The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-06-21

Important Reform in 1hrkey-Li6eral Lars
for tie on-MussulmanS-T'h he Haratch to be
Repealed.
CONSTANTINOPLE, May II, 1850.
In the view of interesting the non-Mussul-
man subjects Of the Sultan in the struggle in
which he is engaged with the Gar of Russia,
the Ministry of the Porte has decided to abolish
the capitation tax heretofore paid by them,
called Haratch. This tax has been divided
into three classes, each one paying a different
amount The first were the daily laborers,
paying Is piastres; the second, composed OF
the middle classes, paying 80 piastres; and the
third, forming the wealthy classes, paying 60
piastres. AS these sums could now be paid in
the paper currency, at loss of 40 per cent,
, they were certainly not very oppressive. In
deed, at no time has the Haratch been unduly
heavy to the payers, except to the very lowest
individual. who may have possessed absolutely
nothing. This tax, however, had another cause
which rendered its payment a matter of deep
repugnance to the non-Mussulmaps. In the
event of any conqueSts, Mohammedan Sultans
and Caliphs have always offered the non-Mus-
sulman population of the country subdued, the
alternative of either adopting their faith, or of
becoming tributary subjects to them, and pay
ing them capitation tax. The HardtCh, there
fore, marked the distinction between the free
and equal Mussulmans and the Subdued and
tributary Christian, jew, or of any other faith
. than that of the Prophet. Several years ago it
, was collected by the officers of the Govern
ment, and any person was liable to be stopped
. in the street and its payment claimed of him.
| When paid, a small paper called a Hdrdtch
1eSkereh was given him, to show the fact to any
other collector, But more recently the Porte
waived this unpleasant mode of collecting it,
and allowed the Patriarchs to collect it of the
members of their respective communities.
Many persons, consequently, escaped its pay
ment altogether, for, as the Porte has never at
any time known the real number of its subjects,
mo census being made in Turkey,) deaths, re-
movas, &C., were readily alleged to deceive it..
1t is believed that the loss which the Porte will
now sustain, by having wholly abolished TIE
Haratch, is not so great as it would have been
under its former mode of collection. It's loss
will, however, not be less than 100000 per
annum-a sum which it can i'll afford to lose in
its embarrassment.
In exchange for this imperial favor to the
non-Mussulman subjects of the Sultan, they
now become liable to military service. They
are now placed upon footing with the Mussul-
mans. In all the official documents of the
Ottoman Government, the Mussulman subjects
of the Porte are called .ibad Utah, Tor :" SER
wants of God" whilst the non-Mussulmans are
simply mentioned as Christian tributaries so
that the abolition of the Hardtch also elevates
them to the former distinction. / dwell upon
this subject somewhat at length, because, in
one point of view, it is really an important
measure to the Ottoman Government, and also
to the tributary subjects of the Porte. 1t abol.
ishes forever the great Monanimedan distinc
ton, as established, indeed even expressly COM
manded, by the Arabian Prophet himself, and
under no circumstances can it hereafter be re-
sumed. 1t equalizes all of the subjects of the
Sultan. The Greek, Armenian, Yezidee, Jew,
Protestant, rCatholic, Mohammedan, Druze,
Maronite, &C., are now politically placed upon
one and the same footing.
There is much reason to believe that this
important measure has been adopted by the
Porte at the request of the British Ambassador,
Lord Stratford de Radcliffe, in the view of its
enabling his Government to enlist the non-Mus-
suiman population of Turkey. The measure
will no doubt recommend the Sultan greatly to
the sympathies of his subjects, to whom he has
thus given position similar to that which
might be granted by the Government of the
great civilized Republic of the United States of
America, were it to declare that all of its popu-
lation, without any distinction whatever, would