The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1898-07-15
THE UNsPEAKABLE TURK.

Those who heard the address of
Miss Anna Melton at the Presbyterian
church Sunday morning, and par
ticularly those who have had the OPP
portunity of conversing with her per-
sonally, understand a good deal better
what it means to be citizen of the
United States of America than they
did before. Miss Melton was stationed
as missionary for six years at
Mosal, Turkey, and the information
she gained of the daily and hourly
outrages perpetrated by the govern
ment of the Sultan upon his impover-
ished and defenseless people makes
story that no American can hear
without a shudder of horror and
Indignation.
All the administrative offices of the
Turkish government are sold to the
highest bidder. This means that the
successful candidate must eXtort from
the people over whom he is placed,
sum equal to that which he bid and
as much more as he can get. Hence
the taxes are not a fixed sum, gathered
AT stated intervals under general
law, but are whatever sums the peo-
pie can be forced to give, taken at the
will of the governor at such times as
he chooses. Everything but the
women are taxed in Turkey" Miss
Melton says. There is tax on tees,
tax on boys,-girls are not taxed
because they are held to be worth
nothing-a tax on everything. And
in collecting these taxes the govern
ment is ruthless. "In many So
Miss Melton says, II have known the
last bit of household furniture, even
down to the last kettle in which the
family meals were cooked, to be taken
for xes,-and this after the family
had already paid four or five tax
levies during the year" 1t is COM
mon thing for the poorer among the
farming classes to be stripped in the
fall, by the tax collectors, of every
thing they had raised during the
summer, so that they were forced TO
beg through the winter, or left to
starve.
There is no security for life or
property. In Mosul, 4 city of 100, 900,
woman dare not walk ON the streets
at any time unattended, while after
nine O'Clock at night the streets are
riot of vice and crime. 1t is not
murder for Mohammedan to kill
Christian, 1t is not murder even for
a MOhammedan to Kill a Mohammed-
an unless the circumstances be much
aggravated, or the killed be of high
rank. 1t is not murder to kill
woman, but the slayer must settle
with the woman's. husband as he
would if he had killed his donkey
or his cow. OF course, however,
Christian dare not kill even woman
on pain OF death. There are no
courts. The officers of the Sultan
administer Justice and no matter
what outrage they may perpetrate
against any of the common people
there is absolutely no recourse or
redress.
The horrible massacres, Miss Mel
ton says, were all committed by the
direct order of the sultan, and the
sole object of them was to make con-
verts TO Islam. The first massacre
in a given district was always a sur
prise, intended to strike terror to the
hearts of the people. But after that
it was always proclaimed that any
who wonld ALLURE their Christian
faith and become Mohammedans
would be spared
Miss Melton says that the rights
which our treaty with Turkey assures
to our citizens residing in that coun-
try are frequently and flagrantly vio-
lated, and that when remonstrance
is made the reply is: ave know the
treaty gives you this right, but your
government Will pay no attention to |
it, so we will do as we please May
be after this war is over our govern ,
ment will get in the habit of paying |
attention to IL.
If the REGISTER chad its rrther"