Last Sunday Mr. Theodoroff, President of the Council of Ministers and
Minister for Foreign Affairs, pronounced at a meeting of the
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National Party a masterly
discourse, of which the Mir gives the substance.
We borrow from this paper the part of Mr. Theodoroff’s speech dealing
particularly with the international situation of Bulgaria. The President
of the Council said:—
“All our friends, American, English, French, or Italian tell us
frankly what they expect of us:—
‘Do you wish to gain our sympathy and our confidence?
Keep quiet, maintain order and calm in your country, let
us finish quietly our common work. We do not ask you to
become our allies, to flatter or glorify us. Do you wish
to inspire us with confidence? Show yourselves a
peaceful and reasonable people; be an industrious people
and not Utopians and people carried away by
passions.’
“If I have anything to recommend as a principle of conduct, an
appeal to your love of country, it is to give full support to
the government, which will enable us to maintain until the
peace, order and calm in the country. For this is the condition
sine qua non upon which we shall
secure the peace which the people desire. The Government which
directs affairs at this time includes six different parties and
represents the crushing majority of the Bulgarian people. It has
no desire or interest in injuring anyone and is inspired solely
with a desire to conduct Bulgaria to a safe port. There may be
differences of principle in the parties forming this ‘bloc’, but
the interests of the country bid us all to unite and work
together. The armistice outside ought to be followed by an
armistice within.
No doubt but that the question of the chances of Bulgaria at the
peace conference deeply interests you all. I must, however, tell
you that at this moment this matter is not clear. To name a
lasting and eternal peace all circumstances will be weighed, and
the necessary measures taken to remove all danger and
obstacles.
Words fail me to show you how much a peace favorable to us
depends on our good conduct and on our attitude as an element of
peace and order in the Balkans. It does not suffice alone to
have the right on our side in our claims on Macedonia, Thrace
and the Dobrudja. We must prove that we are a people which can
create all the conditions of a peaceful life towards progress
and not capable only of alarms and disputes with our neighbors.
The Justice of our cause is so clear that it has no need to
present exceptional proofs. All intelligent men understand and
share it. We are accused of having failed in gratitude towards
our benefactors and of not having known who were our true
friends, and this under the reign of a sovereign such as
Ferdinand whose abdication was a blessing for Bulgaria; but the
most horrible is the accusation that during the war we have
committed atrocious crimes. Our adversaries are trying now to
prove that in order to assure order and security of life and
property in the Balkans it is necessary to entrust the direction
of affairs in the Balkans to people more civilized, less
barbarous. However if in fact there have been crimes the
responsibility does not fall upon the whole Bulgarian people,
nor upon the Bulgarian army; the guilty are isolated individuals
who must and shall expiate their crimes, of this I can assure
you most formally. Bulgaria reached an independent existence as
a result of cruelties of this kind committed against our
people—cruelties which are actually imputed to us. But we will
not leave
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unpunished
the crimes by which those isolated individuals have caused the
gravest harm to our people which is by nature peaceable and not
vindictive.
All this does not indicate that I have not faith in the great
nations who will be called upon to pronounce their judgement
upon us. On the contrary I am convinced that the justice of our
cause, supported by our dignified attitude will be respected and
sanctioned by the congress which will unite the representatives
of all humanity. I am convinced that the great nations which
will take part in the peace conference will not allow themselves
to be influenced by sentiments of vengeance and punishment
toward the Bulgarian people, but will accomplish a lasting work
of peace in conformity with the principles of right and justice
which they have always loudly proclaimed.
I am firmly convinced that the great people of America led by the
noble Mr. Wilson who has already arrived in Europe and is at
this moment in Paris, will intercede energetically in favor of
the application of the lofty principles that he has himself
proclaimed. Among these principles the first place is held by
that of nationality, of respect for the will of peoples. This
principle leads us to believe that the map of Bulgaria will be
drawn in such a manner that we shall realize in full the unity
of the Bulgarian people and lands.
The great British, which nation has always given us its precious
support in our struggle for liberty and unity, which first spoke
of our sufferings through the mouth of the immortal Gladstone
(which led the Russians to freeing us), who again lent us their
aid in 1885, at the time of the reunion of the two Bulgarias,
who supported our efforts at the Treaty of London in 191312—this
great nation cannot at this moment also refuse us its precious
support, knowing that our participation in the present war took
place under influences foreign to our people.
France, that country of humanity and progress which has always
eagerly embraced lofty ideas and has never ceased to profess
fraternity and liberty in its struggle for its sons in Alsace
and Lorraine, cannot oppose the realization of our national
claims, especially at this time when our neighbors can dispose
of what belongs to them.
Italy, which like us is struggling for her unity, who has always
been kindly disposed toward us and has never shown the least
hostility toward us, cannot fail to declare herself as truly
sympathetic toward our national cause.
I hope that that great Russia, the country to which we owe our
freedom, will, if possible, by a diplomacy which will have
consideration and influence at the international congress, be
the first to intervene in favor of Bulgaria.
I hope also that the other Slav countries, Poland, Bohemia,
Croatia, with whom we have had no quarrels, and for whom we have
only sympathy, will also consider us with justice. I believe
that they will exercise their influence upon the feelings of
their sister Servia, with whom we could at this time more easily
come to an understanding in order to avoid hostile competition
and live in future as good neighbors.
I believe that Greeks, Serbs and Roumanians will be more
conciliatory and will be inspired with the idea of a good future
and peace between the Balkan people.
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I have tried to show you that Bulgaria has every reason to await
quietly the world congress, where, as more than once in the
past, she may count on just judges among the great nations. A
nation, sound, reasonable and industrious, such as ours, has the
right to hope that everyone will recognize that it possesses all
the conditions to become a factor of peace and progress in the
Balkans and to a greater extent than it has been up to the
present”.
