The Washington herald., 1916-12-25
BULGARIANS STARVING;
CAR FEARS FOR HEAD
County Sex of War and Disikes Ger
mans. Declares Fugitive.
By JOHN L BALDERsoN.
Npsvnrt IN. b hs Msclu, Es~spsp9

By JOHN L BAI.DERsoN.
Uwusth nn. b ns Mscus Hs-spspa
III eyDciHtAl
II Lonoon. Dec f1-Desptts ths suoo>sses
g NE BueaEtsn armies sGzinst the
hunenfans and Russtana Buir.r,s n
hssrtiiy doh of che var a.d b NJ rrts
\ cnAnos and b offered reasonabis terms
wm nahs peace with the entente, &C
oorofng TO Dmitrf Radistched. NJ. Rad
isechen 10 q member Of the Bulrarfan
farnsment who has Just reached London
after . thrilling escape from the wrath
Of Car Ferdinand He made his vay
meo h1mantA and through Russia and
sweden to this country. He bslonFed 20
tha minority or pro-RussIan party in
soma whioh opposed the German arisnea
and most ef his associates havs bean
executed o., Ike htmsslS, have taken
refuge IN ntEht
The taot that stnos Bulgaria cam. into
the war more than q year aEo no
onoiassed aooount OF conditions in the
country has reached the outdde worId
lends interest to what Mr. Radistchef
SAID He believes that the rnass Of the
people are opposed 10 the war, and that
revolution IN which Ferdinand will
lose his throne is possible At any time.
Industrial Town Revolt.
When left my country" he said, the
industrial town Of JamboH was the cen
ter OF the opposition TO the war and chs
Car, and II was practically in a state
OF revolt In Sona the court and the
Germans rule with a rod Of iron, but IN
Jamboh and the district surrounding Il
thsy dare not make arrests. or even
force unwilling oonscripts TO Join the
army. for fear Of cvfl war
'Radko Theodoron IL head Of the anti
war movement. and is 80 popular with the
people that he can speak openly against
Ferdinand and the Kaiser without the
government daring to move against him
BE proclaims that II Bulgaria Is defeated
the nation WIN hang Ferdinsnd
~Fsrdtnand himself seems 20 ter che
vengeance Of his deluded and starving
subjects, who now well understand that
they are being exploited for the sake OF
German snbitton- His movements are
always secret and the capital does not
know when he is at the palace. when in
Vienna. when on his country pl1cs at
Mount Vitosch. near Sofa or when he
makes one Of his infrequent trtps TO me
army
N RAdistchen was most btttsr against
the Germans.
Without the presence Of German. on
GERS who pretend to be doing war work.
but are really secret agents." he said, the
government would be overthrow and
peace arranged In the ONCE Of the n1ili-
tary governor Of Sofa are two German
ofneers Of high rank who practically rule
the capital and that part Of the country
where the pro-Russisn sentiment is not
too strong for them. They have created
reign Of terror. They decide what
measure shall be taken against persons
who are suspected Of fayor1ng peaos or
the Russians, and they control the troops
which are stationed in the capital TO
deal with popular risinEs- During Au-
gust there was a great peace riot around
the statue Of Gar Alexander II, who
liberated Bulgaria, but the soldiers dis
persed the people"
Army Condfttoas Bad.
what Is the condition q the BuI-
garisn srmyT' asked N Radistche1.
Bad" he replied. The soldiers are
brave and capable, and there are enough
guns and shells, but the morale 10 de-
ploralble because most OF the ofhoers are
pro-Russlan- Most Of them were edu-
Gated In Russia and speak no other for
eign language. Ths oonnissariat too,
10 bad There are insufficient transport
srrsngernentA few railways and no motor
trsnzport even n the roads were good
enough % stand motoring, which they
are not
What IN the condition Of the people
was q question that moved the fugitive
Bulgarian almost TO tears
'DeplnraSle," no answered. The last
thres-q1Arters Of the normal. and the
Germans havs gone through the country
Communicating grain and sending IL
away into Germany. A dnsd price u paid
which IN far below what Il Is worth, and
the concealment OF grain is severely pun
ished- Since the wars against Turkey.
Serbia and Greece there has been a great
shortage Of livestock and horses. and this
war Is sweeping away all that remain.
Even most Of the army transport has TO
be done with oxen because there are not
enough horses.
Shortage of Food-
-Thsrs is practically no meat N the
country, no coffeA. and no leather. The
wants Of the Bulgarian peasant are sim
pie, but IN the north. when / left, famine
conditions were approaching. Mackensen
at that time was secretly concentrating
his army between Rustchuck and Sumla-
ready for the drive which he made
through the Dobrudjs. and his swarn1 OF
Germans, Austrians and Turks. as we'll
as Bulgars. comnADdsered the last stores
of grain boarded by the peasantx The
people were dying OF hunger when
left
'Bveryvhsrs in my country one hears
the wish constantly expressed that Bull
gRrta may be beaten IN the nsld 90 that
Russia viii forgive US and ws may get
rid OF the Germans. The Germans know
that the people feel this way. and they
dread the day when the country will rise
in their rear against them, which is more
than a possibility il they suffer a great
defeat In Phiippopolis the second city
of the kingdom, crowds have smashed
the windows Of the rooms occupied BY
the German officers stopping m the ho-
tells there The mass OF the nation de-
tests them: We are sick of tho war, and
II the entente offers US reasonable terms
after a victory in the field practically