Los Angeles herald., 1908-02-15
TROUBLE IN
MACEDONIA
S7IRS EUROPE
RUSSIA AND AUSTRIA MAY
CLASH
Concerted Action of Greater Powers
to Demand Reforms on Part Of
Turkey Likely to Come
to an End
BY Associated Press.

BY Associated Press.
LONDON, Feb. 14-What is practi-
cally the break up of the European
concert on the Macedonian question has
come as a shock to the chancellors of
the continent and England, particularly
as a quiet diplomatic season has been
anticipated.
The assent of Germany to the man
agemept of Moroccan affairs by France.
the conclusion of agreements to main
tain the status upon the Mediterran-
can and the opening Of the negotiations
looking to treaties that should accom-
plish a similar purpose with regard to
the North sea, seemed to make the
possibility of difficulties arising among
the powers remote.
The conferences of the ambassadors
at Constantinople also appeared to be
going on smoothly when a bomb was
thrown into camp by the announce
ment made by Baron Marschall Won
Bieberstein, the German ambassador,
that Germany would no longer act with
the other powers In directing that Tur-
key consent to their demands.
Cloud Over Europe
AS to the cloud that has arisen be-
tween Russia an6 Austria-Hungary
over the projects of railroad extension
in Macedonia of the latter state, the
right of Austria-Hungary to secure a
concession for the NovipaZar railroad
line and the justice of Germany sup
porting her ally are recognized in Eng
land, but it is ccntended that the pres
ent time Is inopportune for the raising
of this point
II is now said that the breaking up
of all these international understand
ings will aggravate the Macedonian
question, reopen the whole near east
problem, start a contest for railroad
concessions which may lead TO serious
results and enable Turkey to postpone
the reforms for which the ambassa-
dors have been working.
1t is expected here that Russia and
Great Britain will enter upon an agree
ment for joint action with regard to
the situation in Macedonia and that
these two powers will be supported by
France and perhaps by Italy. If such
coalition is made the reason for 1t
undoubtedly will be the latest devel-
opments at Constantinople, the fact
that Germany intends to abandon tho
allies and adopt the contemporaries
of the sultan, which are, in the Rus
sian point of view, tantamount to no
reform at all, and which are regarded
as creating a situation equaling the
Moroccan ENHANCEMENT in interna-
tional importance,
Reforms in Macedonia
Only by such a four-power league,
according to the Russian press. can
the necessary reforms in Macedonia be
carried through.
Dispatches received here from Lon
Con indicate that a similar view is
gaining ground there.
The opinion expressed by the in
spired press indicates that the British
proposals of reform which were re-
Gently rejected by Russia and Austria
may be the basis of anglo Russian ac-
ton, and this in spite OF the radical
nature of Russias attitude In the past.
This attitude was determined by 10y
atty to Russia's Austrian partner, but
now, In view of the course followed by
Baron Won Aehrenthal, Russia feels
herself no longer bound to Austria.
Newspapers of all shades of opinion,
including even the Socialist Capitol
Fost, successor to the Tovarish, sup
port the foreign Office in an attack on
German diplomacy. The newspapers
resent bitterly the alleged duplicity of
Baron Aehrenthal, the Austro- Hun
garian minister of foreign affairs, who
Is compared to a card sharper playing
an underhand game with a confeder-
ate-in this case Germany against the
other powers.