Bismarck daily tribune., 1915-10-14
BULGARIA IS
TWELFTH NATION
TO ENTER WAR
Formally Declared Hostilities
Against Serbia Yesterday
Status Now Fixed.
MOST POWERFUL
OF BALKANS
In Time of War Can Put Three
Hundred Thousand Men in
Field.

i LONDON, Oct. Io.-BlllSdIa has ue-
clared war Or Serbia says Central
News dispatch from Paris.
The decision of Bulgaria, the
twelfth nation to enter tle war, to
join he ranks Of the belligerents on
the side of Germany, Austria and Tur-
key, was reported only after diplo-
matte duel Waged for months between
representative of the Teutonic allies
and the Quadruple Entente. Each side
offered tempting inducements in an
effort to gain another ally, but the
Bulgarian government finally decided
Germany and her friends had made
the higher Ibid.
Bulgaria is rated as one OF the most
powerful of the Christian Balkan
states. Her. army, while consider
ably smaller than that OF her neigh
bor, -Roumania, is well drilled and
equipped. Her military strength on
a peace footing is only about $4,000
but in time of war she is able to put
into the field something like 3OO,0 900
men.
J.. Bulgaria Isolated.
Since the second Balkan war, in
which Bulgaria fought Greece, Serbia
and Montenegro, after the victory OF
all four nations against Turkey, Bull
garia has been isolated to a certain
extent from ne other Balkan states.
The second war, which resulted from
a dispute as to the division Of terri
tory won from Turkey, was not par.
ticipated in by Rollmania, which also
kept out Of the first Balkan conflict
Roumanian troops invaded bulgaria,
however, and forced the latter to
make territorial concessions.
When peace was finally restored,
Bulgaria was compelled to relinquish
large part of the territory she nao
gained in the first war. The ill-feel-
ing thus engendered made it doubtful
whether Bulgaria would consent to
enter he present war on the side OF
Serbia and Montenegro. She stead
f)astly refused to- abandon neutrality
unless assured of territorial conces-
sions which would enable her to real
ize ller national aspirations. Chief OF
these was to regain those sections
of Macedonia populated chiefly by
BuIgars which now belong to Serbia
and Greece. She also sought sec
ton of Turkish territory.
The first important victory of Ger
man diplomacy was scored when Iur'
kew was induced to cede Bulgaria ter
ritory along the line of tle Dedea-
catch railway. In addition to this 1t
has been reported that Bulgaria has
been promised regulation OF the
frontier north of Adrianople as far as
the Black sea, wheeby the district
of Kirk Kilisse would revert to ner.
Macedonia the Prize.
Sac also is said to have been
pledged efficient help in obtaining the
whole of Macedonia, including the SO.
called disputed part of Usukdb and
the coast region along the Aegean sea
to the Strume, as we'll as Part OF Deb
rudja.
Bulgaria ordered the mobilization
of her army on September 81. On
October 3 Russia sent an ultimatllm
to Bulgaria. demanding that she
break with the Central powers within
"a hours, but Russian demands were
rejected and three days later dlplo.
matte relations between Bulgaria and
the powers -arrayed with the Quadrl-
ple Entente were severed. The same
day Bulgaria Sent an ultimatum to
Serbia regarding Macedonia, and ON
October 8 issued a manifesto announc-
ing her decision to enter the war on
the side of the Central powers. bull
sarian troops actually invaded Ser
;bia about "a hours before war was
declared.