Current History, A Monthly Magazine | Page 6

Bulgarian Premier, in the name of Sir Edward Grey.
He promised the restitution to Bulgaria of the Enos-Midia line,
including Adrianople. The Bulgarians, however, are not to be fooled in
this way by promises at the expense of third parties, and especially
when the eventual cost of these gifts might be a heavy one. We must
not forget that Bulgaria wants not Thrace, but Macedonia. If Great
Britain had promised Bulgaria Macedonia, including Saloniki, and the
Bulgarian Government was convinced beforehand of the fulfillment of
the promise, then it is certain that the proposal would be accepted. But
this is not in line with England's interests, because in that case she
would lose her two other customers--Greece and Servia. And so there
goes Mr. Buxton making offers out of our own pocket.
But we Turks have been used to injustices; and it has become an axiom
in history that whenever there is trouble in any part of the world we
must be the ultimate sufferers. It seems that this time, too, "our friends"
felt like repeating the same story; but now we are not to be caught

napping, and the Government, having in time mobilized the army, is
ready for every emergency.
On Sept. 27 a Turkish destroyer having been stopped by a British
destroyer outside the Dardanelles, the Turkish Government ordered the
straits closed to all shipping.
The Turkish Government tried to justify in the official press of
Constantinople the measure of closing the straits by declaring that this
important step was undertaken only after a Franco-British fleet had
established an actual blockade of the straits to the detriment of Turkish
commerce and neutral navigation. The Government organ, The
Tasfiri-Efkiar, said:
The powers are trying to justify the mobilization of Switzerland, and
are making a great case of Belgian neutrality, but meantime they
consider our mobilization as having no other purpose than an
aggression against our neighbors.
Now, if the neutrality of Switzerland, which is guaranteed by all the
powers, is likely to be endangered, how is it possible for us to remain
calm and undisturbed in this universal upheaval, so long as we know
that to annoy and continually harass Turkey according to the fancies of
Europe has well-nigh become a sort of fashion?
Those powers that are dissatisfied at our mobilization are eager to find
our anxiety as without foundation for the mere reason that our
territorial integrity remains under the guarantee of all the powers. But
where was that guarantee when Tripoli and Cyrenaica were attacked in
a way little differing from open brigandage? And was it not the same
powers who forgot their guaranties in the Balkan Peninsula when they
abolished the famous status quo? With such facts before us is it not
ridiculous to speak of European guaranties? While we have now before
us what happened to Belgium, why should our mobilization excite such
widespread indignation? All we are trying to do is to safeguard and
protect our interests and protect ourselves from aggression on the part
of the Balkan States.

WAR DECLARED.
On Oct. 29, 1914, the attack of the Turkish forces upon Russia and
England was delivered. Following is the official Turkish version of the
events leading to the rupture of diplomatic relations between Turkey
and the Triple Entente, contained in the first Turkish communiqué of
the war, appearing in the Turkish press on Oct. 31, 1914:
While on the 27th of October a small part of the Turkish fleet was
manoeuvring in the Black Sea, the Russian fleet, which at first confined
its activities to following and hindering every one of our movements,
finally, on the 29th, unexpectedly began hostilities by attacking the
Ottoman fleet.
During the naval battle which ensued the Turkish fleet, with the help of
the Almighty, sank the mine-layer Pruth, displacing 5,000 tons and
having a cargo of 700 mines; inflicted severe damage on one of the
Russian torpedo boats, and captured a collier.
A torpedo from the Turkish torpedo boat Gairet-i-Millet sank the
Russian destroyer Koubanietz, and another from the Turkish torpedo
boat Mouavenet-i-Millet inflicted serious damage on a Russian
coastguard ship.
Three officers and seventy-two sailors, rescued by our men and
belonging to the crews of the damaged and sunken vessels of the
Russian fleet, have been made prisoners. The Ottoman imperial fleet,
glory be given to the Almighty, escaped injury, and the battle is
progressing favorably for us.
The Imperial Government will no doubt protest most energetically
against this hostile action of the Russian fleet against a small part of
our fleet.
Information received from our fleet now in the Black Sea is as follows:
From accounts of Russian sailors taken prisoners and from the presence
of a mine-layer among the Russian fleet, evidence is gathered that the
Russian fleet intended closing the entrance to the