The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-01-25
SUICIDAL TURKEY.
A Country which Would Bo Prosperous
Uudcr N Wise Policy.

There used to be large commerce
in mohair, which industry was of
great value " tho people Of Asia
Minor, and il could have controlled
the worlds market But Turkish
| political economy is Of that kind that
as soon as it perceives any industry to
be in n fourishing condition il begins
to levy unbearable taxes upon il, and
thus the production of. this beautiful
wool -wns practically stiflcd. In ad-
dition to the usual fouriifths there
was placed an export tax Of 8 per cent.
upon it, besides the profit of the mid.
dIcmen. The pcculiaf system Of tax
alton made tho goats taxable us live
stock and their milk as a food product
Their hair was taxed when clipped,
and again when shipped abroad. Thus
| the whole production of this beautiful
textile died out and other countries
arc beginning to furnish the Angora
| wool.
The culture of the silllworm and the
manufacture of those unique and al.
most everlasting silks from Broussa
might be made source of much rev
cnuc TO Turkey, were it not for the
policy which taxes every mulberry
tree, every ounce of raw silk and
~,
until it is q matter Of surprise how the
poor wretches who produce them can
live. Every fruit bearing tree is taxed,
as are also animals, fowls and worms,
and, lastly, labor itself is taxed, and
the wage worker has to surrender all
that the tax gatherers can squeeze out
OF him without actually starving him
o death. The laborcrs in the interior
Of Turkey and her dependencies are
SO thin that they look like moving
mummies, and they all have tho eX-
preston of utter dependency and
hopclcssncss on their wizened features.
Tho collection of taxes in all tho in
terror of Turkey and her dependencies
upon farm produce, made by revenue
o!ll:crs belonging to each particular
pachalill is made in kind when there
is no ready money. When tho crops
fail the amount which each one
usually pays must be given in money!
| otherwise the soldiers, or revenue oili-
GERS, seize the animals, implements,
copper cooking utensils, and, in fact,
| everything of sufficient value to carry
off, and these arc turned into money,
leaving whole families utterly dcsti-
| tutc. If they make an outcry they
receive the bastinado or are thrust into
| prison.
Those farmers or peasants who live
within distance of fifty miles from
Constantinoplc bring their scanty
| stock of salablc articles, such as small
vegetables fruit, poultry, etc, and all
these roads converge in two, which
| have stations for the revenue officers
ut MashiaE, which is near the forest at
| Belgrade, and another on tic TaXimc,
near the Grand Champs cemetery
| Hero the trains o! poor peasants pass
| with their donkcyS, with their bags
| upon their shoulders or with baskets
containing Il little salad or q few eggs
or chickcms--in short, anything they
| have 10 sell. They arc stopped and
their produce appraised, and the peas
amt must render up part of his scanty
store, letting the officials take out what
they wish as tax. Then he receives a
bit of rcd paper which permits him
to go on selling the diminished stock.
Money, however, is always preferred
when the peasant has it, but when he
has nc. money the officials help them
selves always to the best of the stock.
If he complains, which he seldom
docs, lie receives the bastinado. No
other people in these days could be so
submissive under such abject slavery.
All the drinking water is brought
| from long distances in barrels and
bags on the backs of men. and this
water is also taxed, with the exception
of that which is brought for the sui
tan'S household.
The resources Of Turkey proper arc
various and would enrich any other
country in tho world, and when we
al $50 take into account all the tributary
nations and dependencies, we wonder
at the universal poverty. The coun-
| try is large and reaches into several
climates. There is scarcely anything
| that could not be produced if the in
| dustriCs were not subject to such un-
| just and outrageous taxation. Wheat,
| coffee, grapes, laiSinS, figs, pruncS,
| wool of several qualities, tobacco of
| the finest possible kind, herbs, mcdici-
nal and aromatic, such us make the
| Scrkys tea; rhubarb, maStic, honey,
| corn, fish of all kinds, medicinal gums,
| dates, opium, silk, cotton, flax, pctro-
lcum, cattle, sheep, rugs and carpets,
altar of rose, the beautiful Broussa
silks and Cmbroidcrics, the exquisite
gold hligrcc work. which cannot be
cqualcd outside Of Turkey, and many
other things.
The Turkis! dycstulfs were always
valuable and in large demand but the
government ciIrctually killed tho in
dustry by handicapping it with taxes
and export duties, unit! n0w the trade
is nominal. Indeed the whole policy
ofTurkCy has been To kill the goose
that lays the golden cog.
There arc valuable coal mines in
many parts of Turkey ono within
forty. miles of Constantinoplc-and