The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-10-18
MANKATO FREE PRESS
HELP in HIGH PLACES.
Plans for Miss Stones Abduction Formed
With Officials.

With Officials.
New York Tribune:
! Gladstone's famous phrase of quar-
ter of a century ago today takes on a
new sinister meaning. The "Horrors
in Bulgaria, or, as the public more
commonly expressed it, Bulgarian
atrocities, . of those days, which were
exposed with appalling force by Eu-
gene Schuyler and ]. A. MacGahan,
were inflicted by Moslem Bashi-
Bazouks on Christian villagers. The
''unspeakable Turk" was the aggres-
sor, Bulgarian Christians were the vic
Tins. At the present time Bulgarian
Christians are the aggressors, and an
American Christian missionary is the
victim. At first the abductors of
Miss Stone were spoken of as lawless
brigands. Perhaps they are such.
But evidence is now said to be at hand
positively identifying them with the
notorious Macedonian Committee
of Bulgaria, an organization composed
of prompt and representative Bull
| garians, and tolerated, if not sane
toned, by the government at Sofia.
Not long ago the outrages of this COM
mittee provoked Romania almost to
the point of war, and the Sublime
Porte was constrained to address to
the Bulgarian government most ener-
getic demand for the suppression of
the committee, or at least for its re-
straint within lawful bounds. The
Bulgarian government appears not to
have done anything of practical effect,
however, and, as this latest outrage
shows, the committee is still exercis-
ing it's detestabl9 activities unre-
strained
The brigandish seizure of an Ameri-
can missionary is from a sentimental
point of view, peculiarly offensive and
ungrateful Bulgaria owes much to
America more, in some respects, than
to any other land, for American in
terest in Bulgarias welfare has been
purely unselish, and not tainted with
greed for annexation. 1t was at an
American institution, Robert College,
that Bulgarian youths were educated
and aspirations for freedom were en-
gendered in the Bulgarian people.
That noble institution has we'll been
called the cradle of Bulgarian indepen-
dence. Moreover, they were two
Americans, MacGahan and Schuyler,
| who at risk of their lives went into
that land of woe and revealed to the
world the extent of Turkish deviItry,
and thus aroused the universal SYM
pathy and wrath which did not wane
until the last vestiges of Turkish abso-
lutism had been swept out of the Bal
kan States. If any one in the world
should command the respect of the en-
tire Bulgarian people it is an Ameri-
can. Yet here is great popular and
semi official organization in Bulgaria
deliberately committing one of the
most abominable outragss upon an
American who has been engaged in
extending the very work, which Rob
ert College SO we'll began.
The fact is, this Macedonian COM
mittee is about as criminal body as
ever were the thugs and head hunters.
It's printed Regulations openly de-
clare that it is to work through Ter
rorism and violence. Its members are
to commit political crimes that u.s.
they are to murder men who stand in
the way of their propaganda. No
murder Isl however, to be committed
except by order of the committee and
under written order of,its president.
These bloodthirsty receipts are given
with the 'frankness and GOODNESS with
which the qualifications, of members
or the election of officers are prescrib bed
in club. It is not, of course, to be
suggested that the Bulgarian govern
| ment approves such criminality. What
| is undeniable is that it has not sup
pressed it, and has not apparently
made any serious attempt to do so.
Such inaotion, since it cannot be at
tributed to sympathy with the COM
mittee, must be attributed to the
powerlessness or the oowardice of the
government. That is to say, the Bull
garian people, trained to violence and
lawlessness through centuries of Turk
ish despotism, are so generally in sym
pathy with the conduct of the Mace
dopia1 committee that the govern
ment, under merace of revolution, does
not dare to suppress the committee.
That seems to be the most reasonable
explanation of the case, though it
cannot be regarded as satisfactory or
a rsassuring explanation.
MISS FARR REELECTED.