New-York tribune., 1901-11-08
THE MACEDONIAN COMMITTEE.

A CORRESPONDENT at Dunkirk n. Y, asks us
ito inform constant reader of The tribune
"the meaning Of the Macedonian Committee,
adding II have asked a great many people. Dut
no one knows" To answer the question fully
xould take I'D more space than can well
spare upon this page, but some of the salient
facts may be briefly stated, and will indeed be
timely in connection with the unenviabie noto-
riety which the Macedonian Committee has
recently attained through the Kidnapping of
the American missionary, Miss Stone.
The Macedonian Committee is political
organization in Bulgaria which has for its
object the annexation of Macedonia and the
Vilayet of Adrianople to Bulgaria and the proc
lamation of the Prince of Bulgaria as King
of the domain thus formed, reaching from the
Danube to the Egean Sea. 1t has been III
active existence for number OF years, anu
has often been lawless and violent in It's
methods But because it tickles the ambition
of the Prince by holding out the promise OF
kingship over a greatly expanded realm, ana
because it commands considerable amount OF
popular sympathy and support, 1t has beeh
tolerated and actually encouraged by the Bull
garian Government 1t has branches in Ruma-
MIA, Servia Macedonia, Adrianope and else
where and is in fact one of the most wide
spread and formidable revolutionary conspra-
regulations of the committee state that its
members are to be organized into ARMED
bands" which are. either by persuasion or ter
ror to Impress new recruits, and which may
commit political crimes-euphemism for muir
der-whenever desirable for the good OF the
cause. But murder is to be committed with
out a written order from the president OF the
committee
This committee in January, 1899 issued a
memorial TO the powers of Europe demanding
that Macedonia and Adrianople be made auton-
omous as Crete is. and threatening that unless
this was done the desparing population would
resort to extreme measures. The powers dld
not, of course, grant the demand and presently
thereafter the pernicous activity OF the com
mittee began It took to leyying blackmail,
under menace of assassination, upon wealthy
people in Macedonia in Bulgaria and in Ruma-
MIA In the summer of 1900 three Rumanians
who resisted its demands were murdered, one
OF them being Professor Michailiano, Of Bucha-
rest These crimes aroused the Rumanian Gov
erpment. and il demanded that the Bulgarian
Government should punish the conspirators and
suppress or check the committee. This Bui-
garia declined 10 do, and the two countries
came perilously near war only the intervention
OF Austria Hungary keeping them apart The
Rumanian Government. however. effected the
arrest and conviction of nine OF the murderous
conspirators including the president OF the
Bucharest branch of the Macedonian Commit
tee: and two OF these cuprits confessed on trial
that the president OF the Macedonian Commit
tee at Sofia had given them explicit orders 10
murder King Charles of Rumana. Even then
the bulgarian Government declined to prose
cute the man thus accused or 10 restrain his
activities
II Is to be supposed that the pretext of seek
Ing the liberation of Macedonia from the Turk
ish yoke Is In many eases preteXt and nothing
more. used as a mask for simple brigandage.
As hrigands leyying hlackmall robbng ana
numbering the members OF the committee
might have short shrlft Posing as patriots and
liberators they command certain amount OF
sympathy and are now and then able To claim
immunity from punishment on the ground that
their crimes merely political Offences
Patriotism" it thus appears is in some places
not only the last but the first refuge OF
scoundrelS.