The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-10-07
BULGARIA VS.. TURKEY.
Relative Fighting Strength of the
Two Countries.

War in the Balkans, so long talked
about. seems near at hand at last
Bulgaria, Macedonia's elder bloot
brother has said all along, in respons'
to Macedonia's cry for assistance
eve will not take the Initiative. w
will abide by the decision OF the pow
ers, who have given their word tha
the promised reforms shall be carried
out.'' Turkey says one thing and, as
usual, Goes the opposite. She declares
she does not intend to go to war, but
meanwhile feverishly hastens to mobil
ize her troops, calling out 80, 600 lrres
ulars, the Circassians, Kurds, Bash'-
Bazouks, Albanians, etc., to supple
ment the regular army, levying add:
tional taxes, and forgetting the usual
Turkish dictum that Haste is dew
ilish,'' proceeds with unprecedented
vigor to get everything on war foot
ing.
| The Macedonian insurgents, discour-
aged at the apathy of the powers, say
nothing, but keep on with their que.
rilla warfare. The powers stand aloof
and virtually say, "F'ight it out
alone while Bulgaria and Turkey,
WITH lowered heads, take each others
measure and prepare for the conflict:
The question that now arises is:
What is the relative strength OF the
nr;ncinal combatants, Bulgaria and
Turkey-what their weight and stay
ing qualities, and who their Dackers.
In times of peace Bulgaria has a
standing army of IS, 600 soldiers, while
in case of war 200, 600 stand ready to
be called upon, quite as. brave, all OF
them, as those who under the leader
ship of Prince Alexander wrested VIC
tory from the Se.vians on the held of
SIiynitza. Though SO much smaller
numerically than the Turks the quail
ty Of the Bulgarian arms is equal, if
not superior, for the Bulgarians inner
it the fighting blood of their Thracian
and Illyrian forbears. concerning
whom Herodotus said: If they could
only agree among themselves they
would be the geatest Of all nations. !"
Even five hundred years of vassalage
to Turkey has failed to extinguish
their national bravery.
Furthermore, both officers and the
rank and file of the army are of a
much higher order of intelligence
than the Ottomans. Since their eman-
cipation fine public school system
has provided education for the masses,
while the higher official element have
all been educated in Austria, Germany,
France or Robert College, our. own
American Institution, on the Bospho-
rus. Until 1892 Russian prestige was
paramount, the army being drilled by
Russians and Russian officials domin
ating the court; but the Bulgarians
are most independent Of people, and,
resenting too much outside interfer
ence, Sent the Russians about their
own business. Since then Bulgaria
has stood for Bulgaria alone IN
church. state and army. Under their
own officers today (for Sofa has fine
military school and asks odds of no
one regarding Instruction. the Bulga-
rian army is admirably trained and
equipped with all the modern appli-
ances for war, even to bicycle corps,
which could do good service over the
superb government roads of Bulgaria.
though they would be obviously at a
disadvantage in the mountain passes
of Macedonia. At least one-ifth Of
the regular Bulgarian army is made
up of Macedonians eager to get the
fine military training, even at the
modest stipend Of dollar month and
fund It was in tmssway that Sar-
his principal associates re-
sce;ved the training that has stood
them IN such good stead, even though
tie tactics are distinctly different
from those necessary to guerrilla war
fare. tits these white-capped Mace.
donian troops. we'll drilled and scat
tered among ali the principal cities Of
Bulgaria, that have served to keep The
sentiment of Macedonian freedom
alive among Bulgarians. On their re-
turn to their own homes these whilom
soldiers have left their uniforms be-
hind and assumed their peasant garb: !:
but the lessons they have learned in
the methods of modern warfare are
not forgotten, and are speedily put in
practice for the discontinue of the
Turks.
In every Bulgarian hamlet, after the
hard days work is done, the boys snd
old men congregate in the village
square, while the returned soldier pro-
ceeds to drill his neighbors according
to BuIgar tactics. Sometimes the drill
is given witha real gun which every
Macedonian keeps hidden in corner
Of his garden, or again stick or one
of his crude agricultural implements
is made to answer the same purpose.
In villages, where Turks form part
of the population, this drill has to
take place under cover Of the night,
thu participants stealing forth one by
one, to some woodland covert out of
sight of their prying neighbors. 1t is
from among these men that the Mace
donian committee has been largely re-
cruited.
It is this experience in border war
fare that has given the Bulgars the
same hardy endurance that is usually
attributed to the Turkish troops and
it is upon this capital that they pro-
pose to trade in the months to come.
One great advantage that they will
have over the Turks is that they can
,4ooI %bo rioorc of uintar,s namnaj on