Evening star., 1925-10-31

| When two races have been fighting
over the same territory for upward
| of a thousand years. the Immediate
| cause of a new conflict is relatively
! insignificant. Not only have the Bull
gars and the Greeks been contesting
| Macedonia and Thrace for this span
| of centuries, but Serbs, as we'll as
Greeks and Bulgars, have over many
| centuries been in the presence and
| under the yoke of the Turk.
! Nevertheless, the causes of the
present flare-up in the Struma region
may be set down to the new acceS-
sion of bitterness growing out of the
Balkan and World Wars. In 1912 the
/ Greeks. Serbs and Bulgars united in "A
common alliance to oust the Turk. AS
a consequence of three decisive vic
tories the Bulgarians approached
Constantinople, the Serbs took Mon
astir and Greeks entered Salonilli.
Turkish rule in Europe was restricted
to the narrow peninsula on which
Constantinople stands.
But the Greeks and Bulgars had
made no advance disposition of the
territorial spoils, while the Serbs and
Bulgars quarreled over their shares.
In an evil moment the Bulgars.
flushed with victory, assailed both
the Serbs and the Greeks, hoping by
a treacherous attack to destroy their
rivals and acquire both Macedonia
and Saloniki. But the Bulgars were
beaten and not only did their aspira-
tions perish, but they lost Adrianople
to the Turk, all of Macedonia to the
Serb and Greek, and also Kavala and
half the Thracian coast to the Greek
as well. Finally Rumania invaded
Bulgaria and annexed the southern
half of the Dobrudja.
x X X
Two years later, in 1915, in the
midst of the World War. the Bull
garians took their revenge by joining
the central powers. The whole of
the Dobrudja was retaken from Ru-
mania, all of Macedonia from Serbia
and, while the Greeks long remained
out of the struggle, the Bulgarian
forces encamped all along the forti-
fed outskirts of Saloniki.
Once more. however, Bulgarian
triumph was short-lived and following
heavy defeats in Macedonia, Bulgaria
surrendered. This time she not only
had to return all her conquests of the
war, but Greece also acquired all Of
Thrace, including Adrianople, and
Bulgaria was cut off from the Aegean.
But Greece, in her turn, was presently
forced to surrender to Turkey Adria-
nople and Eastern Thrace and accept
the Martha as neT eastern DOuHudIy.
Nevertheless, she still held all of
Western Thrace and thus blocked
Bulgar access to the Aegean.
1t was stipulated in the treaty of
peace. however, that Greece should
provide free commercial access to the
Aegean for Bulgaria and the natural
| outlet was Dedeagatch, near the mouth
of the Martha, which is served oy a
| railway line connecting with the Orient
route which comes south from Sofia
through Adrianople to Constantinople.
This part Of the treaty Greece has
not yet carried out and it is one Of
the chief causes of present friction.
X x X \
At the same time the Greeks and
| the Serbs have been in controversy be,
cause the Greeks were also bound to
give the Serbs free port facilities at
Saloniki, which is the natural gate
| way of all of Macedonia and South
ern Serbia and so far the Serbs have
remained unsatisfied. Greece has Of
fered very considerable port facilities.
but she has declined to give the Serbs
the title and control of the short
stretch of railway between the Serb
frontier and Saloniki.
Actually, Of course, both Serbia
now become Yugoslavia-and Bulgaria
desire to possess Salouiki, which is