The Washington times., 1903-06-07
Turks Are in Terror of Their
Albanian Subjects and
Seldom Interfere With
Their Internal Affairs.

CONSTANTINOPLE. June 6.-The Sui
tan does not rule over as many national
tiles as the Emperor of Austria but he
Is a close second. The Roumanians and
most of the BuIgarians, Servians and
Greeks have already left him. but he
still has the Armenians. the AIbanians
and other odds and ends of races in
Europe, not to speak of Persians,
ARABS and Kurds in Asia Minor
The Macedonians, who are now max
ing most of the trouble, are not of dis
tinct nationality and there is a good
deal of dispute as to just what they are.
In Sofia they tell you they are all Bull
lgarians, while in Athens they say they
are all Greeks. The truth seems to De
THAT the farmers and peasants generally
are Bulearians, while the merchants,
traders and people IN the towns are for
the most part Greeks. Then in Salonica
/ there are $4,000 Jews who try to keep
out of the trouble altogether.
Bulgarians Are SIavs
The Bulgarians and Macedontans of
Bulgarian stock are Slavs and speak a
sort Of Russian, They are strong,
vigorous looking race which has little
history and believes that the future
has great things for it. Their Creek
!neighbors in the Macedonian towns and
across the Grecian border are intensely
Jealous of them for the good reason
sthat the Bulgarians are increasing and
making more rapid progress than they
are and viii eventually, it is thought,
annex Macedonia to Bulgaria.
The Greeks are troubled by having
too much history. They will tell you
that Macedonia ought to belong to
Greece because Alexander the Great was
Macedonian. But the Bulgarians an
swer that all this is ancient history.
and that the graveyards do not vote.
Could they have an election they say
the ballots would show that most of
the people in Macedonia are of Bulga-
rian nationality. It is certainly the Bull
garians who are keeping up the present
instruction.
A Proud Race
The people who are next in line for
making trouble are the Albanians. who
are proud of the fact that they are the
Oldest race in Europe There were Al
banians in Albania before there were
Greeks in Athens. and the Albanian
language shows traces of more ancient
origin than the Greek. The Turks never
really conquered them. but after fight
ing for 200 years persuaded them to ac-
cept Mohammedanism in return for
which they were granted the privilege of
keeping up their old tribal form OF gov
eminent, of practically paying no taxes
and OF not being obliged to send any
troops to the Turkish army unless they
wanted to.
Every Albanian is travelling arsenal
of guns. pistols and knives. He is usu-
ally at vendetta with some one, and
usually dies with his boots on. The
Turks are afraid of them. and never
enter their country il they can help it.
In a town near Ipek the other day the
Albanians showed their contempt for
Turkish authority by holding a meeting
In the town hall in the presence of the
governor and discussing whether or not
they should revolt against the Sultan's
authority
Speeches were made with great free
dom. though it was finally decided to
remain loyal for the present. In any
other part of Turkey the lot would have
been put in jail, but an Albanian has
savage sort of liberty. and the Turks
dare resent nothing.
A Bone of Contention.
Just north of Albania are about a
million Servians in district called Old
servia, who are still under Turkish rule.
While both Greece and Bulgaria are try
Ing TO get Macedonia, Servia is maneu-
vering all the time TO try TO get Old
Seryia. The government AT Belgrade
makes great efforts to get children from
Old Servia in Servian schools, so that
the next generation may be educated up
TO the point of throwing off the Turkish
yoke and incidentally doubling the size
OF Servia.
On top of the jealousies and ambitions
of these little states and peoples are
the desires of the great powers. Austria
wants Old Servia and Macedonia
through TO salonica. Russia would like
Bulgaria and Macedonia thrown in. not
to speak of other slices OF the Turkish
empire. Everybody, big and little, en-
deavors to keep things stirred up as
much as possible with the idea that fish
may be caught in troubled waters. AS
Macedonia quiets down Albania files up.
and If Albania becomes quiet the same
disease viii break out in another part.
Rely on Education.
In the Balkan countries which have
freed themselves from the Turkish yoke
the size and number of sehoolhouses is
remarked by every observant traveller
Education IS the chief reliance Of these
old peoples to regenerete- themselves and
take their proper place in the modern
world. In Turkey one looks in vain for.
the national schoolhouse. The mission
aries, especially the American mission
cries. are doing the best they can. but
their schools. numerous and excellent
as they are, form only a drop in the
bucket.
The best education IN Turkey is to be
had at Roberts College, In Constantine
pie. which is American institution