New-York tribune., 1898-01-30
THE BTLGiRJ4r BISHOPS.

Amid the other and perhaps more sensation
al dolngs Of the nations. the settlement or
the long g-disputed Bulgarian Bishops question
should not be overlooked II is decidedly the
most important incident in the Balkans since
The Grec0-Turklsh war. and may have results
far transccnding in importance those OF that
ill-iudged affair. For years the Bulgarian de-
mand for the granting of berats To at least
three more bishops in the Turkish Empire has
kept the relations of al least four nations AZ
a tension Bulgaria and Turkey are. of course
the two directly concerned. But Greece has
been much interested In the matter using all
her influence to prevent the granting Of the
berats for fear such action would give Bul-
garia advantage over Greece in the struggle
;or possession of Macedonia. as 1t unquestiona
by would that being Bulgarias chief aim in
making the demand. The new bishops are
appointed 10 sees in the heart OF the region
which both Greece and Bulgaria covet. There
are not only three but five of them. One is at
Kukus: another ut Melnik. IN the heart Of Mace
donia a third at the important town OF Strum-
ntza: fourth at Uskup. or Scopia. the capital
of Kosovo. an important railroad centre and
one of the greatest marts of commerce in all
European Turkey; a fourth Is at Divra, away
over near the Adriatic, the centre Of popuous
and influential region; and the fifth Is at Monas
tlr. commanding the highroad into Albania.
This marks out big Bulgaria" far exceeding
that aimed at under the treaty of San Stefano.
It must be gall and wormwOod to the Greeks,
especially since they realize that ii was only
their own disastrous war with Turkey that
prevented them from continuing to block the
Bulgarian game. If it had not been for the de-
struction Of Greek influence by that war these
berats would not have been granted
The fourth Power interested is Russia. She
has also steadily opposed the granting OF the
berats. unless Bulgaria would comply with GER
tain of her demands Chief Of those demands
was that the Russo Bulgarian officers concerned
in the kidnapping of King Alexander should
be restored to their full rank In the Bulgarian
army Those officers, 1t will be remembered,
were in the pay of Russia. They consplred TO
kdnap the King and force him out Of the coun-
try, ami to murder him If he resisted. The pur-
pose Of the plot TO destroy the Independence
Of Bulgaria and make il a mere satrapy OF
Russia Tine scheme was carried out with every
possible accessory Of insult and brutality, and
ferns one OF the darkest chapters In the his
tory OF that much-blotted region of the world
But the conspirators overdid the matter. Their
conduct was too vile for even an ordinary cut
throat 10 stomach Bulgaria revolted against
them and thus under the leadership or the IL
lustrious and martyred stephen Stambuloff,
saved herself for a time from the clutches OF
the northern despoiler Effort after effort was
made by Russia TO gain the expected fruits OF
that coup d'etat, but in vain. Even after III,
officially directed murder of Stambuoa the
Prince who had hcsitaied at nothing else de-
clned to place his army under the command
of the traitors who had betrayed his prede-
ccssor for foreign gold. and who would doubt
less be equally ready to slit his throat for the
same consideration or at the same command.
At last however, he has yielded. He found
that even with Greece out of the way the OPP
POSITION Of Russia was still sufficient to prevent
the granting OF the berats to his bishops and
that opposition was TO be removed only on
condition that he would take back the traitors
and promote them to higher rank than before.
The situation. then, is this: Bulgaria has i'm
II ueasurably extended and strengthened her grip
upon Macedonia and Albania. She has indeed
become the sole reyersonary legatee or turkey
at such time as the Turkish hold upon those
provinces shall bc finally broken. Greece Is ont
of the race. Bulgaria is dominant from the
Egcan TO the Adriatic At the same time Rus
sia has in al least equal measure renewed and
tightencd her grip upon Bulgaria The COM
mand of the Bulgarian army is In the hands OF
Russian hireings. The personal safety and
very life Of the Bulgarian Prince are within the
keeping Of brigands and cutthroats who have
proved their readiness to commit any crime
against him that the interests Of alien agrees
ors may seem to require. II Is n desperate
situation On the surface all may seem tran
uuil and even prosperous. Just below the sur
face are lethal forces which the slightest Incl
dent may excite to EXTREMIST energy.