East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-08-27

! Omitted Press staff Correspondent
SOPHIA. Bulgaria, Aug, 2,-(By
Mail. From the spick and span, but
none the less modest little Balkan cap
ital, Sophia has become the center
of the worlds greatest lobby, and
the lobby for the greatest thing in
the world-victory in the present
war
By the vicissitudes of the present
great European conflict and her pc
cular geographical position Bulgaria
has come more than any one other
to hold an influence over the future
destinies Of all Europe,
Were Bulgaria suddenly TO join the
allies. and falling on the back Of
Turkey capture Constantinople from
the rear. the allies could at least pass
the Dardanelles and carry to Russia
the help in supplies and munitions
that might quickly turn the whole
current Of the war in their favor.
If Bulgaria continues neutral, the
possibility Of the capture of Constan-
tinople from the Chatalja line is re-
moved and the eventual passage Of
the Dardanelles if not rendered im'
possible will be so Indefinitely de-
laved as to enable Germany in the
meantime to follow up her successes
against Russia and turn the whole
current Of the war in her favor,
This, at least, is the way the great
European powers now involved in the
conflict view the situation and that
is why the lobby is here.
In Europe they do not call it lob
hying. It passes under the more polite
term of diplomacy. In reality, how
ever, there is not a method nor a
tactic known to the most common or
the most distinguished lobbyist at
Washington or any American state
capitol that is not being used to win
over the various members of the Bull
garian cabinet, the members Of parli-
ament the political leaders, the heads
oe the army and even Car Ferdinand
the Queen and the crown prince
themselves. II may be that diplo>
macy and lobbying are merely the
European and the American terms
for the one and the same thing or ii
may be that the issue at stake is so
great that the exalted and dignified
diplomacy of Europe has been re-
duced to the methods and practices
Of the vulgarest and most common
of American lobbyists.
The lobby is naturally divided into
two great camps, that Of Germany,
Austria and Turkey and that of
England Russia, Italy. Serbia and
France To the regularly accredited
diplomatic representatives of these
countries there has been added a
whole army Of special diplomatic and
ether agents, every one Of whom has
been selected with an eye to his
special qualifications either for win.
ming over some special individual or
for welding some especial influence
on the Bulgarian government as a
whole
/ Both camps have now made more
of less concrete propositions to Bull
| garia. Germany, Austria and Tur-
key have told her that if she will re-
main neutral till the end of the war
Trey will give her all of Serbien
Macedonia, which after all is the one
thing Bulgaria most desires. This Of
fer presumes a final victory for Ger
many in which event Serbia would
/ become an Austrian province and
would have nothing to say as to the
disposition Of her territory. Minor
inducements also have been included
in the German offer
The allies on their par, IN exchange
( for Bulgaria's participation in the war
and her capture Of Constantinople
from the rear have offered:
/. The bulk Of what remains Of
the Turkish empire in Europe includ-
ing the city of Adrianople which the
Bulgarians captured in the first Bal
kan war but lost in the second
2. Portions of Serbian Macedonia
which Serbia, it is hoped, at the re-
quest of the allies will cede.
3. The best efforts Of the allies to
secure from Greece and Roumania
the cession Of those territories which
were taken from Bulgaria at the close
Of the second Balkan war.
In response to these offers Bulgaria
has frankly admitted she is in the
market not necessarily to the higher
bidder but to the one who win give
her the most solid guarantees that
the promises made will be carried
out; or rather, she demands, that in
as far as possible, her compensation
be given her in advance in order that
there be no short change operations
after the war such as she alleges were
perpetrated at the close 1f the Bal
Kan wars, She has expressed her
readiness to treat with both sides and
1t is this open, receptive attitude that
has resulted in the massing here Of
the great lobby.
Pioneers Gather.