The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-15
Defends Methods Employed
 by Foreign Office to Bring
 About Union of Balkan States
GREEDY DEMANDS OF
 BULGARIA COULD
 NOT BE SATISFIED
Says Central Powers Se- cured the CO-Operation of Ferdinand in Unscrupu- l0us Manner

London. October 14-The diplomatic
 rather than the military side of the | situation was the subject of Sir Ed ward Grey's eagerly awaited state | ment relative to the Balkan situation l House of Commons.
 'I propose to confne myseif.s the | British foreign secretary said, to a resume of our diplomatic objects since the war. At the outset we desired that the war should not spread and In com ! mon with our allies we assured Turkey that if she remained neutral Turkey and Turkeys territory should not sui fer. This situation was completely | changed by the entrance of Turkey into | the war and all obligations on the part of the allies then ceased. We and our allies then concern
 trated upon securing an agreement
 among the Balkan states and we used all our influence to secure an accord. Unfortunately the feeling in the Bal kans Is not one of union but one of a cisive preponderatng advantage for the allies would have enabled us 10 secure policy of union. We were given to understand in the course of the negotiations that tsexcept with regard to Thrace the cen- tra1 powers had offered to Bulgaria
 more to secure her neutrality than the allies could in fairness offer. The prom | ses which induced Bulgaria to de- ! clare war were. given hy the central powers at the expense of her neigh- l bors and without any corresponding ad- vantage to them. We have remained throughout on friendly relations with Roumania. who has favored the policy of a Balkan union.
 German Policy "It Is the policy of bringing about a
 Balkan war that the sovereigns and
 governments of Germany, Austria
 Hungary and Bulgarla-the sovereigns
 and the overnments--have succeeded in carrying into effect. We were given to understand that in order to secure Balkan union there were certain concessions Bulgaria would require. es- pecially in Thrace and Macedonia. "The allies were ready to do all in their power to secure these for Bul- gara. but to obtain the consent Of Servia and Greece it was essential preliminary that Bulgaria take sides with the allies against Turkey In oth- CT words if Bulgaria was to realize
 her hopes and aspirations she must cooperate in a common cause in which the hopes and aspirations of other neighborIng states were engaged. Tt will be enough to say that these reasonable hopes and aspirations were. in the main. founded upon opportunity to peoples of the same race. the same sentiments and the same religion to join themselves to a state under a gov ernment most akin to them" Premier Asquth in the House of Commons declined to grant q day for debate on Sir Edward Greys state ment on the Balkan situation. In the House of Lords the Marquis of crcwe made a statement similar to that of the foreign secretary and concluded:
 Allies More Determined This attack on Servia will only make sterner and fercer the determination of the allies to carry the war through to a definite victory at whatever cost. Noth- Ing has occurred in any part of the world to weaken that resolution and we win maintain it"
 During the discussion which followed the Marquis of Crewe's statement Vis- count Milner suggested the withdrawal of the troops from Gallipol and their transfer to some other theatre of war. Lord Lansdowne. in reply. said 1t was impossible for any member of the gov ernment to give an undertaking that tho troops would continue in the Dardaneles operations would be withdrawn from them It would be unpatriotic and im- proper, he said. to force the govern ment to make fuller disclosure of the operations in which the country is en- gagged.
 The present situation. he declared. was
 a grave and critical one; there were new developments and new factors in addition
 to the entrance of Bulgaria into the strug- gle The attitude of Greece at the present
 moment had not been quite fully defined
 and that was another factor in the cal-
 culation.
 Russian Troops Promised
 Sir Edward Grey. the secretary for for
 egn affairs announced in ahe House of Commons today. that the cooperation of Russian troops in the Balkans had been promised as soon as troops were avail able.
 Through Greek territory alone could as- sistance be sent to Servia said Sir Ed ward and that this assistance was well come was sufficiently proved by the re- ception accorded the allied troops. Great
 Britain was giving Servia all the help
 in its power freely and internationally.
 In view of the treaty between Greece and Servia." said the foreign secretary. how can there be any other attitude on the part of Greece towards the assist
 ance offered through her to Servia? Tn
 the steps taken. we acted in the closest cooperation with France and the CO.,
 operation of Russian troops is promised as soon as they can be made availab ble" In his remarks Sir Edward Grey. allud- ing to Servia, praised the skill and cour-
 age with which she had turned upon her
 foes and driven them out of her country as one of the outstanding features of the
 war. Once again he said the crisis was
 upon Servia. and she was meeting it with
 the same splendid courage, The entry Of Bulgaria made gerat difference in the