Evening star., 1925-10-24
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
By P4JL !. COLLINS.

sarians OUT Of Macedonia and We will
help ourselves.
The first Balkan war OF this cen
turv came in 1917, when Greece
united with Bulgaria, Montenegro and
Thessaly against Turkey in Europe
That war resulted in adding 10
Greece all OF ThessalN. parts "i
Macedonia. Epiru" and Thrace. with
| certain islands in the Aegean Sea VI
| nearly doubled The population ana
area of Greece. but il gave her race
problems which she is even now Try
! ing 10 solve.
! Macedonia was split up between
Jugoslavia Bulgaria and Greece. hut
most of its inhabitants consider
themselves BulCarians. by race. II
suits Greece. also. so I" ConSidsf
them. in encouraging them to move
out of Grecian Macedonia. AT least
| 100 600 BulgarianS have been pract-
caIjy forced out by Greece since the
World War and they have gone over
/ the border into Bulga ria. losing neariF
! all their property in Greece ana 1oi-
! ever hating the Greeks for their eH-
/ nIIsion. The Macedonian Bulgarians
! are seeking to unite the three seq
| nents. of ancient Macedonia into one
! nrovince TO be governed by Bulgaria e.
The refugees have settled close to
| ;be Greek boundary and il is alleged
| nv the Greeks that il Is they VINO
| constitute the "Commitedn. or II
regulars" now raidinc over the Dor
| dor into Greece The Greeks further
| claim that the Bulgarian government
| has been secretly upholdinG The II
regulars" in their alleged br1gandase
upon Greek soil. upon which ground
| Greece is sending its punitive eX-
nedition'' into Rulga ria. The case
has been likened to that in which
Pancho Villa and his Mexican
hrieands raided the United States and
our Government sent Gen. Pershing
| upon his punitive chase upon the
| hot trail' of the brigands. lnterna-
rional law justif7es such repulse.
, whether made by irregular 'hrisands
or bv the government de facto OF the
nation harboring the mara uders.
Hence. upon the surface. Greece is
| sustained by law in suppreeslnS bhi-
| eerIan raids. even by invading the
| territory OF friendly nation so
| that the actual invasion. in itself is
not war upon the country entered,
| SO long as there is no conflict between
the punitive expedition and the regu-
lar forces Of the government OF the
invaded territory. But that interna
tionaI law existed before there was a
League Of Nations.
! X x
, The purpose of the league was an
nounced in the preamble of its cove
nant. reading AS follows:
THE high contracting parties.
"In order to promote interna tional
co-operation and to achieve interna-
, tionaI peace and security.
BY the acceptance of obligations
! not to resort to wal.
by the prescription "f open. Just
and honorable relations between ma
! tjons.
| "Bv the firm esta blishment of under
standings Of international law. as the
actual rule Of conduct among govern
| ments and by the maintenance OF
Justice and a scrupulous respect for
all treaty obligations In the dealings
OF orga nized peoples with one another
| agree to this covenant of the League
! OF Nations"
Both Greece and Bulgaria are
members of the league. bound by the
above preamble and all other pro-
visions Of the covenant. Among those
provisions IS article - which says:
"The members of the league agree
that IL there should arise between
them any dispute likely to lead to a
| rupture. they will submit the matter
10 arbitration or to inquiry by the
council, and they agree in no case to
resort to war until three months after
| the award by the arbitrators or the re-
| port to the council"
Greece alleges that Bulgaria at
| tackled her with irregular bands OF
marauders, and that the Grecian ad-
vance was in self:defense, requiring