The Springfield herald., 1908-10-09
WAR THREATENS
TO REND EUROPE
oRlNCE FERDINAND DECLARES
INDEPENDENCE OF BULGARIA.
AND RUMELlA.
SEIZURE BY AUSTRIA
ARMIES RUSHING TO THE FIELD
AND OTHER NATIONS MAY
BE INVOLVED.

London.-Events which threaten to
change the political face of Europe are
crystallizing with lightning rapidity
Almost over night the horizon of the
near East, which seemed gradually as
suming a peaceful appearance, has be-
come crowded witt var clouds.
News has reached here from several
sources that two definite strokes are
impending which cannot fail to bring
matters to crisis, and perhaps force
an immediate war One is the procla
nation of Prince Ferdinand of the in
dependence of Bulgaria, which will in
clude Rumelia, taking for himself the
title of ear" The other is an an
nouncement by Austria-Hungary of the
practical annexation OF the provinces
of Bosnia and Herzegovina as append
ages of the Austro Hungarian crown.
Either action will be equivalent to
the tearing up of the treaty of Berlin,
while Prince Ferdinand's course seems
almost certain to preciDitate a war be
tween Bulgaria and Turkey. Before
these possibilities the quarrel over the
East Rumelian section of. the Orient
! railway sinks into insigniicance. Both
armies are reported to be quietly and
swiftly mobiliZing on the borders. Bul
garia is said to be buying up munitions
and horses on an extensive scale.
The Bulgarans have faith in their
army, which has reached a high state
of efficiency, although it is perhaps
! lacking in officers. and the war for
which Bulgaria has long been sus
pected of preparing could be fought
with more advantage for her now than
when the Turkish government had
time to reorganize its forces, which
have become enervated by the corrup
tion and neglect of the old regime.
The Emperor of Austria, it is under
stood, has dispatched a letter to the
President of France setting forth his
intentions regarding Boznia and Her
Zegovina, although the contents of the
letter are kept secret, and he is send
ing similar notes to the other powers
1t seems incredible that Emperor
Francis Joseph, who. always has been
scrupulous observer of forms, should
reveal his plans to the rulers of other
nations before he has communicated
them to his own parliament. One eH-
| PLANTATION is that the letter was not in
/ tended for delivery until Tuesday,
when identical notes would be pre-
sented to the other powers.
While Austria's action with regard
to the provinces may not technically
be called annexation, it is believed 1t
will amount to that, whatever 1t may
be called. Apparently the emperor is
determined that the destiny of these
provinces should be Austrian not Turk
ish. For thirty years they have been
administered by Austria-Hungary, but
they have always remained theoreti-
cally Turkish territory, and Austria
pledged that her administration should
not derogate Turkish rights.
English public opinion is with Tur-
key in the Bulgarian dispute, as all
the powers except Austria seem to be,
and it remains to be seen what the
English attitude will be toward an
nexation if that becomes fact.
Austria is suspected of encouraging
the recent Bulgarian Turkish trouble
for her own interests, but the British
government has made proposals to the
two countries looking TO the settlement
of the railway case, and the other pow
ers have agreed to give support to the
plan, which contemplates the tempo
rary restoration of the railway to Tur-
key "to save her face" and then trans
ferance from th> company to Bull
garian government.
The English press expressed sur
prisei that Austria and Bulgaria should
plot against Turkey, and asks if the
great powers will submit to having OBJ
stacles placed in the way of the re-
generation of Turkey.