New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-19
"BULGARIA'S DEMANDS. "
By No Means Acceptable in the
Eyes of the Serbians.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: From the beginning of this terrible
war in Europe l have been very interested
in your editorial columns which commented
on the European situation | must admit
that | and my friends who read your valua-
BILE paper were always highly pleased \ tn
your truthful comments, and some of your
articles haze translated in the Serbian Ian
guage and printed in our leading Serbian
journals in this country.
But allow me to say that l was almost
astonished to read your editorial, "Bulgaria's
Demands" in your issue Of yesterday, for
it contains almost from the beginning to the
end nothing else than incorrect statements.
Evidently you have been misinformed
about the present situation in the Balkans,
which has caused you to make such utter
ances. You are justifying the treacherous
Bulgarian demands from the brave little
hero of the Balkans, Serbia. Why? Be
cause the Bulgarians have "asphyxiated'
the minds of allied diplomats with the e
lief that in the Serbian Macedonia live only
Bulgars. But neither the Bulgarans them
selves nor the Austrian Foreign Office, the
famous and productive proof" factory, was
ever able to secure true facts which would
be sufficient to justify the Bulgarian claim
in Macedonia. To the contrary, the Bull
garians have been always setting forth ar
guments and published documents which, as
a matter of fact, were against their ogn
cause.
So. for instance, the noted publicist, Mr..
Spiridon Gopcevich, of Vienna, was once
approached by a Bulgarian high official and
was offered to travel through the contested
Macedonian provinces in order to establish
the identity of the Macedonian inhabitants.
In the company of the same official Mr..
Gopcevich traversed the country, studying
the language, customs and aspirations of the
Macedonian Slavs, and found, TO the disap-
pointment of his companion, that ali the
Macedonian inhabitants were celebrating
the "Slava" (house patron), which is spe
cia feature of Serbian religious rites; that
they spoke dialect of the Serbian Ian
guage and that all Serbian national heroes
were recognized by them as their own, which
is in reality, true.
A still better example is found in the
writings of Mr.. Jastrebov, the Russian Con-
sui at Monastir, who, by undeniabe facts,
proved that the inhabitants of Macedonia
are nothing but Serbs.
1t is true that the Bulgarian Exarchate
Church with mass in the Slav language,
which in the Macedonian provinces while
under Turkey had a right to establish
schools, was used, or, to say better, misused
by the Bulgarians for the propaganda of
Bulgarizing the Serb element in Macedonia.
The Bulgarian comitadjis with fire and
sword, protected by the Exarchate, had par
TALLY succeeded in compelling the Macedon-
ian population to declare itself in favor Of
Bulgarians. But, however, the Bulgarian
propaganda did not achieve the desired sue
cess. The Serbian soldiers from Macedonia
have proved 10 be about the most loyal and
the best fighters in the ranks Of the Serbian
army. There was no popular 'lscontent in
Macedonia whatsoever, though Bulgaria is
still circulating stories about the "refu-
gees from Macedonia" and about the suffer
ings of "Bulgars" under the Serbian yoke
Macedonia is the cradle Of the Serbian ma
tion and Serbian glory. Every foot OF that
land is sacred TO Serbians; they have soaked
il with their blood time and time again, and
the world shall not expect Serbia to give II
without blood. II the Allies care, they can
choose between US and the treacherous Bull
garians, but we cannot be frightened into
giving in.
Serbia has set out to unite all the Ser
bans under one rule. She must and will do
it, Serbians must be either a united nation
or perish in the struggle for their life nd
death. The Allies are offering to Serbia
Bosnia and Herzegovina for ceding Mace
donial What a joke! To offer US our own
lands, which even the Austrian systematic