The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-10
The International Commission on the
Balkan Wars.

The responsibility for the barbara
ties and atrocities OF the last two wars
in the Balkans has been the subject of
controversy that has been carried on
with much bitterness by the combat
ants ever since exhaustion demanded
the cessation of actual warfare. That
the wars were accompanied with much
savage brutality seems to have been
admitted by the nations involved, but
at the same time each of them has CON
tended that it was gulltless
In proof of this there have been
many reports issued, hut as they have
been individual or national efforts they
have been rejected. serving no other
purpose than to add to the heat of the
discussion. There must. therefore. he
Il special interest in the report that
has just been published by the Inter
national Commission. which from Its
very purpose and formation has every
reason to be free from bias and par
| the true conditions.
The striking thing in the report Is
| that the commission found so deplor.
able a state Of affairs In some in
stances there had been exaggeratlons.
but in others the worst Of the suffering
and cruelty that had been inflicted
no; only upon the soldiers but also
upon the non-combatants had not been
told. Neither does the report hold en-
,tirely blameless any one " the nations
The SerNians perhaps. are the freest
from guilt. but even they are held ac-
countable for cruetes in Macedonia
ana for their conduct of the war
against the Bulgarlans
Much Of the investigation was car.
ried on in Thracc and southern Mace.
donna. where the Greeks and Bugars
had struggled for supremacy in terri
tory that the combined allies had
wrested from the Turks. The charges
brought against the Bulgars by the
Greeks are already familiar At the
time they were made the Greeks had
every resource of publicity at their
disposal. while Bulgaria was isolated
and cut of from telegraphic communi-
cation with the world.
In that way false reports of Bulgarian
cruelty We're .ent out. There none the
less remains" says the report, when
these travesties of fact are brushed
aside. n heavy indictment which rest.
upon lncontrovertible evidence" DoXatC
was burned and ma ssacre carried out
there during and after Bulgarian
attack. 1t Is true that Series was
burned; that large number Of civil
ians, including the Bishop of Melnih
and Demi-lIissar, were slaughtered
The commission. after considering tn,
evidence on both sides regarding thes,
events, finds that the Greek charge,
are In each case substantially true
but in no case do they state tn,
whole truth" In the same manner al
the other charges were investigate,
and in almost every case was Their,
found guilt on both sides. TO recall
more of the instances would be merel,
, to add horror to horror. but the grca
: sd sfactlon OF the report is It's appear
ance Of absolute impartlallty. In I
are contained no statements upol
which all the members OF the commits
|. sion did not agree. In fact the repor
$ seems 80 thoroughly impartial that
4 is difficult to see how, at the present a
. least, II will prove satisfactory to an
q Of the nations involved.
q The report does not take hopefr
view of the situation. The great ques
o ton of nationalism is still foremost
& and this confused tangle cannot b
Strengthened either by attempts TO a'
Il simulate at any price or by new m
+ Grations. The treaty Of Buchares
needs to be revised. argues the commi,
n sion. This appears one of the fir
n steps toward an effective mutua
- guarantee OF religious and education,
q autonomy and way to peace an
a quiet In the Balkans.