New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-23
THE WAR IN THE EAST.
with reason.

The war drags on without determination, nut
Time is fighting for the Greeks. The tremen-
dous rush of the Turkish legons through 'he
masses Of Mount Tltanas-and no troops on earth
can rush with greater force than they-has been
checked on the Xeragl The seemingly ire
sistbe force Is Mt n standstill. its momentum
lost Can II get under way again? And with
sufficient power TO overcome the stubborn re-
sistance of an equal force before it at Larissa!
We shall see. But every hours delay makes 1t
less probable. In the mean time the Greeks are
closing in around the invaders. They hold Ke-
veni with the grip of death They destroy the
important base of supplies at Platamona, per-
haps thus to close in at both sides upon Eias-
soma. They capture Saagora. encrcle the Guil
of Arta and raid unchecked through Eplrus,
threatening Janina as much as Edhem Pacha
threatens Larissa. Their warships rule the sea-
destroy the Turkish ports and make the Turk
ish Navy hide behind the strongholds OF the
Dardanelles No wonder Edhem calls for rein
forcements and the Porte for volunteers. The
spirit of Marathon and PlatPa is aroused. 1t
Will take that of Amurath and Solyman to meet
it. But are they there?
Nor Is the strife confined 10 the Thessalan
border 'WheresOever the carcase is there VIII
the eagles be gathered together" Wherefore
Rumania strengthens her defences and Bulgaria
deems the opportunity suspicious for making
embarrassing demands upon the Porte and for
putting her army upon fighting basis Not
out of any love for Greece, this latter. Weather
through rivalry. no doubt, But the end Is the
embarrassment of the Porte. The latter.
we are told, is more concerned over Bulgaria
aggressiveness than over Greece's stubborn re-
slstance 1t well may be. For while Greece
means a storm. Bulgaria means deluge once
let Prince Ferdinand declare for war. and there
will be war on every inch Of Turkeys border,
Servla and Montenegro joining in the fray, and
Austria Hungary in an expectant attitude with
lnstOck at the lannon's touch-hole. For Bull
garia IS, after all. Russian puppet and if she
moves the armies of the Car are modified
1t would be idle TO suppose the great Powers
have much love for Turkey. They, too are
eagles. gathered over spoils IF Turkey fails in
her attack upon Greece, they will exact the pen
atty The Austro-Hungarian eye Is fixed upon
Salonica as earnestly as ever. Russia still
dreams of Stamboul. and waking is prepared
to make her dreams come true. And England
covets Crete and sends her navies drifting near
or and nearer TO its shores. Truly, one well
might pity Turkey. surrounded thus by deadly
enemies and still more deadly friends. Her all
Is staked upon the throw in Thessaly. If she
win she may a little longer hold her own though
no advantage from her victory. But if she lose
the great Powers may defend her from victor-
Gus Greece. but not through love of her. Albania
and Macedonia may then become another Bos-
mia and Herzegovina. under what Power, who
knows? But they will not be Turkeys, II in
deed Thrace itself be left TO her. The fate of
empire trembles in the balance on the Nerag.
1T is Kismet."