Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1919-02-26
MACEDONIA A LAND OF |
RUIN AND DES0LATlON
Once Pretty Country Shows Wcal
ana Tear OF Military
Activity.
MUST BE SAVED BY ALLIES
Knocked About by, Turks, Serbs,
Greeks and Bulgnr'hns, liaso
We'll Nigh Lost Iiopr.

sALONIKI FEB. 20 -- Macedonia
at presen, strikes ono as peaceful
and well organized country With lit
tie or no population Many or the
villages and towns which furnished
the backgrounds FOR the allied
armies and those OF the central
power have been destroyed and the
population scattered. mostly by the
Bulgarians but partly by tho nccrs-
stiles OF the allleu.
The allied army OF Macedonia too,
is dwtndling and II gives ono n fncl-
Ing OF strnngencss 10 travel up nnd
down Macedonia and SEQ familiar
places which oncc were populous
with allied troops nov deserted.
Camps occupied for two years by the
allied fcrccs and which ono had come
10 regard Ms permanent Institutions
now are the feeding grounds only uf
f'ocks Of crows picking about among
the refuse. All the troops have hN
no means left this part OF the world
and saionlki stlll romans tho most
important military hhse In eastern
Europe; but n great change has
come over things and ono now sees
the sturdy native on his diminutlvc
donkey riding In places which Tor
three years was barred TO everybody
not In khaki.
Houses Are Hcnps OF Rubbish.
Tho writer passed through Doiran
the other day. II once was "A pretty
little town. plcturesqucly situated on
tho shore OF Lake Dorian and
nf "a
was only n few hundred yards be-
yond the British lines. In enemy ter
rltory. or all the thousand or more
houses, there is not one left that IL
more than a heap OF rubbish and
that Is typical OF tho situation In
Mscedonla today.
The population In slowly fjltering
back but the chief things that they
find are tho excellent roads made by
the British--the best roads In Mace
donia since tho days of the Romans.
These roads will he Invaluable for
the future. Mecedonin has large
agricultural possibilities ana It's pop
ulation will begin to settle down
again after tho ravagcs OF the war
aB they have done NO often before.
The old Macedonia Question"
still awaits solution. IL contained
tho seeds of trouble and grief for
the whole OF humanity, Viewed from
here. the war seems to have done
absolutely nothing TO settle the prob
lens of the mixed and warning races
In these regions. Age-ionR anti
pathies and projudices remain ap-
parently ~ firmly rooted now M
before the war. But the Austro-
German menace which heretofore
ovcrhung the whole region like n
thundercloud now has been dis
sipated and the western powers now
apparently realise that there In
every reason for them to take Keen
interest In what Is going on in the
Balkans.
socd OF Future Wsrs.
II Is generally felt here that
Turkey needs a strong master ana
the Balkans a kindly but firm friend
who will erdain their future on n
basis OF right and Justice and oon-
ditioned partly though not wholly,
on the parts played by verious ma
tiops In the war. OH serbia's un-
swerving gallantry and loyalty on
tho great aid finally given by Greece
and the treachery and cynicism OF
Bulgaria.
The allies may net need 10 grand.
that they will have to godfather"
mother" the Balkans but II Is likely
them. Otherwise the Macedonian
question will some day como to the
front again. The dead OF the British
and allied soldiers who lie In Mace
donlan soil seem to demand that
hcnceforth peace shall prevail In tho
land where they fought and died.