Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-08-04
A LAND OF WOE.


1no Fri8nttui bubery That to-day
Exists In Persia.
The prospective visit OF the Shah
Of Persia to EUROPE makes pertinent
q brief glance ut the condition OF
that historic land, the most Ill.
governed and wretched of any
country on the earth.
Persia has been the scene OF un.
paralleled grandeur and magni flcence,
the stage upon which dvnasties have
PLAYED their part, the battle ground
wherein mighty armies have con.
tenGed, and very hell Of suffering
and woe
A native writer In treating Of
affairs In that Ountry says: PERSIA
is decimated. Her irrigation works
are ruined. Her soil implanted.
Her industries undeveloped. Her
people scattered. Her noble.t sons
In prison, tortured, bastinadoed,
robbed without pity, Murdered with.
out trial by the shah and his vizier.
No account of the horrors now going
on In Persia can he Overstated, not
tenth part will ever leak Oit--un.
dergrOund dungeons t0rtue-rOoms,
devils IN human shape, grec ,avarice
unbridled lust, interruptions violen q
and the Shah himself the careless
spectator or interested rtetrat0r
Of the worst crimes that sully the
page Of eastern history.
The system Of revenue raising is
thus described; "A man Is DESTROYS
Of obtaining the governo ship OF q
certain province. His first step Is to
lay at the feet Of the Shah his offer.
Ing. lie then has 10 guarantee the
raising OF Q sum representing the
annual revenue Of the particular
province exceeding that Of the prevl.
Gus year, l. O., the amount for which
the late governor was responsible; at
this stage, and II he IL not utbidden
or the Shah does not demand more
the applicant for power succeeds In
obtaining tho court consent Of the
Shah expressed in the word, 'Bali,
all right The sspirant to Office has
next to couciliate the ministers
whose approval can only be bought
by more sums Of ready cash. Have.
ing at last succeeded In receiving
bis appointment he becomes sudden.
~ transformed into an irresponsible
tyrant.and 0ppressor. 1t Is his turn
now to receive fro II the undcrlings
who seek places In his train, and In
the case OF q governor Ut q province,
his retinUe generally amounts to 800.
He has bis chamberlains, his secrc.
taries, his pipebearers, his body
servants, his military servants, his
executioners, his master Of the horse,
groomS cooks and the rest. From
the cham berlain down to the stable
boy each In turn has to make bis
offering to the newely.appolnted
governor, who Of course appoints the
highest bidder. Everything being
thus pleasantly settled, they proceed
to their destination, aud the prOvince
then becomes scene Of sub-r0bbery
and spoliation, the heavy hand being
only lifted when nothing more can
be discovered to steal. No governor.
nor any single person In his employ,
ever receives q farthing Of salary Of
wages"
This systematic system of extortiou
exists 10 every bran h OF the gov.
crnment. Promotion In the army ID
regulated by the same plan. Pay ID
uncertain and irregular. II q
private soldier gcts q couple OF
months pay during the year he con.
siders himself lucky. The only way
no has OF living is by robbing the
people. No wonder is 1t that Persia
Il retrOgrading and diminishing
annually In population by whole
sale emigration; that her fertile
lands ar. ruined and nj elected.
Deserted villages and wrecked ham.
lets mark the pla es WHARF thriving
and happy communities once existed