Those principles, thanks to the conciliatory spirit of Mr. Venizelos,
the prime minister, and the steady support of King Constantine, who was
also commander-in-chief, were loyally followed in Greece. A few days
after the declaration of war against the Ottoman Empire, into which
Greece was precipitately hastened by the unexpected action of Servia
and Bulgaria, the Greek foreign minister addressed a communication to
the Allies on the subject of the division of conquered territory. He
traced the line of Greek claims, as based on ethnological grounds, and
added that, as he foresaw difficulties in the way of a direct
adjustment, he thought the disputed points should be submitted to
arbitration. But months followed months without bringing from Bulgaria
any clear reply to this just and reasonable proposal of the Greek {105}
government. Nevertheless, Mr. Venizelos persisted in his attitude of
conciliation toward Bulgaria. He made concessions, not only in Thrace
but in Eastern Macedonia, for which he was bitterly criticized on the
ground of sacrificing vital Greek interests to Bulgaria. He
recognized, as his critics refused to do, that the Balkan question
could not be settled on ethnological principles alone; one had to take
account also of geographical necessities. He saw that the Greeks in
Thrace must be handed over to Bulgaria. He demanded only the
Macedonian territory which the Greek forces had actually occupied,
including Saloniki with an adequate hinterland. As the attitude of
Bulgaria became more uncompromising, as she pushed her army of
occupation further westward, Mr. Venizelos was even ready to make the
River Struma the eastern boundary of New Greece, and to abandon to
Bulgaria the Aegean littoral between the Struma and the Mesta Rivers
including Greek cities like Kavala, {106} Seres, and Drama. But these
new concessions of Mr. Venizelos were in danger of alienating from him
the support of the Greek nation without yielding anything in return
from Bulgaria. The outbreak of the war between the Allies saved him
from a difficult political position. Yet against that war Mr.
Venizelos strove resolutely to the end. And when in despite of all his
efforts war came, he was justified in saying, as he did say to the
national parliament, that the Greeks had the right to present
themselves before the civilized world with head erect because this new
war which was bathing with blood the Balkan Peninsula had not been
provoked by Greece or brought about by the demand of Greece to receive
satisfaction for all her ethnological claims. And this position in
which he had placed his country was, he proudly declared, a "moral
capital" of the greatest value.
{107}