The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-08-15
MOTIVES OF BALKAN NATIONS IN CRISIS WHOLLY MERCENARY 'What Is in It for Us?" They Ask When Considering
 Whether to Fight
SITUATION OF LITTLE
 GREECE IS PECULIAR
Must Participate in War or See Aspirations of Years Vanish For ever - Bulgaria Will Not
 Fight on German Side
By THOMAS P. CLARKE

Buckharest, August 1.-(Special)- part of Europe has been more wrapped in the fog of war than the three neutral countries of the Balkans which are still hesitating on the borders of the colossal conflict, and which every one in and out of the Balkans is convinced cannot hover much longer These three coun- tries are Bulgaria, Greece and Roumania, although 1t must be noted that Roumania resents being included in the term Bal kan" She declares that her people are of Latin race and. therefore, much su- perior to the mixed Slav and eastern ele- ments comprising the population of her neighbors. With this concession to Rou- marian pride of race I must, however. declare that for purposes of European politics, Roumania, owing to her geo. graphical position and her international problems, must be included in the term Balkan"
 have just been talking with an Anglo American business man whose interests lie in this corner of Europe. His head quarters are in this capital and he has just returned from a three months busi- ness trip during which he visited Greece,
 
 is concerned with food and munitions of war he came into uncommonly close touch with the men who run things in these countries, and had unusual opportunities of learning the truth about the political and economic situation in each.
 Perhaps no country has given rise to more speculation than Bulgaria. Once the head of the Balkan league she quarreled with her old allies after the first Balkan war and fought them single handed, in the end suffering disastrous defeat After that defeat there was a tendency for her to become more friendly With held old enemy, Turkey, in order to main- tain the balance of power against her former allies and when Turkey came into the war on the side of Germany, this fact, added to the fact that Bulgaria has German King, seemed to incline her toward the German side, more especially ss her chief rival in the Balkans, Servia, was fighting with the quadruple entente. Germany has been moving heaven and earth to induce Bulgaria to cast in her lot with, the Teutonic allies, and the en- tente powers have been equally insistent, for apart altogether from her military strength Bulgaria would be valuable be- cause she possesses the key to the back door of Turkey, and the allies have found it uncommonly difficult to break open the front door at the Dardanelles. A few weeks ago it was reported here, and no doubt in England and America, that Bulgaria had succumbed to, German Embellishments and was about to enter the war at once Then this was denied and it was declared that Bulgaria was about to remain neutral. Since then there has been silence. My informant. who was in Sofia less than a fortnight ago, and who was in close touch with the mili- tary authorities there, was able to clear up some of this mystery.
 If at All for the Allies
 Bulgaria" he told me, "is ready for war down to Bsmarcks historical last gaiter button, but it is not at all cer- tain whether she will go to war at all CT not. Two things, however, are cer tain: she will not go to war until after the harvest, which will not be com pleted until sometime in August. and do not think she will go to war on the side of Germany. If she fights at all It will be on the side of the allies. The position of Bulgaria is very curious one She is strongly Russian and yet she is afraid of Russia. She owes her liberty from the Turkish yoke to the Russian yoke. She fears that Russia, and she is entirely grateful, but she does not desire to come under and she Is sure that if this happens. Bulgaria and all the other Balkan countries will eventually be swallowed by Russia Bulgaria has no love for the Turk, and would like to see him turned out of Constantinople. She would like, no doubt to have Constanti- nople herself, but she realizes that this is impossible. The next best thing