Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-12-29
THE UNHAPPY SULTAN.
How Palace Intrlgucs and Conspir.
actes Thrive nt stambOuI.

| HcteS lhritc ut StuHnbOul.
tCons'antinoplc Correspondence of the New YORK
| Herald.l
Within the last few years VIC have seen A
whole crop of plots brought to light and ex.
ploded with more or less damage to those
concerned, as outside the world of great off.
cials an aspiring individual will occasionally
| make bold stroke for fortune by playiny
on ,bc well-known fears of the Sultan. His
majesty. unfortinatcry-f0r bis own peace of
mind and the well being S the Empire, is
,nc Victlm OF serious mania. ~ imagines
hiinsclt 10 be surrounded by secret fSGpenics,
VINO are continually plotting to effect ,.ls de-
slrucllon, and, with some few cxce, lions, all
tnosc about him are regarded witl great sus-
bicioh us possible conspirato .s. Every eff
lori TO persuade him that '.c has nothing TO
ar has failed Th.c very earncsness
| WITT which.ihc matter has been occasional ly
pressed upon the Sultan has only served
to confirm bis 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 Ills Maiesty's groundlc:s fears, and un-
scrupulous officials have learned from this
circumstance not only how to guard their
own positions, but to influence to u certain
extent also the action of the Sultan There
are at the present moment few European
monaichs who have in reality less to fear in
| the way of revolution than Abdul Hamd.
the Padishah Of the Ottoman Turks.
Discomfort exists to n 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 DO thought of tying to effect change
| themselves, and in Their great loyalty the
mischief is not set down to the Sultan, but
| TO the bad advisers by whom lie is surround
ed. While the approaches to the palace
are closely guarded and a triple line of
sentrics surround it on all sides, supported
by latIallons of soldiers close at hand an
army of secret agents keeps the Sultan in
formed Of all that goes on in the capital
even TO certain details of the private lives of
the great pachas whose influence lie breads,
| occasioned thought may he solely by the cx-
tent of the iavors which he himself showers
upon them. As for the ministers, they are
so divided that, were inimicul designs to be
cherished by any one Of them, combination
with the others for the purpose Of carrying
out the same would be quite odt Of the ques-
tion. The diCide ct jmpera policy is carried
to such IN extent that even in the depart
mcnts the chiefs are not At one with tin ir
immediate subordina,cs, and all action
is paralyzed through their mutual ieal-
ousics. 1t is easy to understand low
favorable to the birth Of inirgucs is this at
mosphere OF morbid distrust that surrounds
the Sultan. Whenever His Maj Csty, WHO is
extremely auocralic in the exercise If his
authority, presses inoonvcncntly upon any
particular point plot is started to divert his
attention. Tie usual pan adopted is to de-
post threatening letter in some place where
it is sure TO meet The Sultahs eye, and caus se
Il rough draft of the same to be discovered in
the private apartments Of any one whom the
authors of the scheme desire to injure.
This unfortunate disposition of the Sultan
enables few men to exercise great tyranny
Were it not that Ills Majesty is Of a
most merciiul disposition bis reign nigh, be
one long story OF prescription, blood and
exile. OF the first and lhird there is enough
but happily none Of the second. When this
mania first declared ITSELF there was for a
tine almost rcigu of terror. A sort of
''Star Chamber" council WAS organize at
the palace, before which all persons were ar
ralgncd OF whom reports had been sent in by
the secret police No Turk dared speak to
his neighbor for fear of betrayal, and at the
colcc houses aud other public resorts men
Sal and looked at each ohcr in silence, not
knowing whether the individual alongside or
opposite was au agent of tie police or rot