New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-07


replied, and Russia was compelled to yield.
Serbia thus saw the future she had cher
shed. the dream of restored Serb en-
pre- destroyed.
Her revenge came four years later
when. under Russian guidance, there was
formed the Balkan alliance which ended
in the first Balkan war. In this war
Serbian troops overran Old Serbia and
Macedonia Uskub, Prisrend. Monastir.
Prilip and Kuprili were captured. In
/ Albania Serbian armies reached Durazzo
and Montenegrin troops entered Scutar
When it came time 20 make peace, how
ever. Austria again interviewed. Bulgaria
and Serbia had divided the Turk provinces
/ in secret treaty; TO Serbia was to fall
/ Northern Macedonia west of line drawn
/ from Lake Ochrida to Egri Palanka to-
gether with Albania north of the Skumbi
River. Thus Serbia was to acquire
window on the sea, which meant indie
pendence of the Austrian market. But
Austria said that Albania should not be
annexed, and Serbia, disappointed here,
insisted upon holding Macedonia west of
the Vardar, which would give her access
through Salonica to the Egean; with
Greece she had a bargain enabling her
to use the railroad over Greek territory
from Guevgheli to Salonica.
Bulgaria declined to make the necessary
sacrifice. acting under Austrian influence,
and the second Balkan war followed. In
this Bulgaria was beaten, lost all of
Northern Macedonia to Serbia save the
Strumnitza circle, and to Greece sur
rendered Kavala and Drama. Serbia thus
became q considerable state, with an exit
to the world, acquired economic indepen-
dencc, but also earned the permanent
hostility Of both Austria and Bulgaria. In
taking Macedonia she had annexed not
less than half million Bulgars and near
half as many Albanians. Bulgaria was
certain to take the first chance to re-
cover her lost provinces and people.
Austria's Perils.
As for Austria Serbia had now become
for her not a nuisance but peril, for
the Serbs now began to plan to liberate
the Serbs of Bosnia and to found great
southern Slav state, extending from
Trieste to Durazzo and from the Draw to
: the Skumbi 1t was this peril which led
: to the Austrian declaration of war upon
Serbia, which proved the signal for Arma-
geddon. For the Hapsburgs, Serbia, en-
couraged by Russia, had precisely the
- same menace that Sardinia, backed by
France, had been for her half a century
, before. The assassination Of the archduke
was but the occasion for war that had
become inevitable when Serbia had risen
, TO strength and dared to dream of
, southern Slav risorgimento.
But it is essential to recognize that in
taking Macedonia, in alliance with Greece
and Rumania, Serbia had also made
dangerous enemy in Bulgaria, who was
sure to attack her if the chance should
come. In doing this she had insured her
self with treaties of alliance with Greece
and Rumana, but both were to fail her at
the critical moment, because both declined
TO face, not Bulgaria, but Austria, Ger
MANY and Turkey. AS for Austria, it is
clear that her purpose must be to-
DESTROY Serbia, because the existence of a
strong Serbia is permanent danger to
her own integrity.
The Geographical Aspect.
Turning now to the geographical aspect:
Serbia is country of about $4,000 square
miles. almost exactly the size of Indiana,
with population of 100000. 1t is fairly
regular in outline, some 100 miles broad
from east TO west and trifie more than
$50 miles long from Belgrade to Monastir.
It is a country with no large cities, wholly
agricultural, a country of small holdings
like France, a pure democracy, with no
considerable bourgeois element and no
nobility.
It's geography, so far as it is interesting
from the military point of view, may De
set forth simply by comparing the country
70 q long, narrow house, facing north
upon the Danube. Through this house.
from north to south, runs wide corridor,
rather nearer the eastern or Bulgarian
side which leads up the Morava and down
the Vardar Valley and connects Belgrade
with Salonica, so miles south of the Greek
frontier. From time immemorial this cor
rdor has been the route Of armies and OF
commerce between the Danube and the
Egean. =,
The other essential feature, from NIL
itary standpoint, is a second corridor run
ming at right angles to the first and ex-
tending from the Bosnian frontier to the
! Bulgarian. The two corridors lntersect
near the city of Nish, which in Roman
times was a great imperial city. Coming
south along the first corridor, from Bel
grade TO Nish, is the main line OF the