Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-10-25
The Story the Week Has Told

Damacus. Syria. 1 CLEAN this little
from the meager dispatches that the
Syrian Arabs of the city instructed
with extreme violence, attacking both
the French troops and their civilian
Christians, and masSa creing many of
the latter. that they were suppressed
after bloody punishment; that a body
of Druse tribesmen who were TO CO.
operate with them arrived too late and
drew off or We're driven off. and that
the town is under martial law and
will probably so continue for a very
long period.
Greece and BuIgaria.-On Wednes-
day, in consequence of an episode on
the Greece Bulgarian frontier, the
Greek government served a note on
the Bulgarian government mot we are
told, an ultimatum, but obviously con-
templating immediate compliance de.
handing an indemnity. an apology
and punishment of the Bulgarians
chiefly responsible. Athens claims
that on Monday Bulgarian troops,
crossing the frontier, attacked Greek
troops. inflicting some casualties. The
Bulgarian government, to the con-
trary, claims that precisely the oppo-
! site occurred. Greek troops crossing
the frontier and attacking Bulgaria n
troops. 1t might well be either way.
| The Greek and Bulgarian border
! troops have been in a continuous
state of nervous tension, and a fight
might easily have grown out of a shot
fired in nervousness or panic by a
sentinel of either side. 1t is possible,
however. that the trouble started by
a shot or two from Macedonian Conf
tails (bandits) of Bulgaria these shots
being naturally mistaken by the
| Greeks for an attack by the regular
| Macedonian military. At any rate, a
| border scrap was started, and a
| deSultory exchange of shots continued
until Tuesday night.
| Replying to the Greek note Of We'd
| nesday. the Sofia government pro-
posed cessation of hostilities and i'm
mediate investigation by a Greco
| Bulgarian commission. It also sug-
| gested whether as an alternative or
| in addition does not appear) reference
| to neutral commission to be ap-
pointed by the League Of Nations.
The dispatches indicate that the
| Greek government did not reply to
| the Bulgarian note, but instead or
dered Greek advance into Bull
| garian territory; this, it would seem
! on the strength of a report from the
! Greek frontier commander that
| some Greek territory was under in
vasion by Bulgarian troops. The
! Bulgarian government has given the
! lie to that report and it is plausibly
suggested that quite probably Bull
| garian ComitajiS took advantage Of
the situation to make an incursion
/ across the border and were mistaken
for regular Bulgarian troops How
ever that may be, Greek forces zap
parently fewer than a brigade)
crossed the border and by the eve of
the 22d Thursday had advanced
along a 20-mile front to a depth of
6 miles.
On Thursday the Sofia government
| telegraphed to the league secretariat
| at Geneva, appealing for league in
PREVENTION under the provisions of
| Articles XII and XII of the league
| covenant. The secretariat immedi-
! ately communicated with NJ BRAND
I president of the council, at Paris and
| NJ. BRAND at once summoned a ses-
sion of the council for the 26th Ito.
morrow at Paris. He also tele-
graphed the Athens and Sofia gov
ernments, directing them to send
representatives to. the council meet
ing and exhorting them to issue or.
ders at once whereby fighting
should cease and the troops should
| be withdrawn behind their respective
frontiers.
| I must postpone notice Of the back.
ground and implications of this cpl.
sode. 1t seems, at first. eye, just
| typically Balkan and preposterous,
| but this is not a fair statement of
the matter. The Greeks, for exam
pie, have a just and serious complaint
on account of the activities Of the
Comftajis, but the Bulgarian govern.
ment correctly replies that the armed
forces allowed to it by the Neuilly
treaty Ia total of $1,000 are not suffi.
cient for dealing adequately with
these desperadoes in addition . to
other tasks which properly have
| precedence.
| X X X
| CHINA.-The situation in China
has again become too complicated
for comprehension by the Occidental
| mind.
The reader will recall how last
Autumn Super Tuchun WI Pei Flu
military. leader of the Chilli party.