Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-01-03
SURPRISES seen
IN BALKAN WAR
President of Robert College,
Constantinople, Writes for
the Associated Press.

New York. Jan. 3.-Scenes in and
about Constantinople, and conditions
resulting from the Balkan war are in
terestingly described in a letter ad-
dressed to the Associate Press by
DR.. Caleb F. Gates, president of Rob J
ert college at the Turkish capital. The
letter follows:
This has been a war Of surprises to
most people The Turks themselves
were among those most surprised.
They had expended some 100000
pounds upon their army. They sup
posed that whatever else they had not
done they had at least prepared aa
army but that army has failed them.
The principal reason seems to be
lack of organization. The officers OF
the army we're not in touch with their
men. The committee of union and
progress had gotten rid Of the old Of
ficers, who had risen from the ranks
and who knew their men, and substi-
tuted officers trained in the military
schools Of Turkey and Europe I'm
fortunately these officers had been de-
voting too much time TO politics and
too little time TO their work with the
army. So they did not adequa ely know
their men.
Turkey at the opening of the war
strained every nerve to bring her SOL
diers 10 the front. They came in by
ships which passed down the Bospho-
rus every day, the soldiers cheering
add the bands playing The soldiers
were put into cars and sent to the
front, often without their officers.
When they arrived at the station
where they were to leave the railroad
officers we're in waiting who took
them and placed them in their com
panies All corps and division forma-
ton was lost II was confusion. These
soldiers went TO the battle uader bad
conditions They needed a month at
least TO train with their new officers
and yet TO know one another and their
leaders
Then the commissariat failed. 1t
soon became evident to us here in
Constantfnople that the government
was bringing in men much faster than
food They gave money to the sol
defs and told them to so and buy
food 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 a gun. When fighting actually
began all their difficulties were in
CREASED l.. was painful to contem-
plate
Under these conditions the Turkish
army ought never to have advanced
beyond the line OF Lule Burgas. They
should have taken up strong positions
there; waited to get all their army
together; trained their men and put
them IN sympathy with their officers.
By this time all the word knows
that the Bulgarian army did not pur'
sue the Turks beyond Lule Burgas.
They waited nearly a week before
they MADE their demonstration to try
the strength Of the Turkish army al
Chataldja. There eas never been 9
pitched battle there. and now peace
negotiations are going on. The TURK
is not driven out Of Europe. nor do
believe that he will be now. Constan
tincple will remain under the Turkish
government. and a strip of territory
the size of which will be determined
by negotiations.
While the newspapers have beef
filled with accounts of the condition o
Cohs-antinop.e. filled with refugees
and soldiers driven back upon tn
city. and while they have been describ
ing scenes here only riyalled by tn
scenes in Dante's Inferno we hav'
been living in Constandnople in peac
and uuietness. There has been n
bloodshed here. and the government
has maintained order with great firm
ness. We should remember that Kia
mil Pashas committee Of union an
progress had been turned out, 500
after the beginning OF the war. Tn
least that we can say about the con
mittee Of union eEd progress is tina
it's name is a misnomer. for the con
mittee stood neither for union nor 70
progress.
Kiamil Pasha's cabinet had a har
task. They Inherited the war. the al
my was what the committee of unio
and progress had made il. ahd tn
country was filled with their appoint
ees In office There has been no ser
GUS disorder in this city during tn
war Robert college has not misse
one day Of lessons. The greatest daT
ger was in the provinces. AS of old