Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1921-08-25
Serbia Too
Important
In Balkans
n,banian Declares Bal
slDl, ance Upset by su-
rrernacy Acquired by
peace Settlements.
~ Edward C. Strutt)

pome, Aug. 90.
.,sAnisn su citizen, sotir Gjika, who
AD'n snst returned from a visit TO
nas live 'a country, has favored
- With the following statement
u u the Balkan situation: ou.n
~ .The IN Balkan peninsula, even
"a. tbe world war, constitutes
'1sing ~, menace to the peace of
s'as r.,-One' The fundamental trouble
:. S'l ,hat the bungling re-arrange-
'out Of the Balkans, as II mas
usa arced from the various peace
sms, s.as,iss, places Serbia in a posi-
IN a,1 # undiscussed and undesers-
Y s,pl supremacy over the other Bal
kan peoples oarnot
,ssrsfore, be regarded as lasting,
sa. ..sause it is not based on justice
- Utterly disregards the claims
:, ~ thousands who have shed their
,,.od II for a patriotic ideal. Never
u'., 'a.,sss with the exception OF oc-
sssional violent disturbances
hitch ri. take place in Jugo-Slavia
satween Sa opposing tendencies and
.sstions. ~ it may be said that
. ..s,o of calm prevails at present
s.,, ,s,oughout the Balkan peninsula.
STis an Ominous Calm
aput its only the ominous calm
49,, nrecedes a storm; for the
,sawn @ trodden peoples, Albanians,
wo0tonegrins, Mon Bulgarians, etc,
who have been handed over bound
hand and foot to Serbia and
Greece cr by the treaties viii sooner
= later rebel against their thral-
Som, while Serbs and Greeks, who
have benefited most OF all from
tbe generosity of the victors' have
M intention of giving up their
ambitious designs on Albania,
which they intend to cut up ana
share among themselves.
, aRulgaria, exhausted by the
vor and busily engaged in the.
work Of reconstruction, does not
deem 1t prudent or advisable at the
nrssent moment to turn her Mace
aonian 'comitajis' loose on ser
Ma for a final decision. The Al
hauian government, intent on re-
o,vapizing the country which mas
onlv inst emerged from the cen
turv long domination of the Turk'
i animated by the most sincere
desire for peace.
1T may even be stated thae'
.hould Greeks and Serbs withdraw
sevOud the frontier line Of 1919
,wvecting in future the Albanian
,,a.ter as laid down by the con-
ference Of London, Albania would
be Oply too glad to maintain an
attitude of strict neutrality, oe
voting itself entirely to recon
structiye work in the common IN
terest Of all Balkan people. In no
case, however, would Albania
abandon to their fate those OF ner
children who, owing to the IN
Justice of the powers, have re-
NAMED under foreign domination.
Frontier Warfare Ceased
TN spite of the bellicose spirit
which is one of the characterlst-
les Of all Balkan peoples, 1t may
be said that comparative calm
now reigns throughout the PENN
sula. Frontier warfare between
Albanians and Serbs has ceaseu'
as also has the guerrilla fighting
between comitajis and Serbian
garrisons in Macedonia. The SIT
nation has also somewhat improV-
ed in the district of Kossoso'
which has always been the scene
Of fierce encounters between Al
bantam insurgents and Serbs. bue
the latter have not given up their
policy of systematic massacres
and Standardization, ruthiessly
suppressing as many Albanian pa
triots as fall into their hands.
"There are about one million
Albanians in the district OF KOS
sovo, and their presence consti-
tutes an insurmountable obstacle
to the realization Of Serbia's am
bilious designs in Macedonia ana
In northern Albania.
"As regards the situation IN
Montenegro, it is extremely grave
and 1t is no exaggeration to say
that the independence OF this un-
fortunate and heroic little couh-
try is irremedialably compromised
Official Europe appears to have
definitely accepted the accomp-
lished fact, namely, Montenegro
forced annexation to Jugoslayia'
Montenegro can only hope TO re-
acquire its lost liberty by gem
sral upheaval of Balkan peoples
against Jugoslavia, which would
have the effect of driving back
the Serbs within their natural
scrfs-,-ss