The Savannah morning news., 1904-07-05
MACEDONIA'S WOES.
HER PEOPLE THE VICTIMS OF
MURDERERS, FIREBUGS AND
THIEVES.


By c. Menelas.'
Macedonia is still PROSTATE and bleed
ing, and her horizon is covered with
dark clouds foreshadowing grave COM
ing. events. Through concessions grant
ed By the Sultan, the Bulgarian gov
eminent undertook to prevent Bulgar-
ian bands from again invading Mace
donia, and at present there is no open
war between the Turk and the Slav.
But the worse than bashi- bazouks,
Bulgarian Propaganda at Sofia, is more
active than ever before. The 5000 pris-
oners-the worst cut-throats that ever
disgraced a prison-amnestied by the
Sultan a the instance of the Bulgarian
government, keep swelling the propa-
ganda's bands in Macedonia, and
spread terror over that unhappy land
through increasing depredations, by
murder, arson and pillage against the
peaceful and unarmed Greek popula-
ton.
Those who are not acquainted with
the reasons for this appalling situation
might well ask. why is it that Bull
garian Christians manifest such mali
cious persecution against the orthodox
Greeks?"
The renegades or apostates are al
ways the worst enemies of the mother
church which they abjure. The or
thodoX Greek Church was the mother
church of the Bulgarians. Up to thirty
years ago, the Macedonian Bulgarians
lived in perfect harmony with the
Greeks. To the Greek Church they
looked for salvation and in the Greek
schools educated their children. They
exhibited always a pride in adapting
themselves to everything Greek, and
even the old people who could hardly
speak the Greek language, would re-
sent it as an insult if called Bulgarians.
But a grave change came over the
harmonious relations between the
races. Not from within. but without
from Sofia. where a propaganda was
formed for the purpose of separating
the Bulgarian element in Macedonia
from the orthodox Greek Church, and
directing all efforts toward creating
Greater Bulgaria. From that time on
the propaganda's emissaries kept
spreading all over Macedonia with the
object Of inducing the Christian in
habitants to renounce the orthodox
Greek Church and accept the Bull
garian EXarchate. At the same time
instructing them in the belief that they
were an Bulgarians and to SO work TO-
gether as to have Macedonia absorbed
by Bulgaria, and with eastern Roum-
Ella, create Greater Bulgaria! The
orders from the propaganda to its
agents were to persuade by fair means
If they could-to use any means If
they must To their eyes, murder,
arson or pillage was only means to
an end, and justifiable to gain the OBJ
ject in view.
IT is we'll known to the world with
what zeal and savage ferocity the or
ders were carried out. Official reports
show an appalling number of murders
and other depredations committed
against peaceful and unarmed Greeks
because they refused submission to
the Exarchate. Miss Stones mex
pressible sufferings that thrilled the
world with horror, and indignation,
were insignificant in comparison with
the sufferings that are inflicted daily
on Greek communities by the pro-
pagandas wild hordes.
The serious and insurmountable OBJ
etacIes to the Bulgarian designs have
been. and will ever be, the unalter-
able history of Macedonia and the
numerical predominance of the Greek
element which for centuries stood
heroiclly the shock of barbarian IN
vasion and saved to this day their re-
ligion and their nationality as WE'LL
the same element is now getting ready
to make any human sacrifice IN order
to Illustrate the Bulgarian designs.
1t is of little use to take retros-
spective glance at history to ascertain
the established fact that the country
of Alexander the Great and of Aristotle
is the natural patrimony or the Greeks
But 1t will be of interest to refer the
following particulars regarding the
present status of the Greeks in Mace
donia as published in recent issue
of the Gazette of Cologne;
According to the census of 1902, the
population of Macedonia aggregated l.
S39, 900, of whom $4,000 were Mussul-
mans, 657, 900 Greeks and $4,000 Bulgar-
fans The supremacy of the Greek ele-
snent is also manifest in the statistics
published by the Patriarch of Constan-
tinople and the Exarchate at Sofia. Ac-
cording to these statistics for 1902 the
Bulgarians had 5S5 schools with lGO5S
students. while the Greek schools were
973 with 1851 students. 1t is seen tnat
the proportion OF students 10 eacn
. school was only 20 for the Bulgarians
and so for the Greeks, showing clearly
that the Bulgarians had built more
schools than they actually needed
THE Greek schools are under the
special care of the Patriarch OF Con-
stantinople During 1902 there were ex-
pended 2.2s6, 900 francs for the support
of . 900 schools in European Turkey, Of
which 20 are colleges, with 3,s54 teach-
ers and 1889 students. Under such
conditions, Hellenism has made great
progress, while the Bulgarian propa-
CANA met with complete failure on that
line. The superiority of the Greek ele-
ment over the Bulgarian Is beyond all
dispute; not only have the Greeks the
numerical predominance, but they are
also leaders in letters, fine arts,
finance, commerce and the like"
Thus far the Greeks have displayed
the greatest patience in Difference TO
the wishes of the great Powers and to
their efforts to introduce reforms that
promised to ameliorate the condition OF
all Macedonian inhabitants. But ac-
cording to recent advices, said reforms
are not to be applied as originally In
tended, but only on portion OF Mace
donna, leaving out two districts in
habited by 100000 Greeks This unjus-
tiflable modification of reforms is con-
strued as nearing that the representa-
tives Of the great Powers are working
in favor OF Bulgaria by reducing the
numerical predomnance of the Greeks.
In consequence the propaganda
bands are further emboldened In their
depredations and the work of exter-
limitation goes on with increased fury.
Priests and school teachers who de-
cline 10 submit TO the Exarchate are
daily murdered. entire communities
are terrorized. and prominent men re-
sisting the Bulgarian persecution are
disappearing with mafa malignity.