ALBANIA AND MACEDONIA
It is difficult to understand the complete indifference with which
the growth of the Great Servian idea was regarded in Vienna. Eight
million Serbo-Croats under Austro-Hungarian rule were eager to join
forces with their brothers across the frontier, five million Serbs
and Montenegrins. Whether the indifference manifested at Vienna was
owing to the attitude of supercilious contempt of what was going on
around them which was generally adopted by Austro-German officials,
or whether they were really ignorant of the extent of the movement,
it is difficult to say. It is possible that politicians, who did
reflect upon the very evident increase of disaffection in the South,
merely regarded it as an indication that the small Germano-Austrian
and Magyar minorities must throw in their lot with Germany. Certainly
the relative numbers of Germans and Czechs, of Maygars and Serbs were
most alarming. Officials in high places naturally judged the position
more accurately than could the man in the street, because the published
statistics giving their relative numbers of Germano-Austrians and
Czechs, of Serbo-Croats and Magyars, were always manipulated to such an
extent that they were quite useless for scientific purposes. Another
set of correct figures was kept for the purposes of administration.
With an insolent disregard of her complete lack of success in ruling
the Serbo-Croats, Austria-Hungary not only added more millions to her
realm by annexing Bosnia and Herzegowina, but she now embarked on new
schemes of annexation and colonisation.
New Turkey had less vitality than the old ruin that had just crumbled
to pieces. The Young Turks, when asked why they had not seized their
opportunity of securing the benefits they so much desired, which had
been within their grasp, said sadly that appearances were deceptive.
There had never been a chance of regeneration for the country. The
same power which had promoted the revolution had corrupted the new
Parliament--German money. Austrian interference had rendered them mere
puppets in the hands of unscrupulous Germans. They had not realised
this until too late. They had merely delivered their country over to
a worse foe than Abdul Hamid, who, whatever his vices and faults might
have been, acted in his own interests and in the interests of Turkey.
Germany had encouraged the revolution merely to precipitate the final
ruin of Turkey. She now thought that the moment for dissolution could
not be postponed. Austria, acting for her, proclaimed the fact of
Turkey’s disintegration upon the housetops, and suggested that Albania
and Macedonia should be made autonomous. The proposal sounded fair
and just. Everyone knew that the Macedonians had been fighting for
liberty for centuries. The claims of Albania were not so clear. Those
who lived close to the Balkans understood what the news of outrages
and massacres was worth. Outrages and massacres were certainly common
enough in both Macedonia and Albania, but news from the Balkans never
penetrates to Mid-Europe, unless it is to the advantage of some Great
Power that it should do so. Indeed, events of great importance happened
in the outlying provinces of Austria-Hungary without the rest of
Europe knowing anything about them. Rebellious Poles were shot down in
hundreds by dragoons in broad daylight. Even in Vienna and Budapesth
the soldiers dealt with the crowd in the most brutal manner, killing
and wounding unarmed citizens. Official telegrams would report riots,
mentioning a small number of injured and one killed. Thus it may be
understood that news from the Balkans, especially when it dealt with
outrages, was always political in its aim, and always biassed. Just at
this time Albanian massacres began to be very frequent. Now persons
acquainted with Albanians will always be very sceptical as to these
same massacres. The Mohammedan Albanian, a member of the predominant
race in the country, is very frequently a highly polished gentleman.
He speaks French very fluently of the variety spoken at Constantinople
and throughout the Balkans. Few Europeans can beat him in accuracy;
none come anywhere near him in fluency, the result of much practice.
He can neither read nor write, but having been partially educated at
Constantinople, he possesses great culture. Underneath is the wild man
of the highlands, who carries on blood feuds with the neighbouring
tribes, and never hesitates to slay a Turkish tax-gatherer at sight.
“Turkey,” say the Serbs, “tried to tax the Albanians for thousands
of years; she has never succeeded in obtaining a single _para_; she
commuted the taxation for soldiers, and all the finest Turkish
soldiers are really Albanians.” This was literally true. Practically
all the handsome Turkish guards are Albanians, and they have won Turkey
her reputation for producing splendid soldiers. The Albanian, too,
is an excellent merchant; he can only be compared with the Italian
for financial capacity. He naturally filled many of the important
posts under Abdul Hamid. Albanians seldom marry into alien races.
After twenty years spent in Constantinople, the Albanian returns
home to settle upon his small farm, if he cannot establish himself
upon the ancestral property. It is often a mere slip of barren land
upon the hillside, where ploughing must be done by hand, because no
horse or mule could keep a foothold on the steep slant. He purchases
the property and founds a family. It is clear that a man of this
disposition, with influence at Constantinople, would not allow his
people to be massacred unavenged. If the cunning tax-gatherer dare
not approach the mountains, even when guarded by a troop of Turkish
soldiers, it is unlikely that the somewhat effete men who compose the
real Turkish army would venture up country merely for the sake of
massacring odd Albanians. The latter seldom congregate in cities, but
are scattered far and wide throughout a roadless country. The Turks
sometimes sent large and well-equipped expeditions to Albania, to
avenge the killing of a governor or some other important functionary
who was misguided enough to venture into their midst. These expeditions
burnt out villages and killed every inhabitant they could lay hands on
in the approved Turkish fashion. But the result of such expeditions
was not great. The Albanians, who have an excellent system of
couriers, spread the news of any attempt against their liberties. The
inhabitants took to the mountains and slaughtered a large proportion
of the invading force from behind rocks, and from almost inaccessible
fastnesses among the mountains. But such expeditions, owing to their
cost in men and arms, were very rare. Owing to the jealousies of
Turkey, Austria, and Italy, the Albanian never lacked weapons. One
nation or the other was always ready to supply him with munitions to
carry on his nefarious plans against the others.
The Christian Albanian is perhaps a trifle fiercer than his Mohammedan
brother. He has not enjoyed the advantages of a long stay in
Constantinople. He knows the Serb language, having learnt it from the
wild mountain Serbs on the other side of the frontier. He is quite
savage, like his neighbours. There is little to choose between the
Miridites and Malissores on the Albanian side of the border, and the
Montenegrins and Serbs across the mountains. The Albanian, in some
cases, however, has had a chance of improving his general education.
He is an inveterate emigrant. There is a large standing colony of
Albanians in the United States. In Boston alone there are many
thousands. They are young men, almost exclusively, for the Albanian
does not take his womenfolk with him, nor does he settle beyond the
ocean. He simply goes abroad to make his fortune. He works without
ceasing in the great factories of the States, he denies himself every
kind of pleasure, and eats the commonest food, prepared in a large
eating-house for members of his race, and saves continually. Existence,
supported upon a handful of maize or macaroni, cannot be interesting,
but he is willing to undergo the time of stress for the purpose of
developing into a landed peasant-proprietor in his own land. He is then
permitted to marry, and becomes the head of the family. His brothers
who have tilled the land at home are denied the privilege of marriage
until much later on in life, or maybe never reach a state of affluence
that permits them to enter wedlock at all.
It gives a foreigner something of a shock to hear a handsome brigand
fresh from his mountains speaking perfect Boston English, and using
with the utmost assurance words that have been buried in oblivion since
the time of Shakespeare.
Such is the Albanian of to-day. Reports of massacres carefully spread
from the Central News Bureau, under German influence, at Salonica, were
not accepted as facts in the south-eastern part of Europe. Italians,
acquainted with the scene of action, reckoned up that if the reports
issued in the Austrian papers were true, every Albanian must have
been massacred on ten different occasions, besides being tortured and
wounded times without number.
The interest shown by Austria-Hungary and Germany in the welfare
of Albania was much deeper than that shown in Macedonia, because
Albania commanded the Adriatic. Italy took an equally great interest
in Albania, and to prevent any mistake about the final fate of the
country, began colonising it, planting her traders all along the
coast. There was a treaty between Austria and Italy, to the effect
that neither country should make any move in regard to Albania without
consulting the other. Neither considered that the spirit of the
agreement prevented the carrying on of intrigue. The Albanian, skilled
in the diplomacy of the East, pitted one set of agents against another,
and stored up rifles of the newest pattern for the carrying out of his
private vendettas and the repulsing of any attempt to civilise him.
This was the condition of Albania when Austria-Hungary thought good
to duplicate her annexation trick. She proclaimed the autonomy of
Albania and Macedonia overnight, without consulting the other Powers.
Her idea of autonomy was rule under a German prince, who would use his
influence for his Fatherland. Austria meant to make another Bulgaria of
Macedonia, and another Rumania of Albania. Italy protested against this
arrangement. She objected to the ever-handy German princes being placed
on thrones near the sea-coast. Servia and Montenegro, too, were afraid
of German influence being extended in Albania, and did their best to
foment trouble there. Servia had long regarded the route over Albania
as her one chance of an outlet to the sea, and saw herself deprived
of “her little window into the Adriatic” by the plan that would make
Albania a sphere of Austro-German influence.