The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-12-19

through lack of ammunition, and fears were entertained that Bulgaria would join the Entente powers. At the time an interesting declaration from a high Sofia source reached me regarding the German efforts to win over Bulgaria. Everyone wondered at the seemingly littles kill of the Ger man minister at Sofia, Dr. Michael lis, displayed. King Ferdinand cer- tainly made great difficulties, and at an advanced stage of the negotiations said to the Prime Minister. Rado- slavoff, referring to the offered French loan: Leave me in peace with the German Jews, but you take the good French money The German minister was removed from Sofia to a northern post, and even we'll informed Bulgarians thought his removal sig nified a punishment for his lack of tact.
 "As a matter of fact, he had re- ceived secret instructions from Ber- lin to the effect that he should not do his best to win the Bulgarians over. The Imperial German chancellor, in fact, even then-during the great 1O1O"SltIlIIlST Oll0IlS1tS dSdlHSI 1IuS- sia-believed in the possibility of a separate peace with Russia, and he knew that Russia would refuse to lay down arms without punishing Bull garia if that country proved traitor to the Slav cause.
 The account of German methods of corruption at Constantinople which Herr lStuermer gives makes revolting reading. He says that huge chests filled with gold to be distributed for propaganda purposes are constantly arriving at Constantinople from Ber- lin. The German Embassy is source of money to hundreds of spies, cor ruptera, adventurers, and emissaries of all kinds and nationalfties. The News Bureau" attached to the Ger man Embassy. he says, issues thou sands of pamphlets weekly which are Empire, and leading articles, news items, and photographs are offered to Turkish newspapers, accompanied by substantial cheques. Germany, he declares, buys the service of bank rupts extortioners. slave dealers, and even of men who organize the sale of young Armenian and Serbian girls in the market place. Through the agency of these creatures the gospel of the Holy War" is propagated.
 Herr Stuermer deals at length with the economic sufferings of the Turk ish populace, but says clearly that hunger will never compel Turkey to make a separate peace. At times of acute bread scarcity, he says. dozens of people drop down dead in Constan- tinople from hunger, and he often witnessed food riots in which Turk ish women took g. prominent part. Food prices even last spring were so astonishingly high that he often asked himself what the poor could find to eat. The desire for peace among all classes when he left was pathetic in it's intensity and discontent as Ger
 man rule steadily grows.
 His description of the Armenian massacres confirms all the details given in Lord Bryce's report on the subject. He admits the German re- sponsibility for them Is very great. From the balcony of his fiat in Con- stantinople he and his wife daily saw groups of ill-treated Armenians pass ing under police escort. through the city. On one occasion Frau Stuermer was unable to walk out into the street because the doorway was crowded with trembling, tortured Ar menians who had escaped from the Turkish police The sight of Turkish cruelty, and the fact that Germany was @ passive partictpator in her ally's crimes, filled the German jour nalist with horror. At that moment" he says, T broke, with Germany in my soul"
 Copyright, 1917. by the Interna- tional News Bureau, 15 School street, Boston. MAss.)