Skirmishing Begun With Turkish Army.

New York Times 100 years ago today, February 1, 1913:
Constantinople Has Story of Clash with Bulgars at Tchatalja Lines.
ALL PREPARING FOR WAR
Izzet Pasha, Abdul's Notorious Spy, Will Lead Turkish Army — Allies to Attack Adrianople First.
By Marconi Transatlantic Wireless to The New York Times.
    LONDON, Saturday. Feb. 1.— Study of the full text of the Turkish reply to the note of the powers has not modified the decision of the allies to renew the war. The Balkan delegates do not agree with the view, taken in most other capitals, that the concessions offered by Turkey afford a reasonable basis for continuing the negotiations. They refuse to be drawn into any further discussion of terms until the Turks yield without reserve on the question of surrendering Adrianople and the Aegean Islands. On this point the delegates are unanimous.
    There is still hope, however, though a a faint one, that peace may be preserved. The Turkish concessions, according to a Sofia dispatch to The London Times, made a much more favorable impression in the Bulgarian capital than on the Bulgarian delegates in London, The diplomats there regard the Turkish reply as excellent in tone and quite fitted to form a basis for further negotiations.
    In fact, it is argued that the Porte, having already gone so far in the concessions, might well be persuaded by the expenditure of a little time and trouble to yield finally to the demands of the allies, so far as Adrianople and the Aegean islands are concerned.
    It would appear, however, from an interview which Francis MacCullagh, the Constantinople correspondent of The Daily News, has had with the new Grand Vizier, Mahmud Shefket Pasha, that Turkey has no intention of making any further concessions.
    "The cession of the whole of Adrianople is impossible," said Shefket, "without causing chaos throughout Turkey and a general revolution. If I yield, my predecessors fate will be mine, and neither Turkey nor the powers will be any better off.
    "In my reply to the powers I ventured as near as any man can to the precipice, I do not believe another statesman in Turkey would have dared approach as near the brink. I offered half of Adrianople and a guarantee that we would not fortify our part.
    "Indeed it will be useless to keep, from a military point of view, useless even commercially, for the Bulgarians are bound to exploit the whole city commercially and practically own it all. If I go a hair's breadth further than that, I am tumbled into an abyss." All for Two Kilometers.
    The correspondent proceeds:
    "In a sudden excess of unsimulated passion the Field Marshal cried:
    " 'We have given 75 per cent. of what we were asked. We have given 100,000 square kilometers. The whole question is now about two paltry square kilometers of land.
    " 'We Turks are soldiers, not hucksters. The Bulgars have got practically all our European Empire, but those grasping, hard-bargaining peasants want two kilometers more and are going to war for those two kilometers.
    " 'They are not only going to unloose the dogs of war in the Near East, but probably all over Europe.'
    "Here Shefket paused. Then he said, solemnly:
    " 'We stand on the edge of the unknown. No one knows how slight a shock is required to hurl us all together into a world-wide catastrophe. In my opinion this renewal of war will be more than sufficient. As for me, I do not want war. I regret it. If blood flows it will be on the Bulgars' head, not on mine.'
    "Shefket concluded:
    " 'This will be a fight to the finish. One or the other of us will be wiped out.'
    "Yet," says Mr. MacCullagh. "he gave me a distinct impression that diplomacy had not said her last word. He expects the powers to reply to his note and evidently expects them to bring pressure on the allies. He says that he is not leaving for the front yet and has not considered the question of accrediting war correspondents."