Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-20
WAR IS BEING FORCED
UPON PEOPLE Of EUROPE
Trouble in Balkans Likely to
Spread and Involve the
Big Powers.
Special Cablegram to The Star.

Special Cabegram to The Star.
BERLIN, October 19.-Never has
Europe passed through more troublesome
weeks than the last two; never have the
cabinets in every capital in Europe
worked harder or against heavier odds
to maintain peace than at present, and
never has the general political situation
looked more desperate.
All over Europe the governments pray
for peace. and outside of the Balkans
there is not a people that does not share
the wishes of its government and abhor
the very idea of war. Still war is surely
being forced upon them. The statesmen
are suffering from their mistakes of the
past and dearly may the great powers
now be called to pay for their mutual
jealousy which has prevented them from
forcing the Turkish government to carry
out the reforms in Albania and Macedo-
MIA which were promised time and again.
1t is the small countries that have the
courage of their convictions and 1t is the
small countries that are about to compel
a far more powerful enemy to stop the
continued butchering of their brethren.
even If the attempt to coerce Turkey is
to cost torrents Of blood The great pow
ers might have settled the Balkan ques-
tons long ago without the cost of a drop
of blood and they might still settle it
now If they would only cooperate and
convince the porte that the time had
come when they mean business, but even
now under these desperate conditions
they refuse to trust one another and in
stead of threatening Turkey they are
threatening Montenegro, Servia and the
other small states.
Greece Ready for War.
Greece, that was hopelessly beaten by
the Turks a few years ago, is once more
willing to face the enemy. Bulgaria. Ser
via and Montenegro are spelling for
fight, but the powers can reach no other
agreement but that they must preserve
the precious status quo. which suits the
Turks admira bly,. But it would never sat-
sfy the small Kingdoms, because it would
involve the continuation of the process
by which the Christian population of
Macedonia is being eXterminated. The
powers can satisfy the small states only
by securing law and order in Macedonia,
but they cannot secure law and order
without some change of the Turkish re-
gime. seeing that the Turks, young" or
old, have never altered their system by
a hairs breadth, and probably never can
without being thought to have abandoned
their cause.
If others agree to insist on the status
quo, the population of Macedonia will be
sacrificed, it has so often been, to the
peace of Europe, yet the Sacrlhce may be
in vain, because it may be impossible to
restrain the people of the small kingdoms
whose hearts are not so callous as those
of the people of the more civilized west
ern states, and who still have ideals Ior
which they are ready to fight, even if it
may be their fate to die in the attempt
If, on the other side. the powers decide
to put pressure on Turkey and demand
actual reforms in Macedonia after SO
many years of empty threats. the result
may be an explosion of feelings among
the Turks which may put an end to peace
and cause intolerable disorders not only
in Macedonia, but in other parts of Tur-
key Literally speaking the statesmen of
Europe are between the devil and me
deep sea.