Kechriotis|303also in Turkish in the Ottoman high school. In his lectures, as he himself informs
us, he pledged that the main task of a Greek deputy in the Ottoman Parliament
would be “the defense of human rights, of the general interests of civilization and
progress in the whole Greek and Ottoman East.”
Regarding his status as a deputy, both the Istanbul and the Smyrniot Greek
press defended Carolidis as someone who had never ceased to be an Ottoman
subject, regardless of what nationality he might have been granted abroad, and
drew parallels between his case and the fate of many Young Turks, who, per-
secuted by the absolutist regime, were granted different nationalities. Not sur-
prisingly, his candidacy irritated many Ottoman Muslims. The selection of an
outsider, however, also triggered frustration among some Ottoman Greeks.
Conflicts had existed among different groups within the Smyrniot community
for decades. Thus, his candidacy did not receive unanimous support—that is,
from both Muslims and Christians. Many did not see him as a Smyrniot, even if
he was an acknowledged scholar with local roots. In contrast, Carolidis saw his
nomination as the call of duty and believed that his candidacy should have been
supported by everybody “just to show the power of Hellenism in Smyrna, in or-
der for the Smyrniots to show that they were able to call even a professor from a
Hellenic University and elect him as deputy.”
In his memoirs, Carolidis admits that had he known he would be targeted so
harshly in the years to come he would have preferred to remain at the university.
However, moved by the strong support of the Smyrniot community, he decided
to accept the position. When he reached Smyrna after his election to the parlia-
ment, his failure to obtain permission to leave from the Ottoman administration
when he had fled Smyrna caused him a great deal of embarrassment at the pass-
port office. He describes the surprise of the officer there when two local notables
came to his assistance and presented him as an Ottoman deputy. Carolidis was
dressed alafranga (in the modern style); had arrived from Pireaus, the port of
Athens, the capital of Greece; and possessed no Ottoman documents. He was
fined thirty drachmas. Despite a legal register showing an entry for Carolidis
being found at Bayındır (a town close to Smyrna) and Carolidis himself visiting
the local registrar’s office to settle the issue, it would take some time before he
obtained the necessary documentation.
Despite all these legal complications, Carolidis embarked on his new career
full of hope. It was his strong belief that the new regime would open the ground
for a sincere understanding between the different ethnicities of the empire. This
presupposed that the Turkish-Muslim majority would respect what he described
as “the national rights of Hellenism,” but it also required the Ottoman Greeks to
fully abide by Ottoman legislation. This mutual understanding would conclude
with the joint action of the Greek Orthodox and the Turkish Muslim elements
against what Carolidis considered the fatal danger for both, the Slavic threat.