Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-22
A sovEREIGN VERY HARD UP.
How the sultan OF Turkey Raised the
Money for His New Army OF 100000
Fron De E.se York San.

CoNsTANTINoPLE, Dec. 1e.-'I sup
pose the Sultan must be in funds; other
wise he could not tank OF going 80 war;"
This remark is contained in letter lhave
lust received from America. UniOrtu-
nately for the Sultan, it Is not true. Poor
was he and empty was the national treas
ury when he assembled the throne and no
one has died and left him fortune since.
propose 60 tell how, though still equally
destitute of cash and OF credit, he is doing
his best, not to make war, but to be pre-
pared for 1t if it comes.
When the Roumeliote revolution broke
out on Sept. II, the Turkish army was on
a peace footing, which to a Turkish mind
means that through neglect in the an
sence of war it was fast going to pieces
On paper there was a show Of 500, 900 men,
On paper these men were equipped, nigh
ly drilled, and ready at momenps notlce
to fight. 1t may well be doubted II
fourth of that number were actually I'M
der arms. What soldiers there were, IN
fact, were scattered over an immense ter
ritory of more than million square
miles ANY considerable number could
be got together only with great dllheulty
and after long delay. Moreover, they
were all needed IN the places where they
We're.
Z The Roumeliote revolution came like
Il clap of thunder in a clear sky. Turkey
was astounded and aghast. The day or
the day afterward 5000 men might nave
marched through Eastern Roumeha unop-
posed. and the union Of the two provinces
attempted by Dr.. otrau5ky and ms cor
# leagues would have Immediately ended IN
W a harmless. blOOdless tiasc0. But there
F. were not 1000 soldiers who could be sent.
The entire garrison OF Adrianople did not
number 600 men. The guards, $1,000
strong, that encamp around the imperial
4 residence OF YlldiZ Kiosk could spare
none from their ranks, without detriment
of the higher duty Of protecting the sui
tan's sacred person.
The Turk seldom shuts his stable door
against thieves till after the horse has
been stolen. The horse gone, he fastens
and padlOcks it very tight. The ounce of
prevention having been wanting, he Is
straining every nerve 10 get together a
hundred pounds OF cure in the shape OF as
large an army as he can assemble.
Against whom he is arming he does not
know. 1t might have been Servia, and
may be still; 1t may be Bulgaria, or
Greece, or both together, OF it may be
Russia or Austria in the background. But
he means this time not TO De asleep.
''But what use is it," SAID desparing
Turk, ''tO be ready? When we are ready
nothing ever happens"
For almost three months veteran sold
iers and raw recruits have been pouring
through the city. Dirty, ill-clad, hungry,
Wretched, most Of them have been, one
cavalry regiment which | saw going
through the streets might serve as an eX-
ample They were dismOunted and were
leading their horses. Their dress, or
rather the absence OF 1t, was the picture
OF wretchedness. Coats were without
sleeves. boots were without soles; some
times a boot was on one foot and a shoe on
the other. The rags OF their outer gar
Inents showed the rags of the undercloth-
ing beneath. To-day there are on the
European frontier of the empire about
200,0 900 men, bearing in outward appear
ance small resem blance to the half-naked
vagabonds that they were when they ar
rived at CoustantinOple. How has the
transformation been brought about?
W here has the government found money
70 move them from place TO place, to put
Z clothes on their backs, and powder into
their guns?
Not by means of aforeign loan. With
debt of over Sl,000.000, 600, practically re-
spndiated, inasmuch as for time only
small fraction of the interest has been
paid. Turkey can borrow no money m
any foreign market at even the most
ruinous rates. Not from issuing paper
currency. Her caime, or paper money Of
nine years ago. having deprecated to 500
piasters, for 100 piasters gold, has since
become so worthless that it is not even
iqu0ted in the exchange, Hence 1t would
be useless to issue more, Not from her
Former most desperate resort of granting
harales, or promises to pay. upon the
treasury. These, never 10 favor at the cap.
ifal, were a WOTn~0ut subterfuge OF the
IN erior to gain time. Nor from increased
taxation. Every goat, every sheep, every
field, every apple tree, every object from
which money can be wrung. has been
taxed already to its utmost limit. In
stme localities the taxes have been paid
two years, three years, even i've years IN
advance.
g TO an impoverished household whose
Expenses must be greater than its re-
ceipts and whose credit is utterly gone,
there remains but two resources. These
are, the disposal by pawn or sale OF pos
Sessions left from more prosperous days,
and an appeal to public charity. These
20 resources are the sole reliance OF the
i urkish government now.
4 Putting ia pawn the Cassaba railway
fbrds 9S00000 or $4,000,0O0, 81, 100, 000
own and 81, Pot, 900 to be paid IN Februa-
gs1if the government still requires it,"
art of this sum has been expended
or krupp canon part in the purchase OF
ammunition IN America, ana part III the
payment OF the Austrian Lloyd Steam
snip Company for the transportation of
troops. Upon the Roumellan railway
have just been obtained IRON Baron
Hirsch S50o0,000. From the Imperial OF
JONAH baHk nave ubeu uf1Wn pl5JVO,OVU,
being the accumulated 10 per cent. re-
serves from the salaries OF the civil otii-
GERS which the government withheld at
plst payments in paternal provision for
ttsir, not its, days Of necessity. Beyond
these / am unable 10 find that the govern
ment has had at disposal any but its ordI-
nary revenues.
IL docs not matter much in summer, but
in winter the Turkish soldier must have
clothing. AT all seasons he requires food,
though marYelously little OF il. His pay
need not be taken into account, as he
very seldom gets any. This whole army
Of 200,00 men has been provided with
socks, drawers, Gannels, boots, trousers,
oyercoats, almost entirely by what are
automatically called voluntary
4 9iftsn or patriotic oferings.0 In most
Bases these gifts have been as voluntary
rs drops OF water from a well-squeeZed
sponge. Ia this labor OF love all classes
and conditions OF the empires subjects
have been asked 20 contribute. To refuse
10 do so when once invited would be
somewhat uuwise. No province, no city,
no village has been omitted from solicila-
tion. It has not mattered ia what form