New-York tribune., 1900-08-31
RUMANIA AND BULGARIA.

The serious straining of relations between
Rumana and Bulgaria, with actual menace Of
war, must be regarded as a legitimate result
of the progress in criminality which certain
elements in Bulgaria have been making almost
ever since the creation Of that principality. 1t
will be remembered that early in the reign of
Prince Alexander the Bulgarans became ac-
customed TO the use of conspiracy and crime as
political agencies. This was effected largely
under the direction of various Slav propagan-
dists of the Zankoff and Kaulbars type, who
seemed to regard Bulgaria as a land to be ex-
plotted purely for the advancement Of Russian
influence in the Balkans. To what extent the
Russian Government was cognizant OF or re-
sponsible for the acts Of these men is not and
may never be known. If the secret history of
those times could be revealed 1t would be un-
commonly interesting reading The first climax
came in the attempt TO murder Alexander, and
in the kidnapping and enforced abdication of
that high minded and gallant Prince Under
his successor, Prince Ferdinand, the same sinis-
ter influences kept at work. and another climax
Of infamy was attained in the savage murder of
Stephen StambulOff and the protection of his
slayers by the Government.
After such deeds the grievances of Rumania
are not in the least surprising. Bulgaria, as is
we'll known, has long cherished designs for the
donian Central Committee at Sophia, composed
partly of Bulgarians and partly of refugee
Macedonians, all working under Government
liberation and, indeed, encoura cement In or
der to raise funds for its revolutionary propa-
ganda this committee established a branch in
the Rumanian capital, which began the collec
ton of money from Bulgarians there by the
primitive but effective means of blackmail and
murder. At the same time the Central Com
mittee at Sophia pursued the same plans In
the case of Rumanians resident in Bulgaria
In this work aide-de-camp of Prince Ferdi-
nand has been implicated his name having
been signed to receipts for money extorted un-
der threats of death. Some Bulgarian army
officers have also been concerned in the opera
lions.
Such at any rate, is the indictment of Bull
garia which the Rumanian Government has
made. Its correctness appears to be established
| by documentary evidence The evidence ad-
duced by Rumania is at any rate sufficient to
make it incumbent upon Bulgaria to refute it,
II she can. The Rumanian Government has
demanded that the Bulgarian Government in
vestigate the matter and vigorously prosecute
| the guilty parties. This the Bulgarian Govern
ment has not yet done. at least not in a manner
| satisfactory to Rumania; wherefore the good
| faith of Bulgaria is called into question and
| the Government at Sophia is all but charged
with being In collusion. or at least In sympathy.
! with the blacSmailing and numbering conspira-
tors. That is a shocking accusation But the
memory or the Official screening OF Stambuoff s
murderers and the persecution of Stambuloff' s
widow when she demanded Justice gives some
color of possible truth to II. Beyond doubt.
| Rumania feels herself terribly aggrieyed. and
! is almost at the point OF sending an army to