Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-12
THE VOICE OF
THE PEOPLE
Hopeful Outlook for Future in
the Balkans-"Sammees"
and "Teddies"
DAWN IN THE NEAR EAST
To the Editor Of the Evening Ledger:

To the Editor Of the Evening Ledger:
Sr-Many months ago, during the Of
fensive that carried the forces of Field
Marshal Won Mackensen through Serbia and
raised hopes of an invasion of Egypt in the
German breast, Macmillan Harden wrote
a long dissertation In his Zukunft, entitled
rs There Light in the Near East?' At
that time the enfant terrible of German
journalism was still substantially per-
meated with the ideas of Pan-German i'm
perialsm and It seemed to him that the
conquest of the Balkans by the Austro-Ger-
man armies and the invasion of Egypt,
Brtains heel of Achilles would bring
both that Teuton victory and Teuton peace
desired by the worshipers at the shrine
Of "Dds DeutSchtunl,"
Since then many events have taken place.
Despite the trumphal march Of Macken-
sens hosts through Serbia, the Balkan sit
uaton--the basic cause of the war In the
east-remained in the same state of un-
certainty in which II was when the shot
Of Printzep ended the lives Of the Arch
duke Ferdinand and his consort and sup
piled the spark that lit the European con-
Migration And just as the advance of
Mackensen from the north failed to settle
the Near Eastern problem by force, so
has the advance of General Maude from
the south to Bagdad failed to bring any
hope of untying this Gordan knot of world
poiltlcs with each month II became clearer
that this Gordian knot never could be un-
tied by the sword
Then came the Russian revolution and
the announcement of a new policy in the
history OF European diplomacy--the policy
enunciated by the revolutionary Govern
ment of Russia, which. i'm reality, was a
reafIlrmation of the peace e-without-victory'
principle of the President of the United
States.
We are now to witness the first practical
application Of that policy at the conference
to be held by the Allies for the purpose of
discussing the Balkan situation. Stimuli
taneously with the Russian offensive comes
the insistence of New Russia that the
Balkan situation be discussed and the aims
of the Allies in that troubled region of the
| earth revised. Russia, speaking frankly,
does not believe that the policy Of the Allies
| in the Balkans, and particularly I'm Greece,
| has been in conformity with their professed
| principle that all government must be de-
| rived from the consent OF the governed
| Russia boldly asserts that the course of the
| Allies In putting upon the throne of Greece
: a man who may not be acceptable to the
| Greek people without consulting them as
| to whether or not they would prefer a re-
| public instead was, to say the least, most
| undemocratc. Not only has revolutionary
| Russia commanded her troops on the Mace.
DOMAIN front not to enter Athens together
| with the other Allied forces but she ISSUED
a virtual ultimatum TO her allies for a con.
| ference on the Balkan problem. This con.
ference will now be held.
What can be expected from the confer.
ence? I believe that a great deal NAV b,
| expected. II the Allies, under the inspira
tion of Russia's foreign policy of opposi
| tion 10 all conquest and aggrandizement
| are able TO reach and proclaim openly I
| policy looking toward democratic fedora
| tion OF the Balkans, they will not only dea
| a great blow to the ambitions of German,
| In that theatre Of the conflict, but viii se
| a nrecedent that may prove most reyoiu
tionary in It's application to the entir,
international situation.
The Russian policy OF mo forcible an
nexations, no punitive indemnities and m,
r,ghts of all nations to determine their owI
dsstiny' has already accomplished a Rrea
dsaI This must be clear TO all those VIII,
ave not drunk with those so-called demo
cratic distractions that seem to be the stocl
IN trade Of imperialists outside OF the Cen
trail Empires.
First, the Russian policy has brought abou
the definite DETECTION Of the Bohemians
poles and Slovaks Of Austria from the Gov
ernment OF the Dual Monarchy and par
ticularly from the Pan-Germans Of Austria
,rhis became inevitable once reyolutionar,
fsuEsia made II clear and demonstrated be
vond All doubt that it would not stan
fof the suhiuFauon OF any race or al
neonle. Ia ofher words Auatfias posltio
=. fhs war II general and her a1helanta {
cstInany "a patlicp|ar haa been ha1l