St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-03-01
RIPE FOR OUTBREAK
AN UPRISING OF THE TURKS THEM
SELVES FEARED BY THE
SULTAN.
WHOLESALE ARRESTS MADE.
GOVERNMENT Is SAID TO HAVE IN
EARTHED WIDESPREAD
CONSPIRACY
TO DO AWAY WITH ABDUL HAMIp.
Discomfort Pervades All Classes Be-
cause of LOng-Continued Abuse
and Oppression.

CONSTANTINOPLE, Feb. % Cyia
Sofia, Bulgaria.. 1.-The police and mill
tary authorities have been taking stems
for some time past to get at the facts
IN what seems to be a widespread con-
splracy, with headquarters in this city
ana branches in many parts of the
ottoman empire. Affairs yesterday and
To-Day reached a point when it was
judged that energetic action could no
longer be delayed, and over 200 Ar
menlans and numbers of Turks have
been arrested. The Turkish officials
claim that the arrests are made sim
ply as precaution against the possi-
billty of hostile manifestation against
the sultan, Abdul Hamid, upon the oc-
caSion OF his visit to the Topka-pou
palace, the STEAMBOAT quarter, today
on the occasion of the MidramaZah
FESTIVAL. Extensive military and police
preparations have also been taken. The
route to be followed by the sultan will
be lined on both sides by picked troops:
behind the soldiers will be the uni
formed police and mingling with the
crowds will be swarms Of secret 20
arrest
any person, Armenian or Turk, who
may act in manner, calculated to
arouse suspicion. Thus. many more
arrests will be made before the
sultan passes through the streets. and
the authorities will be greatly relieved
IL the day passes without a serious
disturbance
There is no denying that the Turks
are rapidly becoming far more dan
gerous to the rule of Abdul Hamid
than the half-crushed Armenians, al
though the revolutionary agents of the
latter are still busily at work, but their
plan or campaign seems to have under
gone decided change. for they appear
TO nave become convinced that their
only hope of any kind of redress in the
nature of partial self-government lies
in the young Turkish party. This con-
tinually strengthening party is be-
coming holder as time elapses, the muir
muring among the populace is more
distinct and it has reached the ears of
the palace officials in an unmistakable
manner, causing the utmost
UNEAsINEsS AND ANXIETY.
Outwitting the hostile powers when
secretly backed by Russia, is a COM
paratively easy task when compared
with confronting a possible uprising
OF a strong section of the Turks them
selves. The Turks are incensed
against the Armenians for the organ
i7ation which they have fostered, but
they are also very bitter against the
long-continued misru1e OF the palace
people Thus the Armenian agitators
have really been playing into the hands
of the government, and it is only now.
when the disturbances and their Sc
quence have subsidized, that the real
situation is becoming apparent. There
fore the feeling among the Turks
against the sultan has nothing to do
with the Armenians, the treatment
they have been subjected to or their
alleged grievances 1t is due to the
wrongs suffered by the Turks them
selves, and the terrible oppression of
the secret police and tax-gatherers.
Among the lower classes here the mat
ter might not go further than the
plundering of the palace, etc, the GUST
ing of the palace favorites, and q
probable Improvement thereby in the
general situation. 1t takes a good
deal of abuse of power, however, to
rouse the Moslem population to this
pitch of revolt. But among other
classes Of the population, the feeling
of discomfort Is far deeper and much
more serious. The SOftas and the Ule-
man. the army and the navy, are fairly
ripe for an outbreak, as is we'll known
at the palace. The army and navy, it
should be added, may be calculated to
follow the lead of the Ulemah and
Sofas in anything, and when It is ad-
mitted that the two latter classes are
dangerously disconnected, the situation
is indeed critical. Then, again, among
the official class generally, the depo-
sition Of the sultan is eagerly looked
forward to now, no longer as a vague
possibility, but as a decided probable
ity
The young Turk party demand q
constitution, a parliament and free in
situations, and there are people bold
enough here to predict that they will
get their demand.
What the Turks are looking for is a
real leader. When he appears, it is
safe to predict that the rule of the
palace favorite will soon be ended, one
way or the other, by the deposition of
the sultan, and by the placing of some
other man in his place, or by the
adoption Of constitution and parlia-
ment, which may make material
changes in everything throughout the
empire.
The ambassadors of the powers are
keeping their respective governments
fully Informed regarding the situation
but the presence of the extra gunboats
here is now a matter for congratula-
ton among them, as there is no longer
the same fear as before that disturb
ance here would result in great danger
to the foreign population of Constan-
tinople and it's suburbs.