The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-05-17
Turkey and Russia Modes Of Govern.
ment.

A-&S1SS
ment.
The advent Of war between Russia and
Turkey hAs created 3 desire for further
information Conforming the form of
government in the two countries. They
are both Of them, the fa1thast removed:
from modern principles OF any countries
th&t can claim the title Of civilized. In
Turkey there Is absolutely no approach,
even Ia the minutest details, TO repre-
sentation. Of the people governed.
Russia II . trffle wiser HI local affairs,
but not in those which appertain to the
State. In neither country Is there any.
thing which approaches in the faintest
degree, 10 whist, IN; Constitutional gov
efnments, Is called a Legislature or
Parliament. s's
Russia Is the most absolute hereditary
monarchy of the civilized world-in fact
the. only one where the Legislative, Ex-
ecutive and judicial powers are. united
in The Monarch. His will Is, practically,
the law, limited only by certain rules Of
Government, established by past sover-
eigns, to which the reigning House has
given assent, and which are therefore
binding precelents. The most promiF
nent Of these Is the law Of succession to
the throne, which is that Of regular de-
scent to the first born male, the females
coming in for the. succession only
in case of the failure of direct male
heirs. This law was established In 1897,
up to which time the Gar had the right
of naming his successor from any of the
Imperial family. The machinery Of the
Government is, briefly, as follows:
The great primordial b1dy, in which
centers the whole executive authority
of the Empire, is the " Private Cabinet
of the Emperor selected and con-
trollGd by the Gar. 1t is divided into
four sections. The first has the Presi-
dcncy and superintendent ofsthe others,
and it Is In immediate communication
with the Emperor. The second is the
legislative department; the third looks
after the army and the secret police;
the fourth has charge of ecclesiastical af-
fairs. #i
Next below the Private Cabinet come
four great Boards, each having its especial
duties, but all controlled by the Private
Cabinet, and thus by the Gar. The first
is the Council Of the Empire now
numbering some forty persons, appointed
by the Emperor, and including, as &c oficio
members, the Ministers and the Imperial
family. - Isl
This Council sdperintends the action of
the general administration, takes care of
the administration Of the laws. and sug-
gests to the Emperor such new laws as 1t
may think necessary. It is subdivided
into three departments, Legislative, Civil
Administration and Finance, each with
its own separate organization, but all &C.
casionally meeting as collective body
The second great Board is the Direct
ing Senate" which is the High Court of
Justice of the Empire, controlling all in.
ferior tribunals, but itself controlled by
the Private Cabinet. 1t has eight sections.
five of which sit at ST. Petersburg and
three at Moscow. 1t Is composed mostly
of persons In high rank, but presiding
over each section is lawyer of high emf
nence, representing the Gar, and without
whose signature the DEGREES of the Court
ere null.
The third great Board is the "Holy
Synod" composed of Church dignitaries
(he Greek church,, and attending exclu-
sivcly to ecclesiastical affairs Its decis.
ions are of no force until approved by the
Emperor.
The fourth of the great Boards is the
/" Council OF Minister'S 1t is divided
into eleven departments, representing the
Cabinet divisions of Constitutional Gov
eminent.
This Board, like the others, is in con-
slant communication with the Private
Cabinet, and subject to it.
We alluded above to one feature of local
government wherein Russia is representa.
tive. The Empire Is divided into (1st)
vice-royalties, (2d) governments, and l3d)
districts OF the first there are fourteen,
of the second fifty-one, and of the third
$50. These are governed by appointees
of the Emperor, subject to the control of
him and his Cabinet. But each district is
subdivided into communes, or mir, and
these are grouped into " Volestes,n each
containing a population of about 1000.
Each of the V0lestes" is presided over
Dy an Elder, or " Starahina," and each has
also Tax Collector and a Superintendent
Of Public Stores. All of these officers,
together with all other parish officers, are
elected annually, by ballot, by the peas
ants, and are always peasants themselves.
There are locallegislatures or assemblies.
elected III the same way, who regulate all
local and social affairs, not Immediately
concerning the affairs of the State. This
move toward universal suffrage and pop
ular government contributes Immensely
toward the increase of patriotism and the
strengthening of the Empire
In Turkey there is, we may say, Con-
stitutiOn, but it is the Koran. All laws
of the Empire must be in accord with the
precepts Of that book, and herein we see
the secret Of the failure of all attempts at
constitutional reform which have been
promised and made. In whatever respect
the new Constitution is hostile to the
Koran, it at once becomes dead letter.
In this lies, also, the secret of Turkeys
rapid decadence since her power threat
ened the Christian world. A written Con-
stitution (especially If religious one}
which cannot change to meet changing
conditions and increase of knowledge,
necessarily becomes an ever-tightening
moose about the neck of people. slowly
strangling the life out of them.
The will of the Sultan Is absolute in SO
far as it dues not contravene the princi-
pies of the Koran, and those of the = Null
teka IAN additional code made mn of
supposed sayings Of Mohammed. Next
under The Sultan comes the Grand Nizier.
head Of the Civil Government, and the
6heik-ul- Islam, head Of the Church. The
former d appointed BY the Sultan. and
subject to him. The latter Is also an. |
pointed by the Sultan, but subject 10 the |
approval Of the 9 Ulema, = body com. |
p0sed of the Church dfgnitaries. The |
6heik- ul- islam presides over the Ulema, |
but his neither pfiestly nor iudicial fuuc. |
lions. But In tie = Multi e subdivision |
Of the Ulema, the Sultan finds, Ii many |
rana,refa Ma >s,v,cr{<,r .isli uyksrr ek.s4 ~. |