The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-26
.BALFOUR'S
 POSITION
 ,-- Discuss lhe Macedonian Situation.
 COMPLICATED PROBLEM Not a Simple Question of Mis- government. It Will Require the Concerted Action of Europe, But This, Though
 Harmonious, is Slow and May Fail.

lengthy letter 70 the Arcnpisnop or Canterbury. MT. Davidson. discusses the
 Macedonian situation. The letter is . reply to the Archbishop's action in draw ing attention to the growing uneasiness among churchmen at the apparent apa- thy of the powers while unspeakable atrocities are perpetrated in Macedonia. v
 Mir. Balfour says he is in entire sympa- thy with the feelings of horror and indig- nation and fully understands the desire to give expression in public meeting to the sentiment of reproduction which re- cent events justified. MT. Balfour then proceeds to analyze the situation. He says:
 we have not to deal with simple by Turkish officials, but with problem complicated by the fact that the Chris tan population of Macedonia is rent in fragments by differences of race. aggre-
 gated by differences of religion. and in addition to the ills inflicted by a corrupt and incapable administration and by an i'll paid and undisciplined soldiery and by detestabie system of taxation, we have
 to reckon with all the ills which in a population not imbued with western ideas of humanity. rival nationalities and sects
 do not scrupie to infiict on one another" :"
 Mir. Baifour adds: 'sThe instrument whereby the situation may be dealt with
 is the concert of Europe. But this. even
 were they all in harmony. Is necessarily slow and may easily be ineffective if the problem is complex.
 Tt was a matter of reorganization when Russia and Austria, acting with the au- thority of Europe. proposed to press the scheme of reforms, while lacking in the- oretical perfection, came within the cir cult of practical politics and would. if more earnestly pressed. by the Porte and more frankly accepted by the Macedonian popuiation, have spared the world the horrors it since witnessed. Neither of these conditions was fulfilled. The Porte, as usual, was dilatory and failed to see that a policy of humanity was a policy of wisdom The revoiutionists have delib- erateiy done their best to drive the Turk to excesses and furnish him with an ex- cuse for deferring the execution of re- forms, meeting horrors with horrors and brutality with brutality, for the deliber- ate purpose of driving the Turk to crimes against the innocent and thus play upon the sympathies of the world.
 '.such methods as these are no more morally tolerable than the misgovernment which is their excuse"
 Coming to the question of the attitude of Great Britain, Mir. Balfour points out that Russia, Austria and Turkey cannot be indifferent to territorial redistribution in the peninsula, while Greece, Bulgaria, Servia and Roumania are all interested in the fate of the province in which the
 Christian population is made up of all nationalities. These external complica- tions are doubled by internal ones, be- cause of religious differences, the Mo- hammedans fearing Christian rule while the exarchists and Christians persecuta the patriarchists the Greks who are pat riarchists. would sooner find protection
 under the rule of the Sultan than be left to fight the matter out with the Buiga-
 rians who are exarchists.
 Tt is with a problem, such as this that one has to deal" says Mir. Balfour, and
 I cannot but believe that the best hope
 of dealing with 1t lies in the continued
 co-operation of Russia and Austria.
 strengthened with the support and aided
 by the advice of the other signatories of the treaty of Berlin" l
 These countries possess, MT. Balfour asserts, incomparable influence over the antagonistic forces in the peninsula; in fact no other nation or group of nations could do it at all If Russia and Austria were hostile Great Britain was not pre- cluded, by the policy outlined, from offer ing suggestions, which had already been done and she will continue to do so. But if would be folly to forget that there are occasions when two powers are stronger
 than three and that an addition to the number carries diminution of efficiency. These principles concludes MT. Bal four, direct the policy of the British gov ernrnent m the near East and he has no doubt that they are in accordance with
 British interests and in obedience to them lies the best hope of improving the con- dition of the Macedonians and the secu- rity of European peace.