Arizona republican., 1903-09-21
The Balkan Crisis.

II it be true that the long prophesied
general uprising of the Macedonian
people took place on Saturday, ii is to
be expected that the Balkan crisis will
reach an acute stage this week. That
1t to say, if revolt has become general
in Macedonia. Bulgaria will have to de-
ternine at once and for all whether
she will intervene in behalf of the
Macedonian Christians. Left to them
selves, the Macedonians can accomplish
little. Indeed. the determination of the
entire Christian population will be
matter of but short time if the Turks
have no other people to contend with.
The story of the massacre of the 10000
Christian men, women and children at
Kastoria reads like a chapter from an
cient history, but it is horribly modern,
and merely an illustration of what will
shortly occur throughout Macedonia if
the fiendish Turks are to have their
way.
So long as the Balkan question" was
simply the everlasting quarrel between
Moslem and Christian with no acts of
violence worth the attention of the
Christian world, the nations of Europe
did wisely to withhold their hands from
a situation which threatened the peace
of the world, but the wholesale muir
ders of the past few days have put a
different face on the matter. 1t has
been well said that the Turk in Eu-
rope is an anachronism. The cable
dispatches in The Republican during
the past few days have made it clear
what that anachronism means. When
the religious fanaticism of the Turk is
aroused he is a human mad-dog, and
his determination becomes one of the
highest duties Of civilization. But will
the Christian nations OF Europe be able
to forego their own quarrels and sub
merge their dislike for each other long
enough to step in front of the helpless
women and children of Macedonia? II
appears extremely doubtful. unless Bull
garia first breaks the way
AS we pointed out the ether day lit
tie Bulgaria is no match for Turkey.
At most, any army that Bulgaria can
mobilize can be little more than a stop
gap against the flood of Turkish troops
pending the armed intervention of one
of the great powers.
The opinion of the American press is
the Philadelphia Record:
That the Bulgarian government will
be driven to intervention seems inev-
table That the Bulgarian army is no
match for that of the sultan is unfor-
tunately true. The Identical note of the
powers to be sent to both Turkey and
Bulgaria on the suggestion of the Aus
trian and Russian ministers of foreign
affairs. wherein the prospective bellig
erents are to be warned that neither
can expect any help from the European
concert, would be in effect a notice to
Bulgaria that she is to be abandoned
to the tender mercies of Turkey. Under
the circumstances the government at
Sofia would be taking terrible risk in
challenging the oppressor to duel TO
the death. Nevertheless. this heroic
alternative to remaining a supine spec
tator of the war of determination in
principality.
The Macedonian question has ceased
to be purely an issue between the porte
and its Bulgarian subjects. The de-
mand of the Greek Premier Rail- for
the punishment of the leaders of the
ravagers and murderers of Greek vii
layers in Macedonia shows that the
Christians of that province, without
distinction as to nationality, have fel;
the fangs of the Turkish wolves. Should
Greece, Servia and Roumania unite in
a league to redress the intolerable stu
alton in the Balkans the sultan and his
assassins would have their hands full
In that event the powers-more shame
to them,-would probably be quick
enough to take part in the game in
order to save their atrocious protege al
Constantinople. But Greece has not yet
recovered from her disastrous wal
against Turkey; Servia is the plaything
of hostile military factions, and Rou-
mania is ruled by a Hohenzollern who
IS in complete sympathy with the
Kaiser's policy of giving the Turks a
free hand The outlook for cooper
alive assault of the Balkan nations or
the most frightful relic of barbarisn
in Europe is, therefore. not very bright
Yet in an anti-Turkish Balkan alliance
lies the only hope of the survivors o.
past, the present and possible future
Turkish campaigns of rapine among the
sultan's Christian subjects.