Evening star., 1924-06-08
BY FRANK III. SIMONDS,

cable has continued to carry warn
ings of danger along the southwest
ern frontier of soviet Russia and to
indicate the possibility of war in this
relatively little known corner Of Eu-
rope. Is Russia planning a new war
and will she make the title to Bes-
sarabia the pretext for new attempt
to disturb the peace Of Europe:
These are the questions which are
now being asked anxiously in more
than one capital.
The problem of Bessarabia is at
one time the simplest and one of the
most vexatious of post -bellum ques-
tions. 1t is in reality, of course, only
one phase of the eternal eastern
question, of the troubles due to the
Russian aspiration to acquire Con-
stantinople and thus access to the
open sea. If one is to measure the
truth by the minatory tone and fire.
aucnt gestures Of Moscow it is fair
70 assume that Russia Of the Bolshe-
~1sts is fastening to set her feet in
rhs pathway so often trod by the
Eomanoffs.
Rumania acquired Bessarabia as a
result of the world war. The actual
union was accomplished through the
ratification of the provincial council
by an overwhelming majority. Actu-
ally BesSa rabia was once a portion
of the province of Moldavia, the west
ern half of which was included with
in the frontiers of Rumania when
that state was created in 1859. OF
tits three million inhabitants betw cen
half and three-quarters are of the
Rumanian race and speak the Ru-
manian tongue. The minority, how
ever, represents a mixture of many
races, Slavs, Turks, Tartars, Bulga-
rians and even a considerable num-
Der of Germans, along with a large
sprinkling of Jews. Kishinev, the
capital. was the scene of one of the
most terrible Russian pogroms early
in the present century, sone conse-
quence of which was a large migra-
tion OF the Jewish survivors to
America.
History, the will of the majority of
the people, geographical and strate-
gfc considerations all combine to
justify the present possession Of this
province by the Rum1nians.
The Russian claim by contrast, is
founded upon annexation following
war and at the expense Of the Turk
in 1872. Almost half century later
three counties, near the mouth of
the Danube, were retroeeded by Rus
sia in 1856, following the Crimean
war. Two decades later Russia re-
gained these counties following her
war with Turkey, which was liqui-
dated at the congress of Berlin.
This return of these counties was
particularly odious episode, for in
the Turkish war the Russians before
Plevan had been saved by the aid
and devotion of the Rumanian army
and in return the benefactors were
plundered of Rumanian lands. In
part to compensate for this spolia-
ton, half of the Dobrudja was assign
ed to Rumania. This gave her an
outlet on the Black Sea, but it also
led to the feud with Bulgaria, a feud
which has had evil consequences for
both the Bulgarians and the Ruma-
mans.
Bulgaria Plans Revenge.
For the Bulgarians, the loss Of the
Dobrudja was so bitter an injury that
they continued to plan revenge.
Rumania, in her turn, disturbed by
Bulgarian threats, took advantage of
Bulgaria's misfortunes in the second
Balkan war, when Bulgaria was at
war with Greece and Serbia, and also
was invaded by Turkey. A Rumanian
army moved south in Bulgaria and
approa ched Sofia, while the Bull
garian armies were fighting the
Creeks and Serbs in Macedonia and
Thrace. Already defeated. the Bull
garians were compelled to yield and
the treaty of Bucharest deprived them
not merely of more of the Dobrudja,
but also of Macedonia and Thrace,
while the Turks retook Adrianople.
Two years later, when Rumania
was invaded by German and Austrian
armies, Bulgaria had her revenge and
Bulgarian armies, together with
Turkish, invaded and conquered the
Dohrudja, which was ceded to Bull
earia under the terms OF the short
lived treaty which followed the Ger
man occupation of Bucharest, and the
Rumanian surrender, due In turn to
the Russian collapse. But under this
same settlement Rumania was per-
mitted, with German and Austrian
consent, to take Bessarabia.'
When Austria collapsed and Ger
many surrendered, year later, Ru-
mania, backed by the allies, reoccu-
MED the Dobrudja and regained both
nortions-that which she had ac-
ouired in 1878 and that taken in 1913,
while she also retained Bessarabia;
and this latter province presently
through its local parliament gave en-
phatic approval to the union Win
Rumania- But meantime a mover
quarrel had arisen with soviet
russia
This quarrel had its origin in the
fact that, following the disastrous
campaign of 1915, when the Ru-
manian armies were beaten and
driven out or most Of their country,
the gold reserves Of Rumania had
been moved from Bucharest to Rus
sian territory and, after the Russian
revolution, fell into the hands of the
Bolshevists. Once she had got clear
of her German and Austrian foes
Bumania turned to Russia and de-
nSanded the return Of her gold. But
the soviet government met this de-
mand by a counter demand for the re-
turn Of the Province Of Bessarabia,
and for Eve years the dispute has