THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1912. THE BALKAN CRISIS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10719, 12 October 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1912. THE BALKAN CRISIS.

The "Near East" for August 30th, to hand by last mail, has a leader on Turkey and the Balkan States, wliich, according to the Chris'tchurcli Pi-ess, throAvs much light, on the present crisis in the Balkans. The original cause of the Avar feeling in Bulgaria Avas, of course, the Kotchana massacre, Avhic.h took place en August Ist last. There appears to bo no room left for doubt that the slaughter and ' beating of defenceless Bulgarians in that toAvn was systematically carried, out by a large force of soldiers, avlio Avere brought into the bazaar from their barracks immediately after the bomb explosions. Indignation meetings were held all over Bulgaria, and on Sunday, August 2.lth, a great national conference was held at Sofia, attended by delegates from every Bul- | garian district-. and representative of all parties in the State. The conference, which Avas also attended by delegates from tho Macedonian Associations, adopted unanimous resolutions calling for the immediate mobilisition of the annv, and making an lirgent appeal to the Great .PoAvers to put pressure on Turkey to grant an- j tonomy to Macedonia and .the Ad- \ rianoplo vilayet under a Christian Governor elected by popular vote. Fn the event of such autonomy not being secured, tho conference demanded tha't Bulgaria should declare war. An adjournment was then made to the monument of the' Tsar Liberator, Alexander 11. who secured the first independence of Bulgaria, and a scries of liery speeches were delivered. In vieAv of such unanimity the Bulgarian Government had no option but to tako tho course on which it has since embarked.. The Kotchana incident began tho Bulgarian movement. Serbia was roused to fury by a reported massacre of Serbs in thy vilayet of

Kos'-'v:), where are >,ii;l "'i 'have l entered Sienit/.a and Bielopolvl, u!<! with the aid cf the iso.sk-a: inhabitants! massacred Christian residents. The "Near East" is inclined to believe that these reports are-exaggerated, but .sees little reason to doubt that Turkish troops have committed terrible- excesses at Berana on ti 10 Montenegrin frontier, which aramnis for \"he fighting fury among th o -warlike men of the .Black Mountains. By way of offset the. .new Turkish Government, which men like •''-,i".1 > Pears. with an expert knowledge of Balkan afi'lirs, asserts to he the best *hat Turkey has had for forty years, promptly set on foot investigations into the Kotehnna incident, and finding 'that both civil and military authorities were implicated. put the town under martial law and arranged for a scries of courtmartials. They also sent, n,s the cables informed us. £IOOO to be distributed among the sufferers, a-nd news is just to hand that the court martial has condemned-'one Moslem to death, and sentenced another to penal .servitude for life, besides inflicting minor penalties. This,- although hardly sufficient to allay Bulgarian resentment. is. as the "Xei-r Ka.st" points otft. at le:ist an indication of .some readiness on the part of the new Cabi- | net to recognise Turkish responsibility towards the rayah or Christian subjects. it dso serves? to explain the attitude of Sir Edward Grey, who i is opposed to .my external attempt to coerce Turkey, and who, in reply to a question from Mr.Dona r Law, referred! to in Wednesday's cables, poftited out that it -would be difficult for Turkey to proceed with her reforms in view of the mobilisations. The Montenegrin declaration of war has been already made, surd King Nicholas (or Nikita, as his subjects pall him) is once mere standing out as ho did in the. 70's as the champiQn of Christian liberties. It is evident, that even if actual fighting is averted, Turkey will have :v difficult task in. allaying the ill-feeling sho has excited in Servia. Montenegro, and Greece no j less than in Bulgaria.