BULGARIA.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 August 1919, Page 4

BULGARIA.

“ Bulgaria : It’s Problems and i Politics,” is a recent publication by Mr George C. Logio, which makes j an opportune appearance at a time when the fate of Bulgaria and its neighbours in the Balkans is beingsettled at Paris. Mr Logio is an apologist lor Bulgaria; he points out that this war was never really popular-with the bulk of the population. King Ferdinand, tlie military caste and certain political cliques were Germanophile, but the peasantry have always looked upon Russia as their natural protector, while they remembered that Bulgaria owed its existence as a nation to Britain’s intervention. It went against the grain to fight against these Powers in alliance with Turkey, Bulgaria’s traditional oppressor and recent enemy. Moreover, the peasants had a lively recollection of the two Balkan wars in which they had suffered such terrible losses and there was a great deal of resentment at the mobilisation order which : culminated in several serious fmutinies. The discontent was

allayed by the successes of the army in Servia, Roumania, Macedonia, but when the first flush ol these had passed the Bulgarian once again began to contemplate the misery of his plight. Victory had brought him nothing; arrogant German officials treated Ins country as if it were conquered territory, and combed it bare of supplies which were sent off to Germany. Bulgaria was tired of the war long before the end came; it only required the advance of the Allies in Macedonia to precipitate the revolution which drove Ferdinand from the throne. Mr Logio holds that the Entente’s policy towards Bulgaria was unfortunate and that its treatment of Bulgaria was quite inconsistent with its treatment of Greece, where the circumstances were very familiar. lln Greece a Germanophile Court and military clique were tolerated for two years greatly to the embar - rassment of Allied strategy, before they were removed from power and Greece set free to fall into line. The Allies displayed immense leniency towards Greece and in the last resort saved her from herself; but on Bulgaria they declared war. When they come to decide the terms to be imposed on Bulgaria they should remember that the rank and file of Bulgarians cannot be held responsible for the misdeeds of their rulers. There is some justice in Mr Logio’s argument. In a highly developed and educated country such as Germany it is impossible to dissociate the people from the Government, but with a primitive and inarticulate peasantry the case is different. In a final chapter Mr Logio discusses the question of future boundaries in the Balkans and makes an interesting contribution to an extraordinarily perplexing problem.