South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-03-17
War Editorial.


the Balkan states to surrender it. But the Ger
mans, being at war with the SerbianS, could offer
all OF Serbia if they chose; they could also prom
iSe much of Roumania if the ROumanianS came
into the war on the allied side. Finally, the Greek
king was but a tool of the kaiser and thus even
on the side of Greece the kaiser could make Of
terS. In addition the Germans compelled the
Turks to offer the immediate ceSSion of territory
about Adnanople which would enable the Bull
garanS to reach their single Aegean seaport, De
deagatch, over their own territory.
As a result Bulgaria selected the German side
and entered the war in the critical summer of
1915 thereby inSuring the destruction of Serbia
and the collapse of allied hopes and plans in the
Balkans and on the GalipOli peninsula All of
Serbia was soon conquered; the Kavala district
was surrendered by Greek troops under the or
derS of Constantine, and the allied army was re-
Stncted to the environS of Saonica; while the
Serb army fled over the mountains of Albania 10
the Adratic and was transported to Corfu, total
wreck.
When Roumania entered the war in the follow
ing year the central powers promptly defeated the
ROumanan armies, aided alike by Bulgaria troops
and Russian treacheTy and thereafter the Bulgar-
lanS Te-occupied not merely the SiliStTian strip
taken by Roumania in 1913, but also all Rouman-
ian territory between the Danube and the Black
sea, thus cutting Roumana off from the sea. By
her alliance with the central powers Bulgaria had
second Balkan war; save Adrianople, and she had
in place of this acquired the Roumanian littoraL
Now this is the situation which exists in the
Balkans today, and to which PreSt Wilson had
addressed himself in his condition, cited above
He demands fGE Serbia direct access to the sea.
This means, if it means anything, that he asks
that Serbia shall have what it was agreed by all
the Balkan states that she should have in the
agreement made before the first Balkan war.
Serbia would thus have some SO miles of SeacOaSt
between the mouth of the Drin and that of the
Skumbi with Durazzo as her main seaport
Such an arrangement would enable the Serbs
to make concessions to the Bulgarians. They
would doubtless be willing to cede all of the Mace
DOMAIN territory east of the VardaT-the IStih
district But Greece would not consent to a more
extensive ceSSion, because to give Bulgaria Mon
aStr would be to thrust a Bulgarian wedge be-
tween Serbia and Greece and give the Bulgarans
the entire hnteTand of Salonica. Fortunately, the
allies hold MonaStr for if it were in Bulgar hands
a surrender would be wholly inconceivable. But
for so years the BulgaranS have been carrying on
an agitation among the SlavS of al this Macedon
ian territory They have succeeded in "Bulgar-
izing" them and they lay claim to all of Mace
donna between Lake Ochrda and the Rhodopian
mountains on the basis of nationality
With the conflicting claims of nationality I'm
this cockpit of the Balkans shall not deal In
the disputed territory there are Turks who have
no rights; Rounlanan VlacIS, who are equally
garS together with not few Spanish Jews East
Of the Vardar there is no doubt as 10 the. claim
of the BulgaTS for open nationality, west it IS
an open question.
If an arrangement is to be made on the bass
of the presidents suggestion it seems to me that
the Vardar river as far north as Kufrli will prob
ably be the dividing line Thereafter the frontier
will follow the lines laid down in the ante-bellum
agreement of Serbia and Bulgaria in 1912. As
between Greece and Serbia there is no dispute
both having accepted the frontier as laid down at
Bucharest
But between Greece and Italy there is very
acute question The Serbs and Greeks divided
Alabama in half Serbia taking the northern,
Greece the southern half. But Italy forbade
Greece to take her share, as Austria prohibited
Serbia from holding hers. Moreover, in the pres
ent war Italy has occupied NalOna and expelled
the Greeks from that portion of Epirus South
em Aibania) taken over by them at the open
ing of the If Italy is to hold Valona she
will have to hold all Of southern Albania. Aus
tria would never consent to this save in The face
of absolute defeat, for seated on both sides Of
the AdTiatic at the narrow Straits Of OtrantO,
Italy would in fact command the outlet Of Aus
tria to the open sea Trieste and Fiume would
be at the mercy of Italian forts and fleets which
would blockade the Adriatic at its mouth
Accordingly, it seems to me that when the
settlement comes TO be made Greece and Serbia
will be permitted to put into effect their agree
ment of 1912 dividing Albania al the Skumbi
river, and that as consequence Serbia will re-
sign to Bulgaria all Of Macedonia east of the Var
dar and south of Veles to the Greek frontier
the lstib region As for Greece receiving south
ern Albania, she will probably be asked to sur
render her claim 10 the Kavala district taken
from Bulgaria in the second Balkan war but
surrendered to Bulgaria by King Constantine in
1915 BY an act Of tTeachery.
By acquiring undisputed title to Kavala and