Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-01-03


about Constantinople, and conditions
resulting from the Balkan war are in
terestingly described in a letter adj
dressed to the Associated Press by
Dr.. Caleb F. Gates, president Of Rob.
|ert college at the Turkish capital.
The letter follows:
This has been a war of surprises to
most people. The Turks themselves
were among these most surprised.
They had expended some ~'fOrtyItwO
million pounds upon their army. They
supposed that whatever else they had
not done they had at least prepared
an army, but that army has failed
them. ..
The principal reaso seems to be
lack of organization. The officers or
1.-THE army we're not in touch with their
men. The Committee of Union and
Progress had gotten rid Of the old
officers, who had risen from the ranks
and who knew their men, and substi.
ltuted officers strained In the military
schools or Turkey and Europe. In.
fortunately these officers have been
devoting too much time to politics
and too little time to their work with
the army. So they did not adequate
ly know their men.
Turkey at the opening OF the war
strained every nerve to bring her sol
diers TO The front. They came in by
ships which passed down the Bospho-
rus every day, the soldiers cheering
and the bands playing. The soldiers
were TNnt into cars and sent to the
front, often without their officers.
When they arrived at the station
where they we're to leave the railroad
officers we're in waiting who took
them and placed them in their COM
panies. All. corps and division forma-
tion was lost. 1t was confusion.
These soldiers went to the battle I'M
der lad conditions. They needed a
month at least to train with duneir new
Officers and get TO know one another
and their headers. s#
Then the commissariat failed. 1T
soon became evident to us here III
Constamtiaople that the government
was bringing In men much faster than
food. They gave money to the sol
diers and told them to go and buy
flood for themselves, but often they
could not find food to buy. and many
of the soldiers were suffering from
hunger before they saw a battle or
heard Ia gum. When fighting actually
began all their difficulties were in.
creased. 1t is painful to conte mp.ate.
Under these conditions the Turkish
army ought never to have advanced
beyond the line Of L'ule ElArgas. They
should have taken APP strong positions
there; Waited to get all their army
together; trained their Epen and put
them, into sympathy with their off,
|cers. 81
BY this time all the world knows
that, the Bulgarian army did not rnr-
sue the Turks beyond L'ule Rurgas.
They waited NEARLY a week before
they made their demonstration to try
the strength Of the Turkish army at
Chataldja. There has never been a
pitched battle there, and now peace
negotiations are going Oh. The Turk
is not driven out OF Europe, nor do
| believe THAT he will be now. Con-
sturitinople will remain under the
Turkish government, and a strip o.
temitory, the size OF which will be
determined by negotiations. ..
While the newspapers have been
filled with accounts of the condition
CT Constantinople, filled with reEu-
gees and soldiers driven back upon
the city, and while they have been
describing scenes here 'tonly Iivaled
BY the scenes i'm Dante's inferno" we
have been living in. Constamiinople
in peace and quietness. There has
been no bloodshed here, and the gov
~err!rlent has maintained order with
great firmness. We should remember
that Kiamil Pasha's government took
lup the work after the Committee OF
Union and Progress Cabinet had been
turned out, soon after the beginning
Of the war. The least that we can