New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-28
TURKISH ADMINISTRATION.
PALACE AND PORTE AT vARlANCE-AMERl'
GAN INFLUENCE-ETHlCS OF CRIME.

r.,
T,s nrescnt system of administration Of govern
,,ant !, Turkey is to say the least, very peculiar
A Ministry exists. regularly charged with the adj
,rcstration If the affairs of various departments
Tho Grand yizer is Prime Minister and President
NJ tho Council Of Ministers The Ministers hoih
their Cabinet meetings rs usual and MAKE I'M
portant decisions. The Sublime Porte u.s. as usual
n periect beehive OF clerks. The hum OF ACTIVITY
pervados its halls. Ambassadors, Secretaries OF
legation busting Dragomans, come and 90 as
usual. Sharp ged adve nturers sleek ana weli-
fed capitalists, closely yelled women, deJec'eu On,
officials of the Government, frequent those w"
worn corridors, hungerlng after permits !" 'u'-
bonses or Bsgdad railways seeking the redress "a
grievances or a mouthful OF the puonc pap
for a long time the busy throng az Inc oi'o Las
coasod IN nossass any faculty for setting D"SihosS'
paonle have found themselves made 10 waste ''i"o
IN go,ne, from one Department to announcer loiio"-
ing their petitions from the Department o. r"oiSn
Affairs TO the Council of State, from INC Oo0'i va
siate 10 the Department OF che Interiors from ,ne
Denartment of the Interior back to the Couhcii Vi
State and thence again TO other DeparIuon.A
Although the paper of the petition may IoSS'DS
ESCAPE destruction through much luno''ns VI
,ooditatiye officials. The patience of the petitioner
rarely survives weeks and Inoaths oil aiiheSS wan
derinos throngh tho laDyrnths OF the various
I,re.u. The methods OF official circles have al
Dyavq I,e,, complex to an cooperating degree bu'
In len times there used 10 be some positive IesnIt
iron the tedious pursuit OF business at the Porte
latterly. however men frequently find themselves
defrauded even of the satisfaction OF good Square
refusal. t
The fact il that there are now two seats OF gov
ernren; in CouAantinople. Tie Subhne iorVe
retain, It's old prestige the centre OF power nu'
ut the Sultau's Palace is another centre Wnlch
ouite eclipscs and paIalylcs that over WHICH 'ne
Ministry preside.
The Sultan's Palace Is provided WIN a hpeI''
.p,nlv Of Clerks receives reports directly from Inc
provinces o. the Empire. aud issues orders when
are not countersigned by the Ministry The MIN
istrv have no information at what point they may
End their decisions set aside 10y tho direct interpo-
,itinp 81 The unofficial ministers OF the falace.
Hence tho Ministers are uncertain ana HIeSoi"'o
in all their movements. Whoever wishes |" haNea
case decided must find access to me rance 4a'H'i
than 10 the Porte. In the negotiations WIN iusN"
concerning the settlement of the war indemnify
,ho Porte arranged matters with the Russian repre-
sentatives, but the Palace lnteTposcd ny urec'
appeal TO st. Petersburg. and conducted neso''"'
ton Oh a separate basis much 10 the chaIIh % 'uo
por,e The same thing occurs in much smaller
affairs The Chief Architect OF the FuOhc NorAs
DEPARTMENT had "a small bill to be settled. lie pre-
III
drafts on the Collector of a Delgh6orng Province
lie sert the drafts out for collection, ana was IN
formed on reaching tho Provincial o!hce that the
fnnds were already appropriated to OTHER purposes
bv orders from She Palace. lie returned 10 Tie
city q I'd applied this time 10 the falace receiving
n written order in the name Of the sultan lor 'he
payment % the drafts by the Provincial COllector'
But on gong out TO the District Treasury AGAIN he
was met Jy o telegram from tie Palace dated tie
dav after his written order. which Instructed the
Collector to send all of his funds instantly To 'he
War Department at COnstantnople. Nor Is the
control exercised by the Palace limited 10 matters
of general administration short time since INC
Mercantile COGft OF this city rendered Judgment IL
"a suit t-olIht by foreigner against AGRA anu
in ~ time issued an execution upon the faeha
- THO officers of. the court made their levy
on tho yalace of the Pachs. but were met al tue
door nv n polite gentleman from the Palace OF the
Snltan who bore an Imperial order suspending the
execution Of the wit.
The fact i, that ut present the control OF every
denartmcnt Of government is centred IN the Sultahs
Palace OF the two centres II naturally mas the
advantage II teing the one where power ~ ZEAL
The uipu!c~t details of administration are con-
trolled ~ The Sultan in person, and the Ministers
practically have empty portfolios. In any other
country such a system would not only indicate
serious lack of administrative ability IN the SOW
o,e;g, Int would sink the Government IL Il vast
sen OF unexplored and accumulating affairs. bh'
The curious faculty of the Turkish Empire Tor pro-
duciag anomalies is again illustrated IN tire TACT
that the violation of all principles Of admlnSti3-
finn does not Of course result in disaStc1 Many
conclude that the Sultan Is incapable. Many
see that the Shelkhs who haunt the Palace nails III
curious medley have power beyond that OF the
educated and polished Minister'S; they see that
Office seekers thronE the receptionrooms OF these
sanciiG,I gentlemen, ashin- -or anything, from
post-ofee 10 Govern tieleralsulp; they see thtl
the chief " The Palace Eunuchs man WHO they
declare ,cs not know the name OF his own father
has nower ~ least cqua. 30 that CT the Primo Min
lister: and .hey conclude that the sultan must D. i
nero pnppet IN the hands OF his tavortes. Multi
,udcs of circumstances my he quoted to support
this view of the Sultans character The Ecrhe deS
,y,tr Vos3cs i'm a late number, had story showing
Tho terrible slowness with which business Is trans
Noted. aud which seems 10 prove childish lack oil
ability in the head Of Affairs. 1t WAS The story Of
The ration, of broad and lniik supplied by Che sui
fan's order to a certain foreign Ambassador. By
and by the Ambassador left COnstantnopIe' out
the bread and milk confined TO appear every
morning at ne Embassy. SOMEONE suggested 10
high official that the Iations III sht as wei ne
s,onnel a, the particular Exccllency whom the
Sultan wished TO crafty hal left the country.
"Ah WAS the reply, 1t is quite impossible to
stop the Iations The bread and milk rs issued by
decree To stop the issue would require another
decree ana his Majesty is 50 overwhelmed with
business that we could mol hope TO Get his attcn-
ton TO a second decree az any near date. 10y That
time the Ambassador will have returned, ana the
decree ~ stop the ration would appear just rs his
ExceUency is again ready to profit by 1t. Far
better lot the bread and milk continue as his
Majesty has directed and let the Ambassador enjoy
II Oh his return"
But the actual fact conccnu the Sultan appears
--t,s inn IN 10