New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-10-04
RUSSIA IN PERSIA.
THE ANCIENT EMPIRE LIKELY SOON TO BE
A PROVINCE OF THE CAR.
Constantinople. September

Constantinople, September IL.
British diplomacy has lost in Persia. mat, al
least is the present appearance Of affairs IN the
Oldest empire of the world. For several years
extraordinary efforts have been made to extend
British influence there. The British Government
has officially done all in it's power to hold the
favor of the Shah, and TO get grip upon the
whole Persian administration. Private efforts,
too, have not been wanting. Not so very long
ago it was exultingly proclaimed that conces-
sion had been granted to an English corpora
ton by which it would absolutely control the
finances of the Persian empire for the next hun
dred years. And it has been a common boast
that British Ministers at Teheran have long had
far more influence at court than all the rest put
together. There is still fresh in mind an address
made by Lord Salisbury, in which that states
man dwelt at great ls@gth upon the wealth and
resources of Persia aud the close relations that
existed between it and Great Britain.
This has been fools paradise. To-day it Is
evident that Russia not only has got far ahead OF
Great Britain, but has practically won the game
Persia is still nomnally independent. But 1t IS
altogether under Russian domination; and is prac-
ticay as much a part of the cars
domain as is Turlzestan or the Caucasus. Al
ready the foreign relations Of Persia are nego-
tiated by Russian Ministers. In few weeks all
GeTSldu le9dtlOus bulOubhOuO thC WIZ" wa ~
abolished and their functions will be openly eX-
erted by the Russian legations. Then pro-
tectorate" will be proclaimed and Persian SOW
ereignty will be thing Of the past.
How this state of affairs has been made posi-
bic is interesting to observe In Persia in other
countries she has set out to subiugate Russia has
proceeded by creating antagonism against the SOW
ereign There is no doubt that Nasred-Deen Is
a thorough Anglophie. His preference for Eng
land and English things is most marked And
the same may be said Of his great Minister, Mira
Ali Asghar Khan To them British Establishments
have been directed, and with them British policy
has succeeded. They have been ready to grant
almost anything Lord Salisbury might ask. But
they are, after all, not Persia; and with Persia
itself England has never been in favor. The war
which Lord PalmerstOn waged against Persia
has never been forgiven, and to this day no one
is so bitterly hated by the mass of Persians as
an Englishman By his fondness for European
ideas and manners the Shah has given serious
offence TO his people. BY his especial fond
ness for England he has intensified that feeling
to such degree that people have actually talked
of deposing him And while England has been
making up TO the Shah, she has been really weak
ening his authority and swelling the opposition to
him Russia on the other hand, has addressed
herself to the Persian people, and has so skllfuly
insinuated anti-English ideas among them that
the pressure has now become felt upon the Throne
of Light In plain words, the Shah is conquered
bv public opinion, and is literally forced against
his will TO throw himself into the arms of Russia,
He had the choice either 10 yield TO Russia
or TO be swept from his throne by fanatical revo-
luton; and he has chosen.
England has been always blunderer in her
dealings with Persia. She has used threats and
force too much, and not enough Englishmen
have settled in Persia TO exert any social or COM
mercial influence. Nowhere in the world are
Englishmen more scarce. There are dozen of
them at the Legation in Teheran. There are two
at the Tahreez consulate. At the British Resdency
on the Persian Gulf there are five six At
Ispahan there are two missionaries. Some three or
four commercial agents are also to be found, and
there are about fifty telegraph operators on the
Teheran line That is all about seventy live
Englishmen in all Persia. And how many Rus
slams ? Seventy-fve hundred, or more.
There is one strong bond of sympathy between
Persia and Russia, and that is their persecution
Of the Jews In Persia there are nearly 10000
Jews. and they are all practically outlaws. Every
other religion is tolerated. Even the Zoroastrlans,
or e-WOrshippers are treated with the utmost
respect. But every mans hand Is against the
Jews One might say they the chattes OF
various petty officers. Thus, in each province,
certain tax is assessed against the Jews who
dwell therein and il is about three times as
heavy as the tax against any other people. This
tax is sold. That is to say, some officer OF the
province pays il TO the Governor. AID then sets
out to reimburse himself from the Jews. Often
he navs 4 premium for the privilege and the job
is knocked down 10 the who Will pay the
biggest premium Then the Spectator sets out,
fvU % fba Coz ppt
10 collect the tax from the Jews and much
more as his avarice prompts, or the prosperity Of
his victims make possible. No ONE ever makes
him give an account of his collecting. and if he
yvrinrs from the Jews twice tie amount Of the
tax. he is so much richer ard they so much poorer.
and that is all
There is no justice for Jews under Persian law
Many times these tax collectors have been known
70 take the doors Of Jews houses from their
hinges, and even to take clothes from Jews
hacks II street loafer strikes or robs Jew
there is no redress. The Jewish baptism" has
for centuries been an invariable feature Of every
nublic festival, even Of those in which the Shah
himself takes part All the Jews who can be
found are driven in crowd, like many cat
tie. into the public square, and q number Of them
are thrown into huge tank filled with mud and
wafer As they crawl out they are beaten with
sticks ana ptlteu WIN Hluu anu stohe9' DVu"O-
less all the Jews would make their wax out Of
Persia if they could. But they are forbidden
under pain of death, not only 10 leave the En-
pire. but TO leave the province in which they
live Their condition is not much better, in
deed. than that Of their brethren in Russia.
The military power of Persia is not great, yet
II has great possibilities. The regular army was
established by Shah Abbas Mira in 1928, but
the present shah was the first 10 organize 1t on
European model, which he did by the employment
Of German and Austrian officers The Per-
sian army consists Of 100000 men, COM
prising 5000 artillery, $4,000 infantry,
$1,000 regular and irregular cavalry, and