Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-05-14

manian oil is most likely fetching
very good price in the German market
Rumania. with an excellent system
ton to get her products out through
central Europe. The railway line
which forks at Budapest has one
Constantine, on the Black sea. Ru
mania. consequently. has a through
trunk line to Vienna and south central
Europe. The numerous north and
connection to Berlin and the other Ger
man cities
The sea commerce. of course. has been
Interrupted on account of the closing
of the Dardanelles: Rumania main
tanned a subsidized government line
from Constantine to Alexandria and
other Mediterranean ports The Black
sea traffic now, presumably, is OF
local nature. but with SO much of con.
tinental Europe open by means OF rail
communication the loss of the sea-
borne trade is not apt to be great.
With an assured market for their
agricultural products. it is certain that
the Rumanian people are enjoying pros
perity equal to that of the Scandf-
navian neutrals. who have been in
position to trade with both sets of bel
ligerents- The question. however, which
is now agitating Rumania is. whether
this prosperity will continue and
whether all of the territory which now
constitutes the country will continue
part OF Hunldnld.
Some of the political leaders have
maintained that there must be day OF
reckoning with Russia and the allies.
and that Rumania will pay the penalty
of her friendly relations with the CEN
trail powers. This assumes, of course,
that Russia and the allies will win I'M
conditional1y. Thus far it is German
diplomacy in the near east which has
been triumphant through the action of
Rumania in continuing neutral and In
not allowing Russian troops to cross
her territory in order to relieve Serbia.
The whole question of the future of
Rumania the fortunate Balkan state
is involved. According to the view of
some. to be fortunate in war may mean
to be unfortunate in peace.
Rumania actually is in dilemma.
Race and religion and territory and
the other complex elements which in
yolve all the Balkans the horns of
il. The situation has been tersely de-
scribed as the choice between car or
kaiser, whether Slavonic or Teutonic
influences shall dominate, although
there are other elements which are
neither Slavonic or Teutonic, such as
the Magyars.
Geographically. at the outset Of the
war. the question was stated to be
whether Russia would cede Bessaraba
as the price of Rumanian alliance or
whether Austria Hungary would cede
Pennsylvania and Bukowina. Both are
largely peopled by Rumanians. But
neither Russia nor Austria was willing
to pay such price for the support of
Rumania, and no encouragement is now
given to the prospect Of increased Ru-
manian territory along with the ma
terial prosperity that has been the re-
suit of the war.
Instead of any additional territory.
persistent reports have been afloat that
Germany had persuaded Rumania. after
the war. to give back to Bulgaria Do
brudja and Sylistria. which were OBJ
tanned consequence of Bulgaria's
misfortunes in the second Balkan war.
Grave doubts are thrown these re-
ports. yet German diplomacy undoubt-
eddy has been able to keep Rumania
and Bulgaria on nominally friendly
terms.
Runf-nia profted greatly through the
two Balkan wars. She had little part
in the league which carried on the sue
cessful drive against Turkey, and did
not share largely in the partition of
Turkish territory among the members
of the league But after the second