Arizona republican., 1900-09-15
SUCCESSION ID
 TURKISH THRONE

change the succession to the Turkish throne in favor of his son. Prince Mo bamet Burhaneddir Ehendi, who is now fifteen years of age, a singularly bright and handsome lad. ana wh-m he loves above all those other eight child ren of his who rank as princes and princesses If tn blood. Burhaneddin Emeadi is Eot the eldest Cs the sul- tan's sons. There are three older, the oldest being Prince Selim who is thirty years of age. Abdul and Ahmed, born f different mothers, are each of them tW1nty-two years of age, Abdul being Fhe older of the two by three months. But it is Prince Burhaneddin who is the faVorite of them all. and who, more over, is the son of that one of all the wives of the sultan whom h. loved best and who. from a Turkish p.int of view. was of the most lofty birth. The boy is being brought up largely by Euro pean tutors and European fashion. He aroused the keen interest and good will Of the Kaiser when last at Constanti- rOple, and it was he who first suggested to name the boy as his successor. The kaiser realizes that the young prince, ! carld under such circumstances. Is more likely to prove a wise aud en- frightened ruler than the present heir apparent. the SuItan's fifty-six-y5ar- old brother. Rechad. a gloomy fanatic who has spent the last quarter of a cen- tury in a species of gilded imprison- ment, suspicious of everybody ana him. self suspected.
 According to tha usages of Islam It is not the eldest son who succeeds, but the eldest prince of the blood, next in point of seniority to the sovereign. so that the eldest son Of the present sul- tan would not, under existing circum- stances, be entitled to the succession to the throne until after the death of his fathers brothers. Rechad. Ahmed. Ke- mai. Suleiman and WahdedIin, as well 2s his fathers cousins. Prince Y5ussouf and Prince Abdul Medjid, both of them sHns CT that Sultan Abdul Assiz who committed suicide with a pair ot scs- sUrs ia 1878. a. few days after having been deposed. The present sultan and AiS elder brother the insane ex-Sultan Murad. are n,i the sons but the naph- cws of their predecessor, Abdul Assiz.
 The leading authorities on the subject If Koranic law ar1 doctrine declare, that there is no religious obstacle 10 the change of the order of succession. and cite as an illustration of the fact that no objection was made by Mohammed. an theOioGians. either at COnstantino- Ple CT at Cairo. when the order of sue cessi-n was changed in Egypt. primo geniture established. and the Khe dives elSest son proclaimed h5ir to the throne ir lieu of Prince Halim. the Khs dives cousin. Sultan Abdyl Assiz attempted tc introduce this reform in favor of his own son. but met with so much oppO- sitiCn on the Gart Of tha then Shiek IT Islam. who ultimately Ieposzd him. that he aband ned the scheme. It was reviv-d by Miihat Pasha when grand Viztor, during the brief reign of Sultan Murat. but had once more to be drop ped by reason of the same opposition The present sultan, however. has the Shiek IT Islam completely under his thumb. H. has him living in the pal ace. and keeps him in such a state of personal terrorism that the unfoTtu- nate man is willing ;o do anything that is comman[ed of him by the Pa Gishah.
 l. canot be denied that the chang rrajectsd by the sultan would be pop ular in Turkey, and the very fact that he should have the powerfll support of the kaiser in the matter serves to com mend the scheme to all those liegas of Abdul Hame1 who know how deeply iEiel5.5d are. not only tho sultan him self but likewis= all Turkey. for the friendship of Germany in the hoyr of need and danger.
 
 Quite a good deal f confusion mas been Cg'5a d in connection with the field marshal's ba.on and the field marshal's stick presented by Emperor William o Count WaIdersee. and. inasmuch as field nIrshsls are few in number and the Usr ani ethics in connection with the baton but little known. a f=w words of explanation may be of interest.
 The regular baton of a field marshal is a staff about twenty inches or two feet long. of blue velvet. dCttel all over with golden crowns and eagles in the ease of Germany. with golden crowns and lions in the case of England, while the double headed eagles take tha place of the lion in the casa of Austrian an Russian fialG uaysaais. The star which is a0out an inch and a half ia diameter is tipped at either enl with ;n imperial crown of gold surm unt- ttI bN tll1 tdSit UT lliS tlOl as the ca may b., and in some cases these her aldic devices are lavislly jewelsd. The baton is oarri d by the field marshal in his right hand on all occasions on which an officer of less exalted rank would be required to draw his sword Indeed, there is only one single lcca- sion when a field marshal is required tn draw his sword, and that is when at review he leads past the reviewing officer the regiment of which h. hap pens to be colon5l-in-chief. On that oc- casion he only become for the mere nonce colonel. and as such Graws his sword.
 The kais ar presented Coun, Waldersee with blue velvet and gold ad5rned field marshal's baton. and likewise with field marshal's stick. which is official ly known as an interim baton" The