THE COLONIST. MONDAY, APRIL 17, 1916. BULGARIA AND GERMANY.

Colonist, Volume LVII, Issue 14154, 17 April 1916, Page 4

THE COLONIST. MONDAY, APRIL 17, 1916. BULGARIA AND GERMANY.

An American correspondent who was at Sofia as recently as the middle of January, -fwJJy bears out the reports which * have been published from a vavieoy of scurces of. the v ar-weariness of Bulgaria, and tho irksomeness of the German domination in.all aspects of political and commercial affairs whfch has I.een the most. striking consequence for her of alliance with the Central Empires. Writing in tho New York "Evening Post," Mr. Horace Green says that at the time lie left Sofia a reaction was observable in contrast to the enthusiasm with which the "Prussia of the Balkans," as Bulgaria has been called, started out to crush Serbia. Having accomplished this object, neutral observers are asking, "How long will Bulgaria continue to fight? How extensive a part will she take in coming operations?" These are questions of the moment in the Bulkan puzzle. There are also indications that the rank and file has wearied of fighting for the Imero sake of fighting. Bulgaria, having turned Serbia into a second Belgium, has no desire for further campaigning, even though she may be forced into it. She -will fight Serbia, and perhaps Italy in Albania, against which country, however, she professes, according to Premier Radoslavoffj to have no "territorial designs." On the other hand, Avhatever may be Bulgaria's present desires, it is doubtful if she can, for some time, at least, break away from the programme laid down for her. Every day the iron hand of Germany is tightening. The stronger it becomes the more noticeable become Teuton activities and Teuton domination. Sofia is taking on the aspect of a little Berlin. Here the nations of the Central Powers are blended under the guiding hand of Germany. Turks, together with Austrian and Hungarian officers, mingle on the streets with Bulgarian troops, and alongside of them are Austrian and German Red Cross, and German engineers, German railway contractors, German bankers, and hustling business men, some of whom camp on the floors of the only decent hotel in town. These agents have fceen sent down to get Bulgaria so involved morally and financially, that she can never break away. Incidentally, they ai*e getting in on the ground floor themselves. When Bulgaria wakes up from German hypnotism she will find that the Kaiser's pioneers have taken all the frontrow seats in the theatre of development. With the opening of the Bel-grade-Nish-Constantinople railway, new businesses, new traffic corporations, and new structural schemes are booming. Sofia, connecting link between the Orient and the north, is sprouting like a Nevada mining town in the sixties. And everywhere the Teutons a-ro jumping to the front. It is force, activity and aggressiveness that works with the Bulgarian mind. A show of drums and powder was What brought Bulgaria into line with Germany's schemes while the Entente Powers were employing diplomatic action. Bulgaria longed to recover what she looked upon as ".-stolen" Macedonia, and she was not above making use of the German steam roller. It was a case of log rolling, says Mr. Gz^een, in which each country, as Ferdinand clearly saw, could help the other. The top of the hill has been reached as far as Bulgaria is concerned, and now her soldier citizens are anxious to return to their hillsides and their farms. But whether they can escape from the iron hand which directs them from the Wilhelnistrasse in another question.