Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-10-02
COLUMBUS OHIO, FRIDAY MORNING.

popular intelligence and virtue he in
fused love of letters and the arts, and
held in the highest personal esteem
those who made a profession Of intel
-lectual pursuits. The. courts of
law, also, received the particular
attention Of Abdul Medjid; he insured
the administration of justice, and sim
plifed laws regulating the transmission
of property. He instituted regular
mode of taxation and of recruiting for
the army; public institutions and ad-
ministrations were founded upon the sys-
TENS of Europe, with as near an ap-
Proclamation as proper attention to the
customs of his people would allow, to
those of France, whose institutions,
language and literature he loved. His
efforts were unceasing to elevate the in
tellectual standard of his people, whose
welfare was his greatest desire. His
exalted personal character, his scholar
ly attainments, his amiability of tenn
per, his love of poetry and art and liter
ature, commanded the highest tribute of
history, and insure his affectionate re-
membrance by the Osmanlis. oI r., a-
Abdul Aziz, the present Sultan, a
brother of Abdul Medjid, displays the
noble characteristics of his family, both
in his intellectual qualities, which are of
a very high order, and the kindliness
and amiability of his temper. The pol
icy of reform and internal improvement
is continued by him with great zeal and
earnestness. Among his many wise and
enlightened public acts, the establish
ment of the new Council of State stands
prominently forward as one of the great
est monuments to his fame. The pre-
amble to the imperial .tfswaan creating
this deliberative body, says, ''the Sui
tan, ardently desiring to surround his
Government and the interests of his sub
jects with every guarantee of regularity
and order, by the successive introduc-
ton of such improvements as are felt to
be needed in the administration gener-
ally, and in its different branches" Or
dains Council of State, which he de-
clares to be the central institution of the
Empire deliberating on the affairs of
general administration. M ..... .-.
The second article of the Imperial
bill sets forth the functions of the Coun-
Gil, which are: to examine and prepare
all subjects of law and rfgzement; to
pronounce upon all matters of admins
tration, comprised in the limits of its at
tributes; to decide in matters of admin
lstrative disputes; to take cognizance of
conflicts between the administrative and
judicial authorities as to their respective,
attributes; to give its advice on all re-
ports and other documents emanating
from the administrative departments
relative to laws and regulations which
are in force; to try functionaries whose
conduct is submitted to it for investiga-
ton by special Imperial order, or in vir-
tue of the laws of the Empire; to give
its advice upon all questions with re-
spect to which it shall be consulted by
the Sovereign or by Ministers, and to
decree the improvements proposed by
the Councils General of the vialets.
Some of the advanced" nations of
Europe might learn a lesson in tolerance
and reform from Turkey. The specta-
Gle which she now presents is one of the
grandest which has been witnessed in
modern times. 1t is that of an enlight-
ened and benevolent sovereign who is
consecrating all his energies to the in
terest of civilization and the good of his
subjects; it is that of a brave and gen
erous people aspiring to larger and
fuller life, with nobler purposes and
higher aims. W. A. B.