed Greek safety and constitution in the eastern Mediterranean, and also because of our alliance with Serbia, all our sympathies were from the beginning of the war with the entente powers. Moreover, we were firmly con--vinced that the developments of the great struggle would, sOoner or later, make our intervention inevitable on account of our treaty with Serbia. In this conviction we were strengthened after Turkey, which never recognized our sovereignty over the isles of the archipelago and which never ceased to proclaim plainly that she would go as far as a war declaration In order to take possession of them, had entered into the war on the. side of the central powers. There never was any doubt in our minds that the world war was our own war and that it was incumbent upon us to enter into it at the first opportunity. Opposed to this policy was that of the king, who claimed that we should

maintain our neutrality until the moment Bulgaria attacked Serbia. Had this policy of the king been sincere it would have been entirely honorable. But, as events afterward demonstrated, his policy lacked sincerity. Under the veneer of pacifism that policy attempted to exploit the lassitude which seized Greece after the two Balkan wars. But in reality his policy was due to a secret pact with Germany and had no other purpose than promoting the victory of Germany, because the triumph of Prusslanism* in the king’s opinion, was the only possible oppor-. tunlty for him to impose on Greece an absolute monarchy. We have proof of this. When Bui-, garia attacked Serbia the crown immediately took a position conflicting with that of the majority of the new parliament, refusing to fulfill the obligations contracted by our alliance with Serbia, arid thus opposing the will of the enjire country as expressed through the recent election. The king told me at that time that he did not consider himself bound to abide by the wishes of the people. He said that whenever an important international matter came up for decision he reserved the right to impose upon the nation his personal viewpoint, claiming that he was responsible to God only.

“Divine Right" Doomed to Failure. It is quite obvious that such an attempt to establish in Greece the principle of monarchy by divine right is doomed to failure at a time when that very principle is abolished in Russia Furthermore, the victory over Prussian absolutism and militarism, which will be more decisive and more complete now, owing to the immense material and moral resources thrown in the balance by the great republic, will not only result in the miserable failure of the attempt made by King Constantine, but, we believe and hope, will also demolish in Germany, to its very foundations, the antiquated institution of autocracy, which is incompatible with modern civilization and with the ideals that gave birth to the great North American republic. Allow me to add that the entrance of the United States into the war against the central powers and the noble w’ords uttered by the president in congress make U certain for us that the peace that w’lll follow the victory will give birth to a new political world, tn which the right of self-government will be guaranteed to every people. The league of democratic nations will attain the ideal of universal' peace and eradicate forever the destructive agency now ravaging humanity. . -