Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-24

7
whether found guilty or not. Should an,
| Moorish merchant or functionary acquire
| considerable wealth, he knows that h.
can live no longer in security. The Sui
| tan, master of his life and all his property
| can take all from him when he least ex
! poets it, and he may consider himself for
tunate if his head remains upon hi
! shoulders. This is why the whole country
| appears to the traveller so poverty
stricken and so destitute of all progress
and wealth. All the money earned il
trade or agriculture is carefully hidden
for the least indication of wealth NAV
bring misery and death upon its posses
sor. His house may fall in ruins: he will
not have 1t repaired. He may need a new
burnous, but does not dare to buy it, lest
he should be thought wealthy. He will
never admit his prosperity. He will com.
plain of bad times or of the government
and speak of famine and misery, although
he may have many thousand gold pieces
hidden away. Frequently this does not
prevent the government official from dis.
covering the hiding place of his treasures
by fearful tOrtures. If any Moor wishes
to destroy his enemy he denounces him as
rich.
The taxes are collected in the same ex.
pedient and effective manner in which
justiceis administered. Whenever the Sui
to collect the tenth prescribed by the
Koran, and to send him the amount re-
quired within a certain time. These
Pashas pay themselves for their services
by doubling the amount, policy which
is eagerly followed by their subOrdinates.
The poor, instead of paying the Sultan his
tenth, have to pay another tenth to the
Pasha, and third tenth to the Zaptich,
the Caids and ShOwsh. This is but one of
the many taxes imposed upon the Moors
Every date tree, each pair Of oxen, every
sheep and horse is taxed. Imports and
exports Of goods. sales Of merchandise.
and business transactions of all kinds are
taxed to the utmost. Indeed, only a
small part of the earnings of the people
remain their own.
APART FROM THESE TAXES.
which reach every male inhabitant, there
are great many others levied only on GER
tain occasions. Take, for instance, a
shOpkeeper in one of the baZaars of Mega
dor or Mequinez. He rents his little shop
from the Sultan, but is not able to pay the
amount of the lease. He IS thrown into
prison, brought before the Caid or Khali-
ia, and condemned to pay the rent and
perhaps triple sum as punishment. If
he does not have the money, he is sent to
prison, from which he can never escape.
Even the payment of the entire amount
by himself or by his family would not re-
lease him from prison, as the Caid EFFORTS
fee for his Judgment, and the ShOWsh a
fee for Imprisonment.
Against these outrages committed by
the government and its representatives
there is only one remedy tor the mer-
chant. That remedy is foreign prOtec-
torate. In cities like Tangiers and NIGGA
dor this is not difficult to obtain. Con-
10 I'D 49, lO n,
powers reside there. Under some pre-
text, backed by a little hard cash, the
rich Moorish merchant succeeds in get
ting his name inscribed on the lists of
subjects of a foreign government, and
from that moment he comes under the
jurisdiction of his Consul. Neither the
Sultan nor the Pashas can do him any
further harm without offending the Con-
sui and the foreign government. In many
cases even Moorish servants in the house
of European merchant have slipped out
of the clutches of the Sultan's authori-
ties, and it is only to be regretted that
some large-hearted Consul has not yet
succeeded in bringing the whole empire
under foreign protectOrate. 1t would
stop once and forever the cruelties and
extOrtions of these imperial leeches.
The interior towns of Morocco are not
inhabited by Europeans, nor do COnsuls
reside in them. Nothing remains for the
oppressed but revolt. The Emperor keeps
his regular army and his guards for the
purpose of chastising such rebels. AS
soon as he gets news of a revolt he sends
his troops to the town to plumber and de-
str0y. Prisoners are rarely permitted to
live. Their heads are cut off on the spot
and sent to the Emperor, who has them
exhibited over the gates of the principal
cities of his empire as warning
to others. The EmperOr's army, however,
is weak, and the distances between inte-
riOr towns are great, so that he is only
able to control comparatively small por-
ton of his empire. The Berbers or Ka-
byles in the mountains and the BedOuins
near the southern desert are virtually in
dependent.
THE OPPRESSION AND SYSTEMATIC ROB-
Berry
practised by the government of Morocco
has had ruinous effect upon the country.
History show the results of despotic
government in no more terrible light.
Morocco is the carcass of the empire of
the Moors. Egypt, Rome and Greece
have fallen, but we possess their ruins,
their works of art, their temples and
palaces, and their literature. OF the
Saracenic empire in Africa, however, all
has disappeared, although its greatness is
quite recent. The form of government
explains these changes. Nobody was al
lowed to possess wealth. Earned treas
ures were buried and not invested.
Houses and cities were left to decay, for
any improvement would have aroused the
suspicion of government officials. Com
merce was restricted and nearly prohibit
ed by heavy taxes. The inhabitants were
not allowed to emigrate, nor even to leave
the country temporarily; manufactures
n II q xKn nT art
and every product of value was cOntis-
Gated as soon as finished; merchants were
not permitted to have any stock of goods,
for the government took them as soon as
the goods arrived; agriculture was pur-
sued only to the extent of necessity, for
any surplus was taken by government
leeches. Under this continual oppression
it was no wonder that the population be-
came indolent and careless and the ma
tiOnal character degraded. Idleness al
ways begets evil. This noble and Warlike
race has become horde of brutal savages
with beastly inclinations and shocking
habits. Especially is this the case in the
cities and villages within reach of the
Sultan's influence. The only consolation
for the inhabitants of this unfortunate
country is their religion. They cling to
it with wonderful tenacity and tanati-
cism. They observe all the rules pre-
scribed, all the festivals, and lead the
same life as the Sheriffs of Mecca centu-
ries ago. The Rhamadam and Byram, the
daily prayers and additions, the absti-
hence from wine, spirits and pork is more
rigorous in Morocco than in any other
country of Islam. Their pilgrims to
Mecca traverse the entire length. OF
the dark continent, and wander
through Morocco, Algiers, Tunis,
Tripoli, the Libyan Desert, Egypt and
Arabia for months and months, yet they
undertake the wearisOme voyage, half OF
them succumbing from exhaustion. Their
fanaticism is felt by the poor Jews, who
live in different cities, confined to spe-
cial quarter called Wellah, outside OF
Moorish towns. The majority are de-
scendants of Spanish and Portuguese
Jews, expelled centuries ago. In their
hands are the commerce and the trade OF
Morocco. The Sultan is so well aware Of