The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-22 00:00:00

OMER PASHA AND THE FALL OF KARS.

(From the Times Correspondent.)
CONSTANTrNOPLE, JAN. 10.
The storm which threatened Omer Pasha seems
to be blewing over. Up to last week, wherever
one went nothing was to be heard but wailing over
the fall of Kars, and a burst of indignation at the
'supineness, want of skill, and even sibeerity of the
Generalissimo. However freespokese
,the Thrkish
people in general may be, their officials cannot be
accused of want of discretion. The 'sudden rise
and fall of political influences teach them caution,
and, whatever may be their private opinion, they
never expresi it, unless they are sure not to be
compromised by it. The general expression of
discontent was, therefore, an infallible barometer,
! indicating that a storm was brewing against the
Sirdar Ekrem in the highest quarter, and that his
disgrace was more or less a fait accompli. The
sending of Hallos Pasha, known not to be too par:
tial to him, to Batouin to make an. inquiry into
the state of things there, the couacils of war,
which ! showed their disapproval' of the plan of
Omer Pasha's operations by adopting a now one,
and the committee of inquiry formed for the affairs
of Anatolia in general,—all these. circumstances
tordthe same tale. Besides, all these, signs of
Omer Pasha's approaching,- Or rather dieeidecl dis-
grace, were evident already at a time when we
were still uncertain whether he would not reach
Kutaisi.and, thus K.T.Ure'n'43Bo operation M-ta•.
wards the interiak,Of the Transcaticasian Privineei
for next year. .
Since last week a Change has come over, this dark
cloud which threatened to obscure the Sirdar
Ekrem's political fortunes in Turkey. The faces of
the T urkish officials have assumed again their stereo-
typed placid expression, and they have found that
Omer Pasha was not so much -to blame, after all ;
the committee of inquiry, - which was no secret
before, was denied,—at least every one pleaded
ignorance of it ; all the confidential insinuations
about the Generalissimo's recall suddenly ceased,
and the whole intention of laying open the secrets
of the fall of Kars seemed entirely forgotten.
Yet all this change was made with such a bad
grace that there could be no doubt of its having
been the consequence of pressure from without, and
not that of a conviction acquired by a better know-
ledge of facts. As the change took place just after
the arrival of the two British commissioners, civil
and military, who had accompanied Omer Pasha's
army into Mingrelia, it was natural to suppose that
this arrival was connected with it, especially as it
was well known that Colonel Simmonds, the mili-
tary commissioner, having taken a prominent part
in the direction of the military operations, was in-
clined to represent them under the most favourable
light. But, in order not to jump to an unwar-
ranted conclusion about the nature of the influence
exerted, I must say a few words upon the foreign
influence in Turkey, which is so often misrepre-
sented in Europe.
Since first the intricate question of Turkish poli-
tics attracted the attention of Europe we have
heard of nothing else but En~gliyh, French, or Rus-
sian influence. Such a Turkish !official was the
humble servant of such a foreign Minister ; such
another wished to uphold himself by the influence
of such an Ambassador ; such another was sold to
such a Court ; and political combinations and spe-
culations were based on these premises, which
turned out true or false as the case might be. All
this time it was assumed that political influence in
Turkey was nothing else but a stake played for by
the Ambassadors of the great Powers, who were
thus !represented as the promoters of every step
taken in the maze of Turkish politics.
The fact of the matter was that we looked
through our own medium, and entirely ignored the
quiet but powerful action of native influence,, be-
cause we could not see them so plainly. And yet
it is these influences which must account for most
of the fanciful eddies in the turbid stream of
Turkish politics. Foreign influence certainly does
exert itself, and, owing to the peculiar position of
Turkey since the beginning of the war, it has in
some cases, for instance in the question of the oc-
cupation of the Principalities by Austria, imposed
itse'f in spite of the -opposition of tett native intla-
ences ; but, as a general rile. even at the present
moment, it does not exist independently, but only
as far as it allies itself with one or other of the in-
digenous powers which strive for supremacy in the
Turkish Government.
These native influences are three—the court, the
civil, and the military government. I don't count
what is usually spoken of as the old Turkish party.
Such a party, exerting political influence, does not
exist. It is one of the many bugbears on whose
shoulders, of unknown breadth, it is often conve-
nient to heap a goodly lot of peccadilloes and dis-
appointments. With the exception of a very few
white or green turbaned old gentlemen, from whom
it would be rather too much to expect a change of
views which they have entertained for more than
half a century, everybody sees and feels that
changes are required, and must be made, or else
the whole structure will fall to pieces. But a diffe-
rence exists between the discretion of these refor-
mers as it is understood in Europe and in Turkey.
Europe wants to make a fac-simile of itself in the
East, whereas here there is a desire to modify
Western ideas according to the Eastern character
and tho existing differences. In one word Europe
wants to proceed in the reforms theoretically,—
the Turks historically. This difference of opinion
is the origin of what is called the old Turkish
party; but it is wrong to call it party, because it
comprises the whole nation, without, perhaps, any
exception.
There remain, therefore, only three influences
which exert themselves actively in the course of
Turkish politics. Theyaratheinfluenceswhichmake
themselves felt in every State, as they are inherent
in the nature of every Government. Naturally in
a despotic State like Turkey the Court influence,
if exercised cleverly, will always more or less carry
the day. The strict hue of demarcation which has
been drawn since the reforms of Sultan Mahmoud
between civil and military power in Turkey has,
on the other hand, favoured the development of a
contrast between the two. It is in this contrast
that what may be called political life in Turkey
comes into play. Each of the two parties, civil
and military, tries to win the ear of the Sovereign
through the influence of the third party, and the
secondary influence of the foreign Powers.
A look at the leaders of the two rival influences
will show the truth of this statement plainer than
anything else,—Redschid and Aa.li Pasha are on
one side ; Chosrew, Riza, and Mehemed Ali Pasha
on the other. When the ideas of the former were
supported by the Western Powers the latter sought
help in Russian influence, and before the war the
position was clearly enough defined,—the civil
government of Turkey represented by Redsckid
Pasha, allied with the Western Powers, and the
military government represented by Riza Pasha,
supported by Russia. Since the beginning of the
war the withdrawal of Russian influence and the
momentary sacrifice of individual interests to the
dignity of the empire threw the parties into confu-
sion, out of which they are now beginning to
emerge. The influence of the Court party comes
now more and more into play, and it is through
this that the rival parties strive to carry their
point. The first object to be obtained in this direc-
tion is the union of the three military
departments
—the Seraskierate, the Ordnance, and the Navy—
in the hands of men of the- same opinions and
interests.
The fall of Kars was a good opportunity for a
trial of strength. The question was who should
bear the blame—Omer Pasha, or the Government,
for not baying supplied him with the means to in-
sure success. If the former was decided, the Go-
vernment would have its own man at the head of
if the second, there was
Seraskierate out of the
i Pasha and giving it to
a the
chance
kends besto f partif
e I
log
mfe
tetdi then
Ruschdi
armyutseid;
Mehmed Ali or one of his allies.
Until now neither one nor the other party has
gained its objects thoroughly; Omer Pasha remains
and Mehmed Ruschdi Pacha remains. The inquiry
is hushed—Kismet, the allies, the weather, and
who knows who else, are responsible for the fall of
Kars, but it is very likely some of the smaller
culpables will be seized upon and suffer for all.
Europe
will not be much wiser, and things will go
on pretty much the same way as before.
And yet Europe has the right to know who are
the guilty. The question concerns not only Kars
and its heroic defenders—it is one concerning the
whole management of the Eastern war. What is
the use of gaining victories on one side if we are
exposed on the other by arnismanaeement which is
hushed up like a family concern ? It is at the same
time nothing but fair to the individuals who were
implicated in this transaction that such questions
should be asked as " Who prevented the Turkish
Contingent from being sent to Asia ?" " Whose
fault was it that Kars was unprovided, or that the
diversion in Mingrelia had so little success ?" The
re-assembling of Parliament will, it must be hoped,
bring forward explanations on this dark subject.
In the meantime it will perhaps be of interest to