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Show Grecian King Abdicates Throne I & & & H Revolution Brewing In Kingdom I CROWN PRINCE, WITH VENIZELOS I BEHIND HIM, ACCEDES TO RULE I Garrisons at Saloniki, Voduna and Fort Little Karaburun JH Surrender to Committee Representing New Power Probability Monarchy Will Abandon Neutrality Maintained Since Outbreak of War Constan-tin Constan-tin Now Reported to Have Fled to 'Pro-tection 'Pro-tection of German Soldiers. London, Sept. 1, 1:25 p. m. King Constantine of Greece has abdicated, according to the British official press representative at Saloniki. The press representative says the king has abdicated in favor of the crown prince with Venizelos as the power behind the throne. The new policy, he reports, will be to work with the entente allies. According to this information. Premier Pre-mier Zaimis will remain at the head of the government Tho correspondent questions whether wheth-er the entente allies desires tho active ac-tive assistance of Greece. Ward Price, to whom the above despatch des-patch is credited, is the official British press representative, designated by the government to act for all British publications In that area. Nevertheless Neverthe-less his despatches are subject not only to the Greek censorship but to the French military censorship which controls all lines of communion from Athens. The fact that both censorships, censor-ships, as well as the British censorship censor-ship in London have permitted this despatch to come through is insignificant insignifi-cant On Tuesday, Mr. Price sent from Saloniki a report that King Constantine Constan-tine had fled from Athens to Larlssa. This despatch was discredited in London Lon-don official circles. Doubt also appeared ap-peared to be cast on Its correctness by despatches filed from Athens Wednesday, Wed-nesday, one of them telling of coming meetings betwen the king and entente ministers, and others having to do with the Illness of the king, who recently re-cently underwent a slight operation-It operation-It Is possible, however, that the king may have departed secretly from Athens, as reported by Mr. Price, and that his absence was concealed from tho newspaper correspondents there. The reign of Constantine I as king of the Hellenes was brief, dating only from March IS, 1913. when his father, George I, was assassinated in Salonikl. Brief as the reign was, Constantine had enjoyed a period of remarkable popularity and increased the territory of the Greek monarchy by over fifty percent. Born on August 3, 1S6S, ho was educated largely by private tutors from Leipslc, which was said to have stamped upon him a permanent German Ger-man influence. His military education educa-tion was furthered by attendance at maneuvers in Germany. Ho became a brother-in-law of the German Emperor Em-peror by marrying the latter's sister, Princess Sophia, in 1889. His alleged pro-German leanings, thus Indicated, were not always popular popu-lar with his people, and during tho war a strong party antagonistic to his deslro to have Greece preserve neutrality and in favor of joining fhe allies, precipitated a cabinet crisis which was weathered with difficulty. How He Became Popular Idol. The most interesting chapter of Constantino's life is the way in which he became the people's idol. Like nis ratner, ne nau nis ups ana aowns in favor, the Greek having been quick-changing quick-changing in their likes and dislikes. In 1896 when he saw his country drifting drift-ing war with Turkey, he sounded a warning that the Greek army was utterly ut-terly unprepared for a campaign. Tho infantry was armed with condemned French rifles, which had cost $2 each; the cartridges were 15 years old; there was no cavalry; the artillery was obsolete, and its officers few. Nevertheless, the country decided upon war. The result was disastrous a humiliating defeat for Greece. Immediately Im-mediately the popular tide turned against its rulers; whom it denounced as foreigners who could have little In common with the Greoks. The King and Queen were hooted in the IH streets, and the officers turned their backs upon the Crown Prince. A similar spirit was roused against IH the royal house when, in 1909, King jH George tried to oppose the popular jH clamor for the annexation of Crete, knowing that Turkey was eagerly awaiting such an excuse to bring a second crushing defeat upon Greece. IH This time the clamor almost became JH a revolt, and the King was obliged toj yield to the demand of the military league, both for a reorganization of the army and for the dismissal of tho Crown Prince as Generalissimo. He IH thereupon decided to accept a com- mand in the Russian army, but the JH opposition to him was smoothed out and he was restored to his former dignities. Hero During Balkan War. He finally became a national hero in the Balkan war of 1912, when he led an army of 10,000 Greeks to the capture of Saloniki, causing 30,000 IH Turks to lay down their arms. His popularity was such, as a result of this feat, that Greeks in America raised several thousand dollars with which to purchase a gift sword, in-scribed: in-scribed: "To Constantine, tho Liber- When Constantine came to the IH throne it was said he aimed to restore the former grandeur of the ancient JA Hellenic Empire, and that he was as believer in the old national prophecy 'M that under the reign of a Constantine and a Sophia the Eastern Empire would be called into life again and IH the cross restored on St. Sophia at IH Constantinople in place of the cres- cent IH By the peace treaties signed after IH the Balkan wars, Greece added a con-siderable con-siderable stretch of Turkish territory to her domain and in December, 1913, the long desired annexation of the Islands of Crete was carried out, King Constantine himself hoisting the Hel-lenic Hel-lenic flag over the fort. With the entrance of Turkey Into JM the European war the quesf of the Intervention of Greece soon b-jcame to be seriously considered but King jH Constantine insisted upon strict neu-trallty. neu-trallty. The cabinet, headed by Pre-mier Pre-mier Venizelos, which was for war on the side of the allies, finally tended jH its resignation. The Greek attitude, at least so far as the war party was concerned, was largely to the effect that If Greece had to hand in the war, jH her Interests might suffer when peace was arranged. Attempted to Explain. IH The Athens correspondent of the jH London Morning Post on March 29, 1915, attempted to explain the sltua-tion sltua-tion in a letter in which he said that JH in tho second month of tho war the Greek Premier had intimated to the Entente Powers that Greece would join their cause actively if the neces-slty neces-slty should arise, and with the com-mencement com-mencement of the operations against jH the Dardanelles the government be-llevcd be-llevcd the time had como for Greece to abandon her neutrality. The King however, refused to countenance this plan. It was argued that sending 'H forces to tho Dardanelles would dan- gerously weaken Greece's defence on jH tho Bulgarian frontier, and slnco Greece had received no formal invlta- jH tion from tho Triple Entente her en- IH trance Into the war would be undor- jH taken without any guarnatee from tho jH powers as to the Greek position on tho mainland. "The King's refusal to conaont to IH the war policy," said the Post corro IH spondent, "was undoubtedly actuatod IH in all good faith by a patriotic con jH sideration of the military difficulties. tiH Unfortunately, his entourage 1b known to hold strong pro-German sentiment, (Continued on Pago 7.) Grecian King Abdicates Throne (Continued from page 1.) The principal officers of the general staff are pupils of the Berlin Krieg-sakademie, Krieg-sakademie, and are firmly convinced that Germany must ultimately win this waj This, and not fear of Bulgaria Bul-garia Is the real reason of their opposition oppo-sition to Greece's participation in the operations against Turkey. "The Queen, of course, as a Hohen-zollern Hohen-zollern princess, is wholly for her brother's cause. Hardly a day passes but she receives from the German military attache the official German war reports. I am Informed by personages per-sonages who are competent to know that on the evening preceding the King's tlnal decision a long telegram from the Emperor was received at the Palace doutbless urging Greece's abstention from the war. I am also informed from the same source that the Queen openly declared that, if Greece took such action, she would immediately leave her adopted country."' coun-try."' London, Sept. 1, 1:23 a. m. The surrender of several Greek garrisons to a committee which has taken over the administration of part of Greek Macedonia is reported .in a Router dispatch from Salonlki. According to this dispatch, the garrisons gar-risons at Saloniki, Vodona and Fort Little Karaburun have surrendered to the committee. Various rumors are in circulation here in regard to the situation In Greece. Reuter dispatches from Salonlki Sa-lonlki say there has been fighting be- tweenthe Greek garrison at Salonlki and Greek volunteers recently organized organ-ized to assist the Greek regulars who are resisting the Bulgarians in Mace, donla. French troops intervened to suppress sup-press the fighting and the garrison finally surrendered and marched out of Salonlki. Fighting occurred in Saloniki, the correspondent adds, but serious trouble trou-ble was prevented by the intervention of soldiers or the entente. "The revolution claimed its first victims vic-tims at 4:30 o'clock this morning," the correspondent cables. "Cretan gendarmes and Macedonian volun. teers surrounded the barracks of the Greek infantry in Saloniki and exchanged ex-changed shots with the garrison. But for the intervention of the allies the consequences might have been more serious. "After half promising to participate partici-pate in a demonstration arranged yesterday yes-terday by a pro-ally committee, the Greek troops finally refused. During the night the pro-ally volunteers made a determined attempt to seize the barracks but failed. It is asserted one gendarme was killed and that ded. The losses of the lovalists have not been ascertained." ascer-tained." On Its face this dispatch indicates that a revolution is under way in Greece but the message is worded vaguely, probably on account of the censorship. There have been various indications since the entrance of Rumania into the war of political turmoil in Greece owing to the conflicts between the neutralists, represented by King Con-stantine, Con-stantine, and those who desire to intervene in-tervene in the war with the entente allies, led by former Premier Venize-los. Venize-los. An Athens dispatch received yesterday predicted that Greece would abandon neutrality within the immediate im-mediate future. It has also been reported re-ported that King Constantine was finding his position very difficult on account of the Greek strength of the pro-entente faction and it was reported re-ported from Saloniki In a dispatch filed on Tuesday that the king had taken flight to Larissa where he was under the protection of German, soldiers. sol-diers. This report, however, was discredited dis-credited in official circles in London. There Is in existence in Greece a committee representing the Liberal or Venizelos faction and it is possible that the Greek garrisons surrendered to this or some similar body. The committee was appointed on Sunday on the occasion of the demonstration demonstra-tion of 50,000 Greeks before the residence resi-dence of M. Venizelos in Athens and was Instructed to present to the king resolutions warning him not to interfere in the approaching elections I and to prepare the army for a possible nmture of existing conditions. The part of Greek Macedonia In which the forts mentioned surrendered surren-dered is in northern Greece close behind be-hind the front on which the entente allies are fighting the Bulgarians and their allies. Vodena is on the railroad rail-road line between Saloniki and Mon. astir an important means of com. munlcation for the entente allies. It is 45 miles west of Salor.lki. Fort Little Karaburun is on the Gulf of Saloniki about ten miles south of the city. |