The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-09
The SHAH ON A TEAR. -
PCTSia'S Ruler About 10 Visit His
Province Of ITak.
It's Really For spoliation-He VIII
be Attended by a Retinue of at Least
10000

It's Really For Spoliation-He VIII
be Attended by a Retinue of at Least
10000
h. w Fischer in the New York Press
The sublime individual known as the
Shah of Persia is, according to an official
statement from Tcheran, making ready
to invade the interior regions of the Prov
ince of lrak, the richest and most impor-
tant Of the realm. When his majesty
visited the courts of Europe he was de
scribed to the faded western nations as
ga noble being of sanguinary proClivities,
romantic ferocity and fabulous wealth, -"
who could easily afford ito do" the Con
tinent and the British Empire accompa-
MED by retinue of POO persons and 5000
tons of baggage. In his own country the
shah affects to be a poor man, suffering
from the want of the necessary small
coin to pay his way, and anxious to in
veStlgate the distant administrative
officers of his realm, who may, perhaps,
not discharge their sacred duty toward
their ruler and his subjects with the
punctiliousness decreed by the Koran.
Preparations for the journey begin
early in the winter, when statement is
issued announcing that the shah cOntem-
plates visiting three or four of his prOVin-
ces in the following September OF
course every ''mulla' in the land-that
is, any person of ordinary intelligence
knows that it would be physical impos-
sibility for the shah to execute this
threat in a country a vast portion of
which is an absolute desert, with popu-
lation of twelve individuals to the square
mile. But the announcement serves
its purpose-that of stirring up the ami
mails The animals are, first of all, the
governors of the districts, who, with
their herds, vouch for the prompt return
of the state revenue in cash or kind, and
after them the mayors of the cities and
the chiefs of villages and tribes,
The promise of a royal visit invariably
throws these worthless into panic, for it
means the unconditional surrender of
their boarded riches, ground out of the
labOring classes, who almost single
handed carry the burden of taxation in
Persia. 1t means the still further tight
ening of the screws for all concerned in
the work of supporting the government
by the sweat of their brow. 1t means
eventually, when the shahs expectations
| for soma reason or another are not real
lied, decapitation for some and binding
for others.
The shahs expectations are, of course,
/ of a financial nature. He does not care a
| snap of his fingers for the details of gov
| eminent or for the legality or RICH teOus-
| ness of the ways and means employed by
| his underlings. He wants money, money,
money, and knows where and how to get
| it, The ul6ase above alluded to, is but a
bid for bribery, those of the governor
| paying the highest tribute within a slip
ulated time being spared the threatened
visitation, while the unlucky official who
fails to come up handsomely must hold
himself ready to receive the Shah and his
hungry cohorts and allow him to take
what he likes in his province.
Money, of course, talks most plainly to
| the understanding of his majesty, but
where it is not forthcoming at the de-
sired pace, or where achievements of its
argumentative qualities seem necessary,
! the governors are not above STOPPING to
various tricks and articles to mislead
/ and, if possible, intimidate the prophet S
| qiceroy. How they justify such base
conduct to their consCiences ! will not
attempt to explain, but l judge that the
| doubtful nature of Nasr-ed-Deen's claim
| to the sacred title he assumes has some
thing to do with it. There is, moreover
an old chief priest named Muitahid, liv-
| ing at Bagdad, who pretends to hold daily
| intercourse with Mohammod and who is
| therefore believed by many to be even
| higher up in the heavenly councils than
| theshah himself
Reports of the revenues of the country,
cholera and other epidemic diseases. long
continued droughts, the devastation
worked by armies of grasshopperS, floods
and bad crops are among the specters
published to keep the shah at bay but, ii
unaccOmpanied by ransom, their mission
lacks convincing qualities and only tends
to rouse the anger and suspicion Of the
lord high blackmailer. The ransom is
paid in ready money, beautiful girls,
high bred horses, cattle, corn and rare
products of the textile industry.
OF late the shah's civil list amounted
to $3.50, 900 per annum. The net profits of
the years provincial tour are estimated
at 5000, 900, and his majesty just obtained
an advance of four-fifths of that sum
from the Imperial Bank of Persia, prom
Using to pay 10 per cent. interest on the
loan. Assuming that the two provinces.
which, by their enforced tributes spread
themselves the shahs visitation, dis
gOrged over 81 ,000, 900 each, the shah's in
direct income must be estimated as twice
as large as that for which the Almanac
de Gotha gives him credit.
Nasr-ed Deem is only the fourth of his
family to occupy the throne, yet his pri-
vate fortune exceeds that of the head of
the Vanderbilts. In reality it is much
larger, because every cent of it is repre-
sented by cash or diamonds, and that in
spite of the fact that there are hundreds
of princes and princesses depending upon
him, each provided with well stocked
harem or an office seeking husband
respectively.
Why the possessor of so much wealth,
boarded in the cellars of the fortified
Teheran castle, should take up loan at
high interest in anticipation of the
moneys to be raised in the Province of
Irak, is almost inconceivable to the I'M
initiated, but the underlying motive of
the maneuvers is explained by the TACT
that his maiesty's last provincial tour
to Mazanderan in 1890 proved disas-
trous failure from every point of view
Indeed the royal vandal and his corav-
ishers not only returned with empty
pockets, but were actually made to fee
the country they came to scourge to es-
cape starvation. The Manzanderans on
that occasion having ascertained that the
shah was nearing their frontiers, with
drew tents, horses. cattle and sheep into