New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-28
TURKISH TRADERS:
THE AMERICAN CARPET BUYER A POPULAR
VICTIM-OFFICIAL CENSORSHIP

who deals in rugs and carpets and mentioned -
him that was in want OF certain kind OF car
pct, and had the intention OF calling a, his ware
house TO find IT, No. said h., don't come lust
now. The American merchants are buying their
stocks now, and prices up ont OF sight Come
around IN month So and we can suit You at
the usual rates The remark Was suggestive.
and little inquiry elected some points, that
may be of interest 10 American dealers II seems
that the coming of an American buyer is scented
afar off by the carpet brokers here How
they receive the intelligence docs not appear
But from the day that the representative OF one Of
the large American houses is announced as in tho
field. ordinary trade in choice carpets ceases. and
all dealers pr pare for the American trade Tho
attitude of mind of the native toward the Amer
lean is one of fevcrish expectancy and includes
mild hostility. The American. who must be rich.
and certainly is a stranger, is sort of Philistn.
in the eyes of these sons of the East hence the
opportunity TO despoil him must not be lost
No syndicate is formed. but all the effects Of the
syndicate are fell since ordinary competition ceases
lie has TO deal with corner in carpets Let him
apply to whom he will, the quotation Of prices is
uniformly from p to 80 per cent above those
ruling before his arrival and after his departure,
He knows none of the languages Of the country.
and so, while apparently buying at what may he
called first hand he is in reality bnving of his in
tcrprrter. who is the most rapaciou, of middle
men III all probability. He is "A man of taste. and
he insists on having only certain patterns or lines
Of style. He can have Them bur he must suffer
the penalty in paying roundly for stripping tho
cream from the market. He is man of business.
and may not lngcr at his work NOR than a few
days or weeks. The price OF speed is high in the
East. He learns perhaps, that the native mcr-
chants have the habit of buying caravan loads OF
carPtS, sight unseen, and make good thing OF
H. 30 he buys on invoice a LOT Of bales that
TO be sent after him when they arrive from the
interior. But when he comes 10 open his goods
he fnds, with some trst-class articles, lot OF
ragged rubbish that no man in America will look
at more than once; and he has TO saddle the loss
on the available part Of his purchase In what
ever way the American buyer approaches the sub
ect he fndS II thorny one and the result is hat
he is undcrsold every time in New York or Boston
by the agents OF the Turkish carpet houses who
are enterprsing enough TO send their goods to tho
headquarters of the bcSt-paying carpet market in
the world
The American carpet house which will adopt 4
new method of laying in its stock will declare
rich divide ndS The method is simply that OF
keeping man on the ground. to learn the lam
SuaSes OF the country and hob mob with the I'M
kempt Persians who bring down the riches of the
far East to the scashore, and to buy when the
market suits, instead of coming in as an nerIopcr
to force the market The result of such "A policy
would he to place the American buyer IN the
corner instead of being outside it, The es,-
adjustment Of one of the native carpet dealers
always has IN some way connected with il a retail
department where the bad lotS are worked off.
hp ,C,. l.
animation. Then they are carefully ovcrhauled
Inc choice pieces are carefully secreel from
view The ragged and WORTHLESS, ones are turned
over to the stitclHrS, who sit all the time at work
Oh the floor of the rag-room, patching and
cunningly weaving in their darns producing very
fair restoraions of the original pattern; reStora-
lions good enough for the local mgcs, ~ -
tit even for export. The rugs of Questionable
colors are put in the retail shop and since in Con-
staptnople all shades of taste occur, they go OH
at a paying price. Then, if the native dealer has
taste for adventure, or a relative willing to
brave the ocean for the sake Of a speculation, he
sends his elected lot> TO America and sells them
with good profit a. prices which make his Ameri-
can competitors turn green The secret of the
success OF the native merchant in this work is
simply his ability to sec and to his chances
in the real market. The American buyer comes
in contact only with fictitious market but he
might perfectly well deal in the real market IL
he would condcScend 10 learn the language and
dwell on the spot six months in each year
The Government is very much exercised over
the supposed plots for insurrertiOn among the
Arme mans. l he Arnenlans are so scattered
through the Empire that they could not unite to
rise If they would. In the parts of the country
where they are most NUMEROUS, they are ont
numbered five TO one by the MOSlems. In other
regions they are mere detached groups of the
population, engaged in trades or in agriculture,
whose leading men have such relations with tho
Governmr nj rs bind them to loyalty TO the Sultan.
! Dung men there are among them who have more
or less education and who sigh for frceiOm from
the yoke Of the opprcsSor as harmesSly do
the ancient fire catcrs OF the COnfcdcracy. But
the Turkish Government is constantly stirred up 10
r. gard these vaporlngs ~ scrlOu, danger to the
State, and the consequence Is a perpetual unrest
Tor the rulers Of the land Their. is a large secret
service connected with the Turkish Governments
Departments, whose members are paid in propor-
ton as they can discover or invent disa greeable
things that men have said or might say about
the powers that be- These spies are, in fnct. A
whole swarm Of Plgotts with nom OF the risks
OF Pgott since they are never subjected to nm
crOs>-cXanination. SO they are forryer
finding plots whose details Of horror are sure TO
delight their masters by causing them 10 quiver
with terror. Then there are one or two news
papers edited b. patriotic Armenans abroad. which
come 10 the Ministry OF Foreign Anars.every
week or two, full Of the most violent ab;se OF
turkish methods. The result OF all this 5 the
adoption of measures Of serious repression In
Turkey. The Armenian schools considered as
hothcds % rebellion and watched with
trng vigilance. The press is held under rigid
censorship, the booksellers VISITED with the
VEN eance Of the police for selling
books which contain the word Armenia.
A history OF Armenia in use in
the Arme MAN schools has recently been prohibited
and on the applicatlon OF the Patriarch for a re-