Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1908-10-23

| the Balkan peninsula was turned into
a second Asia Minor. 1t is one of the
proudest boasts of the Bulgars that
for more than four centuries they
were the bulwark of Europe against
the Mohammedan armies, and that
when they did fall they fell gloriously,
fighting to the last.
Then Came Degeneration.
But in the cycles that came after
Kosovo the Bulgar race degenerated
sadly. 1t became race of stolid peas
ants, heavy, stupid, uneducated, and
so it remained until the wave of insur-
rection swept over Europe in the first
half of the nineteenth century.
San Stefano made Bulgaria nominal
ly free from Turkey. She was to have
almost the whole of what is now
known as Macedonia, with a seacoast
on the Aegean, besides the country be-
yond the Rhodopes. But this did not
suit Disraeli He summoned the con-
| gress of Berlin and British battle
ships proved too much for Russian
diplomacy. Bulgaria was hacked, cut
down, amputated into a tuppenny-ha'-
penny principality, vassal state of
Turkey, bound to pay fixed annual
tribute, to be determined later.
And the Bulgarians were not dis
couraged, even though disappointed
They began their uphill fight at once
They ignored the clauses of the treaty
binding them to vassalage; they ig-
nored the tribute to Turkey, and, when
the time came, in 1885, they annexed
Eastern Rumelia, a Turkish province
having about the same status as Bull
| garia proper, and over which the
prince of Bulgaria was governor-gen-
eral. Turkey was afraid to fight Bull
garia then, but Servia, jealous at such
/ an important acquisition by her young
er neighbor, declared war and was
whipped at Slivnitza.
Since then Bulgaria has been devot-
ing her efforts to educating her people,
to building up the most efficient fight
ing machine owned by a small power
in Europe, and to skillfully carrying
on a propaganda in Macedonia calcu-
lated to advance her interests in that
country.
statesmen have. been watching and
waiting an opportunity to proclaim the
country's independence. Actually, they
have always been free; nominally, the
sultan has been their suzerain. In
Prince Ferdinand they had a ready
tool at hand. He is vain, ambitious
and equally crafty. AS a statesman he
has proved himself no mean antagon-
list during the 20 years of his reign,
and he has been willing to sacrifice
anything for the privilege of calling
| himself king.
Prince Tolerated for His Brains.
So Europe has had the curious spec
tacle of a ruler, selfish and bound to
his own ends, working hand in glove
with his people for the same result. 1t
is Indifferent to his subjects what Fer
dinand of Bulgaria calls himself. They
despise him personally, while recog-
nizing that he is an able ruler, and
let it go at that.
In the Turkish revolution, brought
about by the Young Turks party, Bull
garia saw the opportunity she had
awaited so long. In fact, some eX-
tremists may be prone to believe that
Bulgaria had hand in the organiza-
tion of the Young Turks.
Ferdinand saw instinctively the best
way to accomplish what he wanted.
Austria, trembling over the safety of
her tenure of Herzegovina and Bosnia,
was anxious for any plan that would
undermine the treaty of Berlin. Very
likely Austria was only too happy to
have small nation like Bulgaria start
ARMY DRILL.