The Washington times., 1914-12-04

Before the Balkan wars Servia was
state about the size of New Hampshire
and Vermont combined, and had a
population Of ZOO. 900; that is, less than
Massachusetts. Montenegro, its neigh
Dor. also peopled by Serbs. then con-
tanned perhaps 10000 people. At the
close of the second Balkan war the
new Servia had nearly doubled its area
and had now q population of $4,000.
But of these only Il small portion were
Serbs.
When Austria declared war in July
ii is doubtful II there were moro than
100000 Serbs in King Peters Kingdom ;
that is. approx mately the population
Of the American colonies at the outset
OF the Revolution. Against them was
"awfully arrayed" the Hapsburg en-
plre. with a population OF at least 81,
10000.
Yet in the opening days of the con-
iilct Servia was the first of the allies to
win a great victory. At the Jedar. in
the third week in August. four Aus
lilan army corps were routed, sent
home across the Drina. The splendid
achievement OF the Serbs against the
Iurk at kumanova. against the Bulgar
II the Bregalinitza, was repeated
against the Austrian oppressor.
In the weeks that followed Servian
and Montenegrin troops flowed over in
10 Bosnia, approached Sarajevo, the
commandment Of Belgrade was inter
rupted by the capture of Semlin by the
attic the artillery of the allied fleet
awakened echoes under the Black
mountain and IL seemed certain that
Cattaro taken, the Serbs would at last
acquire their window on the sea" All
through southern Slavdom, too, there
evident hn cfN 4l,,r
with the victors of the Jedar.
Bulgaria's Aid Wanted.
But September come and gone. it was
plain that Austrian plans had under
gone complete change. due, It was
said. TO German suggestion. Political
not military, considerations patiently de-
manded that Servia should be beaten
down. If Servia was crushed Bulgaria
might be enlisted on the German side
by the proffer OF the Macedonian SAN
Jaks taken from Turkey in the Balkan
war, assigned TO Bulgaria by the Bull
garo-Servian antebellum agreement and
lost by Bulgaria in the second war.
Monastir. Ochrida. even CskuD, might
be turned over to Ferdinand as the price
or bulgarian support and the Bulgaria
OF San Stefano created at last
Turkey having Joined the Kaisers, II
Bulgaria could be bought and Servia
crushed the road would lie oren from
Berlin to Constantinople. to Asia Mirror,
From the North Sea to the Golden Horn
and the Persian Gulf the Kaiser and
his allies would then dominate central
Europe and Western Asia. Roumania,
hesitating. eager TO redeem Rou-
manian millions in Austria, would be
kept In line, forced to remain neutral at
the least. possibly later enlisted by the
prospect of pourboire in the shape of
Besarabia. taken by Russia after the
Russo-Turkish war and mourned always
in Bucharest
On the other hand, victorious Servian
advances in Bosnia. certain to be at
tended by risings OF the Bosnia Serbs,
the ultimate loss of Bosnia and Here
govina, the capture by the Serbs of the
railway that leads from the Save to
the Adriatic and touches the sea at the
entrance OF the Gulf of Cattaro. where
the allied fleet was already stationed
this would mean an ultimate invasion of
Hungary, thrust from the south to-
ward Budapest, timed perhaps to syn
chronize with a Russian raid across the
Carpathians.
Invasion of Bosnia Checked.
Roumania and Bulgaria. too, seeing
Servia entering into possession Of Aus
trian lands. urged by Russian and Brit
ish intrigue, might we'll decide to cast
their lot with Servias champions and
take from the Austrian Emperor and
the Turkish Sultan in Pennsylvania and
in Thrace those provinces which to their
own minds were needed to complete
their Netherlands. The Balkan confed-
eracy which crushed Turkey might thus
be revived as an outpost and sold er of
the Austro-German combine, of the
grand alliance.