New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-10-06

Serbia and not Bulgaria won the war.
AS a consequence a considerable Serbian
state was created squarely across the
German pathway to Constantnople, and
for this state there was assured Rus
sian support Rumana. too, had been
drawn into the conflict and was now
passing from her alliance with Germany
to sympathetic understanding with the
opposing group of nations. On the other
hand, Bulgaria was now entirely in the
hands of the Germans; her Gar held his
throne as a result of German financial
aud to his country and the assurance
that Germany and Austria would short
ly restore to Bulgaria all she had just
lost.
in 1914, therefore, when the World
War came, Germany controlled the Ber-
lin-Bagdad roadway except for the short
span between Belgrade and the Bugar
frontier. This was the one barrier to
her great Mltteleuropa. Could she dis
pose of Serbia, then, with the King of
Greece in her control and & strong ele-
ment in Russia at her disposal, she
might hope to establish her great world
empire. In these conditions Austria at
tackled Serbia in 1914 and thus precipi-
tated the World War, for Russia was
bound to support Serbia, and Britain
and France could not abandon their Rus
sian friend.
After the war came W. saw the total
failure Of the Allies to grasp the Near
Eastern situation as it existed. Instead
of reinforcing the splendid Serb army,
which twice. of its own initiative and
with only its limited resources, defeated
Austrian armies, the Allies were caught
by the lure Of ConstantinopIe and wasted
their human and material resources at
Galiipoii. AS a result, when the time
was come. Germany and Austria at
tackled Serbia; Bulgaria abandoned ner
neutrality and treachercus,y assailed the
Serbs in the reav. and IN & brief cam
paign the little Slav state was ovar,oin
the Near East abolished. IL 1915 MI
teieuropa WAS a fact.
A year later he brief Rumanian eni.
sode completed Inc creation Of Mittel-
europa. Brought into the way By Russian
command, betrayed 10y the Russian Cabi-
net, Rrmanlan armies defeated and the
coun1ry overrun, the Rumanian govern
ment mad no escape from the surrender
which followed the Russian Revolution
and placed Rumania completely under
German control. AT the close of 1916
Mltteleuropa was an even more i'm
pressive fact. The Balkans we're lost
to the Allies, save for Salonica, and
there was grave danger that the Salonica
army might be assailed in the rear by
the GreeN FORCES under Hing Constan-
tine, the brother-in-law and faithful
friend of the Kaiser. Meantime, the war
had overhowed into Asia; in the spring
of 1916 British army striking at Bag
dad was captured at kut-el-Amara, and
a little earlier Turkish forces had at
tempted to pass the Suez Canal and in
wade Egypt.
Such, briefly is the story Of the Bal
kan episode up to the close of 1916. In
three campaigns the Germans had real
lied all that they had hoped and planned
to realize; they dominated Austria Hun
gary by alliance; they had destroyed
Serbia and Rumania; they had harnessed
Bulgaria TO their car, and rewarded the
Bulgars by giving them vast Rumanian
and Serb territories which could only be
held with German aid they had even per
mitted the BulgarS to invade Greece and