The chronicle=news., 1912-11-18

| Wha, nations are at war In the
Balkans?
The free kingdoms OF Bulga Ia,
Scryia, Montenegro and Greece have
formed Il coalition against Turkey
and their combined armies are now
In the field warning with the Turk
ish army. In addition to those four
nations the Christians Of Albania. a
Turkish province. are In revolt
against Turkey and many OF her
lighting men have joined the allied
armies of the four Christian states.
Albania lies upon the eastern shore
OF the Adriatic sea. with Greece on
The south. Servia ON the northeast,
and Montenegro in the northwest.
lOne-hali of the population Of Al
banii are Mohammedans: the other
half are Christians. equally divided
between the Greek and Latin
churches. These latter have never
been conquered by the Turks. They
are the political anarchists OF the
Balkans. They live In mountain
iastncss and are wonderful fight
ing men. A large part OF the pop
ulation OF Macedonia are also Chris
,ians. and many OF thcs. have Joined
the allied armies against their mas
tcrs. the Turks.
What Is the numerical strength OF
the two armies In the flcid'
Turkey in Europe has war
strength OF S3l 900 men aud 40.
iarG. guns. Her navy consists OF
two bnttleships. three cruisers and
iorty-iiye dcstroycrs and other ships.
In addition. Turkey In Europe has re-
serves she can call upon which would
raise her army to 100000 men.
She has also her great Asiatic prov
, !ncc to draw from. The strength of
the combined armies OF the allies
that are fighting Turkey Is $4,000
men. SIS guns. four bat,lcships. three
cruisers and forty-siN dcstroyers and
Sunboa;s. These are: divided as FOL
lows: Greece. 100000 men and 1872
guns: Bulgaria. 32a 900 men and 3.2
guns: Scrvia. 21O.O0O men and 2Gi
guns: Montenegro. 10000 men aud
sixty guns. The navy OF the allied
Balkan states Is all Grccian except
ten Hunboats owned by Bulgaria. In
addition to these forces Of the reg
ular army OF the allies must he taken
into account the Christians OF Tur-
key. who VIII Join with them In
numbers that are not known. says
the Kansas City Star.
| II the magnitude OF war Is TO he
determined by the number of men In
the field and by the fury OF Its fight
ling. the present Balkan conflict must
be counted big war.
The five nations engaged In hos
powerful as European nations 10.
Nevertheless. they have put more
men In the field than Were ever en-
gagged in any preceding European
war. not even excepting the Franco
Prussian war. In point OF numbers
Engaged the Adrianoplc campaign
,alone dwafrs by comparison most of
the Napolconic campaigns. II the
reports Of the battle OF Eirk-E ilisssh
are at all accurate. the Turkish
losses in killed. wounded and prison.
lcrs We're greater In their total than
either Napoleon or Wellington had
men at the battle Of Waterloo.
The world long looked forward to
this struggle in the cockpit of Eli
lrope' as to thing inevitable. Yet
the popular belief was that when 1t
Icame II would prove n lattle war.
(which Nigh; have big consequences.
As compared with what would fol-
low should any OF the greater ma
tions become involved. the present
combat may indeed be entitled to the
,nppellation of n little war. but meas
ured by the standard of the past 1t
looms up to great proportions.
Why are they fighting?
For centuries the conflict has
waged in the Balkans on account OF
creed. race and political antagonism.
The flame of war has flashed forth
or subsidized as the Turk has strug-
gled to preserve his European en-
pirc. or as his woud-be despoilers
have been held in check by the great
powers.
Each of the fourt states was once
a part of the great Ottoman empire.
that reached almost to the gates of
Vienna. Through their own insist
ent struggles and finally through the
intervention of the powers. they OBJ
tained their independence, but the
boundary lines that were drawn to
form these states were made by dip
lomacy and the eXpediency of state
craft. and in no case did they include
all the people that belonged to the
different nationalities.
The great break-up of the Turkish
possession began in 1864 at the
treaty of San Estefano, which re-
duced Turkey in Europe to Albania,
Epirus, Thessaly. southern Thrace
Rut the great powers feared that