How near Greece was to an alliance with Turkey the world may never
know. At the time nothing of the sort was even suspected. It {40} was
not until Turkey had been overpowered by the forces of the four
Christian states and the attitude of Bulgaria toward the other three on
the question of the division of the conquered territories had become
irreconcilable and menacing that Mr. Venizelos felt it proper to
communicate to the Greek people the history of the negotiations by
which the Greek government had bound their country to a partner now
felt to be so unreasonable and greedy. Feeling in Greece was running
high against Bulgaria. The attacks on Mr. Venizelos's government were
numerous and bitter. He was getting little or no credit for the
victory that had been won against Turkey, while his opponents denounced
him for sacrificing the fruits of that victory to Bulgaria. The Greek
nation especially resented the occupation by Bulgarian troops of the
Aegean coast lands with their large Hellenic population which lay
between the Struma and the Mesta including the cities of Seres and
Drama and especially Kavala with {41} its fine harbor and its
hinterland famed for crops of choice tobacco.
It was on the fourth of July, 1913, a few days after the outbreak of
the war between Bulgaria and her late allies, that Mr. Venizelos made
his defence in an eloquent and powerful speech at a special session of
the Greek parliament. The accusation against him was not only that
during the late war he had sacrificed Greek interests to Bulgaria but
that he had committed a fatal blunder in joining her in the campaign
against Turkey. His reply was that since Greece could not stand alone
he had to seek allies in the Balkans, and that it was not his fault if
the choice had fallen on Bulgaria. He had endeavored to maintain peace
with Turkey. Listen to his own words:
"I did not seek war against the Ottoman Empire. I would not have
sought war at a later date if I could have obtained any adjustment of
the Cretan question--that thorn in the side of Greece which can no
longer be left as {42} it is without rendering a normal political life
absolutely impossible for us. I endeavored to adjust this question, to
continue the policy of a close understanding with the neighboring
empire, in the hope of obtaining in this way the introduction of
reforms which would render existence tolerable to the millions of
Greeks within the Ottoman Empire."