Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-12-30

I
had put upon them as christians. ii
European Turkey there is no question
but what the whole Cf Bulgaria need
but spark to bring on q revolt. TIL
Turkish troops in passing have beer
guilty OF unchecked atrocities, the peo
pie have murmured, more troops bavt
! in consequence been poured into tht
"disafected districts,u % aud the govern
ment has committed the terrible blum
der everywhere of undertaking to break
the spirit Of those whom it might bavt
! conciliated. Whole districts which twt
months ago were peaceful and perfectly
free from disloyslty, are now burning tC
Rvenge series Of wrongs which have
bsen burned into the very souls OF the
inhabitants. In this city public opinion
Is deprived Of expression, the press Ii
unuzzled, the publication Of news is sb-
so.utely prohibited, except it has the
! official sanction. This sanction, oi
| course, is given to nothing of an unfa,
vOrable nature, and so the public is left
| to invent where Il cannot learn
the truth. Stocks are al the low
est figure consistent with the quota
tiOns of the same stocks in London
and Paris. Operators here see that for
some reason operators in Europe are
willing TO pay tWeIiy-three for bond
with one hundred face value, and SO
what feeble transactions take place on
change are ruled by the kilograms of
each day from the European markets.
Were 1t not that these quotations seem
to show that those who ought to know
in Europe have more favorable impress
sions OF the destiny OF the "sIck man"
than do those Immediately about that
individual, the stock exchange of Con.
stantinople would have no business to
do. Here the feeling is very strong
that the January coupons cannot be met
by the government. Moreover, there is
marked expectancy Of an absolute end
Of all things Turkish before very long.
Out of this feeling grows rather dam
gerous race Jealousy between Moslems
and christians in this city. The Mo-
hsmmedans have not as general thing
the means Of informa ton as TO current
events which are possessed by their
christian neighbors. The censor of the
press has sliding scale by which he
graduates the allowance of news made
to each part Of the population. Certain
items are fit only for the Levant Herald,
other items suitable for that paper are
not fit for French papers having differ
ent class of readers. The Greek and
American papers have to content them
selves with very limited range among
the matters permitted to both English
and French papers, while the Turkish
papers, intended only for Mohamme-
dams, contain but q small selection of
the news Of the day, and that gsrbled to
suit the necessity Of the Mussulman
editor, who must make it plain to all his
rnaHprd that tho nffnpa ;a In 70
highest glory to-day. These Turkish
papers have steadily represented Here.
govina as pacified, have failed to publish
the "reforms In that province prom
ised by the government to the foreign
powers, and are to-day representing to
their readers that the press of Europe Is
unanimous in approving the &" financial
measure" F" Of repudiation of the consoli-
dated debt. With this understanding
OF the condition OF their country the
Monammedans of the mass feel bitterly
ageTieved on hearing the political talk
current among their chistian neighbors.
The lie is freely given in such cases, and
1t is word and blow in these days.
80 the bitterness is now growing up
which will doubtless have fTuitsge
in blood before the eastern quee-
ton is disposed of, unless the |
arbiters Of our destinies are more care
ful OF the details Of their arrangements |
than smperors are wont 10 be in their |
divisions OF coveted territory. But in |
the midst of all this feeling that the |
Turkish empire is doomed, there Is also |
another strong feeling that the same |
jeslOusies and the same political neces- |
siti6s, which have kept Turkey intact so |
long, may sgain prolong the days Of the |
sultans. There is nothing so perma-
nent, says Victor Hugo, as the pile of |
stones which is left for few days. The
prolonging of the days of this
in christsndom hith-
erto by the assumption that the thin
lacquer on the surface ia a genuine civili-
zation Of the nation-may yet continue
on the same assumption. In
the meantime We eat and we drink and
we marry and we give in marriage as it
was in the days of Noah. Some of the
papers have announced late
y that Turkey has adopted the rules of
he Berne postal convention, so that let
5ers may now be sent to any part OF
Turkey for five cents. This is
lot SO; and although the con-
7ention has been signed, to
AXE effect on the fist Of January,
S76, there is but slight reason to believe
hat its provisions can be carried out for
! long time to come, all Efforts to organ
re an efficient force to the contrary not.
There is, In fact, no bs-
is for a good postal system here. There
re no roads. The mails are carried by
nounted couriers, who traverse the
ountry from Constantinople to Bsgdad
very fifteeni days, leaving here alter
late Wednesdays. The average interior
has no clerk, no boxes, no dis.
ribution of letters. The pipe-besrer of
be postoffice simply empties the newly
rive m ail-bag into wide, fiat basket,
lRces the basket in the middle of the
AL and having admitted the public,
Lmly retfres into the inner room, clos.
ng tho door that the noise of the scram-
lie for letters may not disturb the rev.
ries OF his master. The true idea OF the
hardly exists. Often my COR
espondents In one Town are offered let
srs which happen to be passing through
> friends in another CITY. with the
emark, "Here are some Letters for your
lends at Ksrs; open them IL you
ke-there is plenty of time before
ne mail goes on" The rates Of letter.
ostsge are based upon distances ira !
srssd-e. g., eight cents for the first
undred hours, sixteen cents for two :
undred, and thirty two cents for three
undred fhours and over, per quarter
nnce. Even IL the working force could 1
9 organized, an impecunious and des-
crate government can hardly be ex- !
ected to give up the existing thirty.two S
ants for the five-cent rate which the G
erne convention requires them to {
Dopt upon letters from abroad, in the
ope Of remunerstive business there L
ON. AT present, all foreign mails are i
csived and sent by foreigners who t
ave private postofiices under protec-
on Of their respective embassies. Per-
ms having correspondents In the inte- c
or of Turkey will do well to trust to no
'omises Of care for their letters on the b
art OF the Turkish government rs yet. g
be movement OF troops is nearly 8
'mpleted. The northern frontier of the @
npire is guarded by heavy force.
here are probably one hundred and O
to two hundred thou
nd men available for defensive y
European Turkey ct present, and a
Nv the reserves are being directed
1on the Russian frontier in the mill q
ry division Of Efzroom. A large a
rec is being massed al Kars and Bsya- 2
d, in view of the possibility of Russian 3
reference. But, at the same time,
q stories are multiplied of utterly bad U
ar materials in store-of charcoal dust
stead of gunpowder, Of rags instead of b
OthinR. Whether these stories are true q