New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-07-04
CONSTANTINOPLE IN WAR TIME.

MIDHAT PACHis RETURN DEMANDED BY THE SOP
TAs-A DARING DEMONSTRATION MADE BY THEM
SEVERE PENALTIES IMPOSED on THE RING
LEADERS.
lFRoM A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TRBUHR.l
CONsTANTINOPLE, June 6.-The Sofas want Mid
hat Pasha to return to office. and they want Redif
Pasha and Mahmond Damad Pasha to be sent about
Their business. They came, few days ago. great
mass of stalwart ferce-eyed men surgingup past the
front of st. Sophia into the courtyard of the Dar-u
Fownoun. where tho Parliament holds its sessions.
The day fine. and the co1ee-shops under tho
Assembly Hall were crowded with people who
where nearly frightened out of their wits by
the sudden appariton of that motley crowd
In red and green and blue and black coaks, aud
wearing white or green tuTbans on their heads
mob of Sofas is the most terrible of mObs in it's out
side appearance and the fourpar of Turkish senries
ut the gates aud the staircase of the Assembly
Hall dared not stop them They insisted on admission
10 the hail. and the captain duty at the top OF the
grand staircase made effort TO stop them lie
on ~ induced them to moderate their expectations
and to select five spokesman, whom he conducted to
the floor of the astonlshed Assembly. He introduced
them with the remark that they wished to ask
the Assembly few questions, which they proceeded
to do. Everybody in COnstaninople breads the
Sofas in his Utmost heart. Nurses use the name to
brighten children. Newspaper correspondents hnd
IN 1t bounuless store OF possible horrors which can
he related as impending over Constantinople when
ever padding is needed SO the President OF the
Assembly instead of ordering the floor TO be cleared
of the business in order that they
might sneak and even argued with them III his
paternal way from the lofty white pulpit which
places him above the heads of all the House. They
went away at last sure that they had done great
aud noble thing.
After they mad gone the President of the Assem-
bly, closed the session. and went straight to the Sui
tan's Palace. The more be thought of the affair,
the more he was netted at having been carried
away by the popular fear of Softas. This mob had
insuted the Assembly, and late. but fully, the
President saw that the Sofas must be punished for
it. Martial law was declared the next day. and
now there are about forty of the ring-leaders
of tho affair cooling their ardor In jail, under
sentence of Punishment, while some fifty
or sixty Iuore, who live i'll interior cities,
have been expelled from the schools where
they were studying with orders to 90 home at once.
The Government now makes light of the affair, but
at the moment it feared movement like the aglta-
tons which ended the reign of Abdul Azz. The only
thing which deprived the demonstration of thu
grave character the fact of the Parliament Last
year the Sofas were the representatives of the
people, and carried all before them This year they
did not see until after the affair that ia,
Parliament represents the people and receives from
them the support and trust winch the Sofas have
always been accustomed to find The change is a
favorable one for law and ORDER but as the new dis
aste1s in Armenia become known, the people may
oin the lead of the Softas again, and III a policy OF
anarchy.