The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-10-30
At Adrianople.

daring, a Bulgarian column dashed in
to the rear of the position of the Otto.
man army at Adrianople, cutting of
its communication with and line of re
treat to Constantinople, if the cabl'
news is to be believed. We comics!
that we doubt the truth of the infor'
nation in its entirety, unless the Turk
ish army is disorganized to a degree
and led by absolutely inefficient men
which it is not, seeing that England
is openly advising and sustaining thu
Sublime Porte in its endeavor to keel
Russia away from the Dardanelles.
Adrianople is on the highway to ths
Ottoman capital. 1t is not so much Z
stronghold as a basis of operation
from whence radiate routes into tn,
very heart of European Turkey tc
SaIoniki and the rest of Macedonia
Most likely the Bulgars, daredevil.
that they are known to be, made Z
dash TO the outposts of the city, occu.
pying for a time the railroad which
constitutes the only means of com.
munication into and out of Adrianople
destroying the road but quickly re
treating. This is our version, 70,
alone they are not strong enough tc
hold their advantage against Turkish
forces thrown against them. and thei,
allies are engaged elsewhere.
The Bulgarian. forces are divided
as it is. One column is on its way
toward the Bosphorus, to take the
second line of the Turkish defenses a,
Lille Burgas. If this column reache:
there driving off the defenders. and il
another army. which defeated the
Turks at kirk-Kilisseh, succeeds il
destroying that part of the army Ell.
tircly, then the circle around Adrian
ople may be said to be complete.
We freely admit that, in our opinion
the Bulgarian forces, even if COM
bined. are not strong enough to carry
out so complicated strategic plan, un-
less junction with the Servian col
umn operating in the southeast is ef-
fectcd If not strong enough to hold
out, let them beware of a terrible
coun;er-attack and annihilation. II
would be just like the Turks to lead
them on. until there will be no escape
for them. All the victories thus far
have been won far too easily not to
leave room for the suspicion that the
willy Turk is up to his old tricks. II
so, the Lord pity the poor Christians
who should fall into the trap.
What surprises us is that everybody
seems to take it for granted that the
Turk is no fighter. Nothing can. be
farther from the truth He fights to the
last drop of blood and, as it is ques-
ton now of religious fanaticism
should ever the Green Flag of the
prophet be unfurled, should ever they
catch the allied forces mapping or get
them into carefully prepared trap
then We will hear quite a differen,
story Besides continental papers
openly accuse Britain of conniving in
favor of the Turks. Then why pre-
suppose that all in this war is child's
play and all the allies will have to dc
is to march on to Stamboul and be
politely invited by the Turks to enter
and to drive them out and across the
Bosphorus to Asia Minor?
Not that The Herald does not wish
the Balkan folk all possible success
only we are used to look things
squarely in the face. Whatever the
alleged issue, no matter how terrible
the atrocities toward the Christians
under Moslem rule Ian old story
the thing is plain, that neither will
England allow Russia to get to the
Dardanelles nor will Russia allow
England to control these important
straits, the key to the Aegean Sea and
the Levant.
The day will come when the poor
Balkan peoples will ask themselves
What were we fighting for anyway?