Evening star., 1922-10-24
NATIONS PLOTTING
IN THRACE RE-F|RES
BALKAN T|NDERB0X
War Held Inevitable as Soon
as Allies Withdraw
Their Troops.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.


BY Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News.
Copyright, 1922.
WESTERN THRACE. October 81
(via Constantinople, October 24).-
The fire which has been threatening
the Balkans since the signing of the
various peace treaties seems to be
starting up again. and it looks as if
only a miracle can prevent it from
spreading. Unless the peace confer
ence is held speedily it is unlikely
that the Greek army. which has now
been rorganized in western Thrace.
will be willing to abandon Thrace
without fight.
Forerunners Of War Appear.
Comitadjis, the forerunners of war
in the Balkans, have again appeared
in Thrace, and it is certain that as
soon as the allies withdraw the
Balkans will be on fire once more.
The Comitadjis have already played
an important role in Balkan politics.
They are irregulars secretly support
ed by the various governments who
instruct them to raid the enemy viii
lagos.
Since the Mudania agreement was
Signed the Greeks. Buigars and Turks
have been feverishly busy in organ
izing bands of comitadjis. On the
Bulgarian -Thracian frontier the Bull
gars are concentrating a force COM
posed of former inhabitants of
Thrace. who left when the Greeks
were given the province. Now the
Bulgarian government is dissatisfied
because western Thrace has been left
lrV,,y .,l.a hot.
as the allies accepted the Turkish
point of view. it is only right that
the views of the Bulgarians should
also be accepted. They want both
parts of Thrace to be proclaimed au-
tonomous under the league of ma
tions. They say that if the treaty of
Sevres rs buried it is no reason why
the treaty of Neuilly should not be
revised. Because Bulgaria is too
weak to be heard by the allies the
comitadjis, which cannot be con-
trolled. will force Europe to listen to
Rulgaria's claims.
Few Villages Raided.
Small bands have already appeared
on the frontier and few villages
have been raided. The correspondent
is only a few miles from the small
village of Orta-Koi, but cannot enter
because the Bulgarian authorities will
not grant him permission to do so.
1t is one of their main centerS of
concentration. Armed men in small
groups We're proceeding eastward.
I'VE are going to look for work. or
I'VE are trying to find lost f1ocks
and CATTLE they explained. The
bands believe that they will be able
to operate unhindered because the
allied forces are too small to police
the vast area of western Thrace.
Organized by kemaIists.
Turkish comitadjis, organized by
Kemalist officers, are concentrated in
the Strandama mountains. Their
number does not exceed 5000. and
their leaders explain that the bands
were formed for self-defense. Until
the Kemalists organize d strong army
in Thrace the bands will be used for
reprisals, and the Greeks and Bulgars
are warned that for each Turkish
village raided two of theirs will be
destroyed.
The Greeks do not need Comitadjis
because they have an entire army, be-
hind the Martha river. 1t cannot. how
ever, prevent the people who have just
departed from eastern Thrace from raid
ing the country when the Turks return.
This guerrilla warfare among three ma
tions hating each other bitterly. has al
ways led to wars in the near east.
Greeks Continue Flight.
The Greek inhabitants of eastern
Thrace continue to pour into the west
ern part of the province. Though it is
still a month before the allies are to
withdraw, the evacuation will probably
be completed within a week. The viii
lages on the western side of the Martha
river now have five times their normal
population. There is food only for about
thirty days. The writer asked the gov
ernor of the province what would hap
pen afterwards.
Heaven only knows" he replied. I'm
less the United States and the allies help
the people will starve and starvation al
ways leads to war"