Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-10-18
THE BALKAN TROUBLE.
Well Posted Diplomat Gives Sinister
View of it All.

rope. They have said: you were
right We were too optimistic"
On the alleged ground that they are
fighting for their Macedonian broth
ers" and the autonomy Of Macedonia
it now appears that Servia, Bulgaria
and Greece will join Montenegro in
war against the Turks. The result OF
the emissaries and agitators in Mace
donia makes any other contingency i'm
possible now that Montenegro has
taken the first step. The warlike ac-
tivities in the Balkans now Is looked
upon in many official circles as the
first step toward a renewed restless
ness which will spread over period
Of years. Postulating that the Balkan
states in alliance could win against the
Turks, as soon as peace is restored
wars between the allied states will be-
gin, their real reason for warning
against Turkey being that each desires
a section Of Macedonia
Servia and Bulgaria claim the east
ern part of Uskub. Greece and Bulga-
ria claim the southern parts of Mon
astir and Salonika. Bulgaria claims
all of Macedonia, because by the peace
Of st. Stephano she was allotted Mace
donia by Russia. Adding to the variety
of the claims is the fact that the popu-
lation is mixed in all these sections.
The writer Is convinced that Turkey
will beat the Balkan alliance. The Tur-
kish government under the Young
Turks Is strong. There are, Of course,
two possibilities: That the Balkans
will win, which is improbable; that
Turkey will win, which is likely. II
Turkey wins there will presumably be
European Intervention. The Balkans
will be required to pay heavy indem-
nifty to Turkey. The rectification Of
boundaries involving few thousand
feet Of territory, and military advan-
tages will also result from the pending
war. If the Balkans should win the
Powers might be involved in war, be-
cause Europe wouldn't let the Balkans
split up Macedonia. If Turkey should
win the Powers might be involved in
war in preventing Turkey from acquir-
ing strongholds outside Of her Mace
donian territory. If the autonomy Of
Macedonia is established as result Of
the pending war the same troubles
that followed the Bulgarian revolution
are to be expected. And these trou-
bles, let it be remembered could not
be checked by five years Of interven-
tion
The autonomy of Macedonia would
mean a reorganization Of the gendarme
and militia, the retirement of the
Turkish troops and the closer union
Of the three provinces in Macedonia,
with a kind Of provincial parliament.
Neither Servia, Greece or Bulgaria,
however, will be satisfied with that au-
tonomy. They want territory.
The settlement of the Balkan ques-
tion involves the increase Of the power
Of the government at Constantinople.
Turkey must have absolute dominion
which will enable her to prevent fight
ing between the Moslems and Chris
tians in Macedonia. This depends upon
a continued and successful reorganiza-
ton Of army and government and a
broader policy Of education under the
government Of the Young Turks. Since
this in the end is likely to be the ad-
justment Of the Balkan question the
alliance against Turkey, realize that
this is their last chance to get territory
in Macedonia. The effective reorgani-
zation of the Turkish government is
under way. The charges against the
European Powers that they were late
in sending notes to the Balkan states
in the attempt to avert the alliances
are unfounded, for the reason that
nothing could have stopped the pend
ing alliance, which is the result of pro-
longed agitation.
In the United States the question
has been asked: Why are the Balkan
states so slow in supporting aggressive
Montenegro? The fact is that Monte
negro, because of its limited area, can
mobilize its troops in ten days. The
other countries require three weeks.
The notifications have been under way
for almost that length Of time. They
should be completed by next week. The
alliance should Immediately follow.
AS the situation appeals to me there
will be four scenes Of general activity
in the Balkans after the alliance is
completed:
1. Montenegro and Servia in a week
will force the Turks to retire from
Sandjak of Novbazar, in the direction
of the plain Of Cosovo, where the next
important battle in the Balkans will
probably take place.
2. Servia and Bulgaria will proceed
against the Ottoman troops in Uskub
and the valley of the Warder. Servia
is now mobilizing at Nisch.
8. The Bulgarian army will try to
make a quick advance against Con-
stantinople. A big engagement will
take place before Adrianople between
the main armies Of the Bulgarians and
Turks. Adrianople is well fortified
and there are encamped there at pres
ent $4,000 troops. If this engagement
takes place it is not to be supposed that
fewer than 100000 Turks will partici-
pate in it. Bulgaria will have 100000
men at Adrianople after fourteen days.
This engagement will be so prolonged
that Turkey can bring 100000 men from
Asia Minor in another week to play an
important part in the result. The en-
gagement should come two or three
days after the declaration of war OF
the Balkan alliance.
4. An engagement will take place be-
yond the Greek frontier at Elassone
which Is near the pass of Meluna, If
present indications are to be relied
upon. A big fight will be precipitated
in Greece only if the Greeks try to get
back the pass of Meluna. Elassone
was the first headquarters of the Tur-
kish soldiers of 1896 during the Greek
Turkish war. The Turkish troops from