The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-21
BULGARIAN AFFAIRS.
Prince A1exander's Rise In Popularity-Hte
Successful War Of Self-Defense.

ErlnC0 AlexanO9rB fSlS0 In FOpuIar1Cy-nAS
Successful War of Self-Defense.
Correspondence OF the indianapolis Journal.
CoNsTANTINoPLE, Dec. 19-Prince Alexander
of Bulgaria is deservedly the hero of the hour.
His worst enemies are compelled to praise his
gallant defense Of the principality. He has GER
tainly been lucky man. Fortune gives to few
the opportunity he has had to extricate them
selves from such intricate and dangerous snares.
One cannot help thinking, as he reviews the late
struggle between Bulgaria and Servia. of the
sturdy defense made by the Prussian Frederick
the Great in the memorable seven years war.
The parallel is striking.
AS the seven years war was brought on by the
seizure Of the province Of SILICA by Frederick
SO the late troubles in the Balkan peninsula were
occasioned by the union of Eastern Roumelia
and Bulgaria. Frederick the Great possessed a
small territory, and was pitted against every
nation on the continent SO Prince Alexander
did not have a friend to fall back on. Russia
was threatening him with an army of occupa-
ton on the northeast She had already
done him all the personal injury
she could by degrading him from
her army; and had besides recalled all the Rus
sian officers from the Bulgarian army, which
was at the best small. even to insignifcance. On
the south, Turkey has been ready for a month
to pour hundred thousand troops into the dis
puted territory. and that, too with a strong plea
Of justice. Greece has all along been jealous Of
Bulgaria. and is ready to 60 to any extreme to
keep the young nationality from realizing its
ambition. Servia on the west, backed by the
Austro Hungarian empire, with a veteran army
of 900 well oficered men, has already shown
the ferceness of her displeasure
Unlike Frederick the Great. Prince Alexander
has had at his disposal body of troops that a
short time ago could hardly have been dignifed
by the title of army. The Czar of Russia, the
inveterate personal enemy of the Prince of Bull
garia, thought he had hopelessly crippled the
army of the principality when he recalled all the
officers above the rank Of captain. and to all ap-
pearance he had attained his object. But he
had not reckoned on the executive ability of the
Prince, nor on the vitality Of the newly-awak-
ened nation. The enthusiastic call to war. the
vigorous drilling of the troops which 1 witnessed
in all the great centers Of the country, and the
skill exercised in selecting native officers, have
done much toward reaching present results
We must take into account that Prince Alex
ander himself, man only twenty-nine years old,
did not enter the German army until 1870, and
the Russian army until 1877. He had been in no
responsible position before he was placed over
Bulgaria by the late Gear. He has achieved his
great success over the Servians by sheer personal
might. He has extorted praise throughout Rus
sia, and his greatest danger just at present seems
to lie in the probability of a reconciliation be-
tween himself and the Gear, which will again
place him in more or less dependent position.
1t will be some time before the public will
have an accurate account of the movements of
the Servian and Bulgarian armies in the late
struggle. Few campaigns, even at this distance,
have been set before the public by more garbled
reports It seems that the Servian army began
its march for Sofia Nov. H. Crossing the from
tier near Pirot, the Servians gained their first
decided victory at Zaribrod. Pushing on through
the Dragoman Pass, they scattered everything
before them. But at Slivnitza, almost in sight
of the capital. Sofia, they discovered their mas
ter They were tnrned back in confusion. In
fourteen days they were driven back through the
Dragoman Pass. Pressing across the frontier,
Prince Alexander routed the enemy at their base
of operations. The capture of Prot. after one
of the bloodest battles of the war. left him all
the honors of the campaign. Te Deum was
sung Nov. 29 in all the churches of Sofa.
At this point negotiations for peace put stop
still investing Widin, an important town on the
Danube Prince Alexander has shown his wis
dom ir peace as well as in war The early sue
cess OF the Servians reveals the weakness of the
individual Bulgarian soldiers. who, in fact, had
never before fired q gun in earnest The Prince
was however, host in himself He is reported
to have been omnipresent upon the field, point
ing the artillery. making reconuoissances, and
terminating his crude soldiery. The Car has
gratuitously condescended to praise the valor
and discipline Of the "troops Of Bulgaria and
Roumelia," and thus incidentally acknowledges
the union of the two Bulgarias
This successful war of self-defense has done
more TO cement the two sections than all the
together. The tide has turned in their favor
throughout Europe. Prince Alexander has
found firm friend in the Queen of England,
and English influence Is active in his defense
His loyalty to the Porte counts largely in his
favor, and if he can secure himself from Rus
sian army Of occupation, his future and
that Of his subjects seem to be secure. If
Bulgaria shall again become O mere tool OF Rus
sia her civilization will be retarded generation.
It is true she owes her very existence to Russia.
When the Servians threw of the Russian yoke
the latter power brought forward the Bulgarians,
which. up to that date. had been merged in the
mass Of Greek Royalist and were enthusiastically
subject to the Ecumenical Patriarch, and were
in the gradual process Of Hellenization. Russia
first gave them ecclesiastical independence,
stopped the Helleniziug influence, and gave them
national sense It took General Ignatieff eight
years to accomplish so much. The war of 1878
gave them political independence But this
Russia would not allow them to enjoy. She re-
sisted every attempt at internal organization.
and used the young nationality as an instrument
with which to punish Servia and to advance her
cause generally on the Balkin peninsula Hap
PLY Bulgaria has. for time at least, escaped
from the control of her heartless matron. She
can never take her proper position in the affairs
neighbor. For the first time in her history she