Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-12-26
ALARM OF THE SULTAN.
How Palace IntFigues and Cor.
spiracies Thrive at SlambOuI.

| lght ana exploded with more or less
damage to those concerned, as outside
the world OF great officials an aspiring
individual will occasionally make a
bold stroke for fortune by playing on
the well known fears Of the Sultan.
dis Majesty, unfortunately for his
cgn peace of mind and the we'll being
Of the empire, is the victim Of seriJus
mania. He imagines himself to be
surrounded by secret enemies, who
are continually plotting to effect his
destruction, and, with some few
exceptions, all those about him are
regarded with great suspicion as DOS
slble conspirators. The manner In
which he himself was brought to the
throne, through the deposition Of
two Sultans and the death by yio-
lence Of one Of them, undoubt.
edly gave rise to these morbid
thoughts that afflict his mind; but
they probably would not have ger.
minated into such Fixed idea but for
the mad attempt of All Suavi Effendi
to force his way with a petition into
the presence Of the Sultan at night in
the very first year Of his reign En-
outraged by that untoward affair it
has grown apace with the regiclde
events in other countries until it has
become a phase OF His Malasty's mind
with which reason cannot deal. Every
effort to persuade him that he has
nothing to fear has failed. The very
earnestness with which the matter has
been occasionally pressed upon the
Sultan has only served to confirm his
suspicious and brought evil upon those
who sought to convince him Of his
error. More than one Of his most
devoted and faithful servants have
been sent into honorable exile for no
other reason than the freedom with
which they have spoken Of His
Majesty's groMdless fears, and un
scrurulous officials have learned from
this circumstance not only how to
guard their own positions, but to in
tluence to Il certain extent also the
action Of the Sultan. There are at
the present moment few European
monarchs who have in reality less to
fear in the way Of revolution than
Abdul Hamid, the Padisbab Of the
Ottoman Turks.
Discomfort exists to a great extent
among the people, it is true. They
are growing poorer and poorer every
day and have pretty well lost all hope
Of better times. Yet there Is no
thought of trying to efeot change
themselves, and in their great loyalty
the mischief is not set down to the
Sultan, but to the bad advisers BY
whom he is surrounded Accepting
everything as the will Of "Allah,"
they are long suffering and patient to
degree inoomprehensible to the
Western mind, and have none Of the
genius of revolt WHICH elsewhere has
led to ths regeneration OF country
when the rottenness and corruption Of
its form of government had brought
the people to the verge Of ruin.
Nothing like a military revolt could
possibly succeed, and thauks 10 the
halpeT IN which His Majesty has in
trenched himself on the throne, both
morally and materially, the most i'm. /
patient aud ambitious spirits dare not
indulge in the mere thought even
Of any such pr9ce ding. While
the approaches to the palace arc
closely guarded and q triple lins of
gentrie5 SURROUND it on all sides,
supported by battalions Of soldiers
close at hand, an army Of secret agents
keeps the Sultan informed Of alrthat
goes on in its capital, even to certain
detsils Of tha private lives Of the great
paetas whose itauence he breads,
oceasioned tbcughif may be solely by
the eEtant Of the fayars which he
himself showers upon them. AS for
the Ministers, they arc so divided
that, were inimical designs to be cher.
ished by any one Of them, combination
Yith tne othe,s fer the purpose Of
carrying out the same would be quite
out Of the question; The dividaa et
impera poncy is carried to such an
extent that even in the departments
fhe ehieis are not at ena with their
Immediate subordinates, and all action
is paralyzsd through their mutual
jsalousness 1t is easy to understand
how favorable to the birth Of intrigues
is this atmosphere Of morbid distrust
that surrounds the Sultan. When.
ever His Majesty, who is extremely
altocratic in the eyeraisa of his au
(horiiy, presses lnoonveniently upon
any particular point a plot is started
to divert his attention. The usual
pan adopted is to deposit threatning
letter in some place where it il sure to
meet tho sultap's eye, and cause
rough draft of the same to be diseov-
cred in the private apartment, OF any
one whom the authors OF the scheme
desire to ipjure.
In the present INSTANCE the Marshal
Euad Pasba is tue man whose ruin
has been attempted in this manner for
the second time by his old secretary
Ghazi Osman. Fuad was arrested and
kept in close confinement for week.
This unfortunate disposition Of the
Sultan enables a few men to exercise
great tyranny. Were it not that His
Majesty is Of most merSiful disposi.
tio1 his reign might be one long story
Of prescription, blood and exile. OF
the FIRST and third there is enough,
but happily none Of the second.
When this mania first declared itself
there was for a time almost reign of
terror. A sort OF Star Chamber"
council was organized at the palace,
before which all persons were ar
raigned Of whom report had been sent
in by secret police. No Turk dared
speak to his neighbor for fear Of be
trasal, and at the coffee houses and
other public resorts men looked at
each other in silence, not knowing
whether the individual alongside OF
| nnpOotta mas on oNoui ~ AZ =. III. d.. :