Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-24
ROUMANIA'S ROLE In THE BALKANS

The treaty of peace concluded at Buch-
Arrest, so far. is definite and conclusive,
Notwithstanding the an
Bucharest nouncement that 1t would
be subjected to a revision
AASo'J' by the great powers At
most any surprise is possible In politics
and diplomacy. but no one believes that
the selfish interests of Austria-Hungar!
and Italy, which would restrict SerVia
on the one hand and Greece on the otner.
can possibly change the fiat al Bucharest
Austria Hungary. always haunted by the
idea of diminishing and humiliating
the government at Belgrade. has done
her best to prevent the latter from
reaping the fruits of her victories by
maintaining the illusions OF Bulgaria
Italy has Joined hands with her hated
aIly in that policy. that she might re-
strict Greece in the Aegean--Greece.
whose naval power in the Mediterranean
would count for something against her
one day.
Insuccessful at Bucharest. no one may
saw. so long as the question or Turkey $
status has not been defined. that the
Austro-Italian policy has been finally
thwarted.
established in the Balkans and the merit.
it should he said. belongs to King Charles
of Roumania. With remarkable dignity.
precision and Judgment. the king and his
ministers have clearly seen the policy
which dictated that Roumania should be
the arbiter of the Balkans. That policy
once adopted. king and ministers have
followed it without faltering. The firm
ness of the sovereign and his ministers
greatly honors them, for it has required
great strength of character to resist the
assaults to which they have been sub
jected.
Charles | was pressed without inter
mission by the Emperor Francis Joseph
and the Count Berchtold to return to the
Austrian fold. NM. Maioresco and
Take Jonesco We're besieged by intrig-
| uants and medders who desired that
they should profit by the discord in the
Balkans to annex right and left The
king stood steadfast and firm. and IL the
neace well the equilibrium of the
Balkans has been consummated 1t Is due
| in great measure to King Charles of
Roumania.
| Some months ago another Balkanic
sovereign. his neighbor on the other side
of the Danube, occupied
Ferdinand's the front rank Little. if
anything. was said of King
Ooii"Pse' Charles and very much of
King Ferdinand. Fortune carried the lat
ter as the result of lightning-like vic
tories to the gates of Constantinopie.
He had only one more effort to make to
penetrate as conuuerer to ST. SoDhia.
to set up anew the government Of the
Byzantine empire Was it Ferdinand s
fault that he did not seize the occasion?
There is every reason to believe that
Europe committed the fault by barring
the way.
BE that as it mav one may not repress
a sentiment Of sympathy at the ter-fNle
reyerse-as terrible as unforeseen-Whl"h
has come to the unhappy King Fercl-
nand.
4 corresuondent of the Temps reconnts
an audience which he had with King
| Charles at Bucharest two wears ago. The
king smoke of his denarture from Ger
many for Roumania in 1875 where. on
the recommendation of the King OF prus-
sia and NAPOLEON III. he was elected
king by the representatives of the people
at Bucharest.
Go" said the King of Prussia. God
keep thee. Rut for me il is painful thing
to know that any one Of nv family
| should be subject even nominally to the
| Turks :"
And King Charles added: These words
remained in nv soul All NV efforts. all
my thoughts were bent upon breaking
May 81. 1877. when Roumania declared
her independence from Turkey. which
was confirmed bv article n Of the con-
gress of Berlin. July IL. 1878.
1t is an error to think the powers may
he induced to revise the treaty of
Bucharest. None of the powers except
Austria and Italy has the slightest in
terest to touch the treaty. The powers
decided In the commencement of the war
that they would not intervene in the
inf. did intervene
to prevent the war: thew did not inter-
vene to establish the first contact be-
tween the belligerents. nor to facilitate
the negotiations for peace. 1t was Rou-
mania alone which took the initiative
and the responsibility. Europe could not
undertake to revise the treaty except she
had lost completely all sense of honor
and justice.
The role of the powers is entirely apart
from intervention with the treaty at
Bucharest. Europe. how
Role of ever, has an unavoidable
duty in the maintenance Of
1OWeIs. the treaty Of London. which
was her inspiration. dispatch dated
Sophia the 10Th instant announced that
the Bulgarian government had been off,
cially informed that day that the pow
ars we're considering measures TO COM
mel Turkey to respect the treaty of Lon
dom
Thus the powers have recognized their
responsibility At this moment ten days
have ELAPSED since the signing OF the
treaty at Bucharest-ten days OF crlmi-
nal inaction, which the Turks have turned
to account by augmenting their forces
and otherwise repairing Adrianople, which
was won only by an immense effort ana
great sacrifice of blood and money.
Ten DAYS ago the Turks had less than
15O.MN troops at Adrianople: 1t is now
claimed they have there 20.Hn. with the
intention of raising the number to 100000
A dispatch from London may be cited,
with the reservation that the Information
;s not official: The Turks, il was re-
norted. had advanced TO point forty-fVe
miles west of the Martha river. and were
marching toward Kirjai and Gumul1ina
The Bulgarian government, IL was re-
norted. had addressed note on the iin
Instant TO all the foreign legations at
Sofia protesting against the TURKISH IN
vasion. .h. Turkish
march against Bulgaria the latter
urgently demanded OF Said TAIN.
grand yizier at Constantinopie. 10 STOP
the invasion. The grand vlzler repIleu
nromntly that 1.-The invading force was
only a patrol which had crossed .ns
front;ar hut which had been Oruereu