The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-17

should be made only by the Mayors hand:
suppose every case in police or other court
should go to the Mayor for his personal re-
vision OF the evidence before judgment could
be pronounced; suppose the Mayor per-
sonally received all taxes, paid all bills.
made all contracts, created by edict all city
ordinances. The chaos and demoraliza-
ZION which would result are what would
prevail throughout Turkey to-day hut for
the peculiar system Of corruption which
takes the place Of anarchy.
Reports upon the Affairs OF his wide do
main are placed before the Sultan In vast
array every day. II would he a task physi-
cally impossible, not for one man, hut for
ten men, TO read them, much leas to give
them careful consideration.
| There is no harder worked man IN Europe
than the overburdened ruler in iildiz
Kiosk, who consctentiously sweeps back
! from his door each day the rising tide OF
| his sovereign duties. 1t 10 largely the
! knowledge TO doubt. OF the hopelessness
Of his self-imposed task which has made
! him a nervous victim OF chronic insomnia.
| 1t Ia his frequent habit, a. his Ministers and
encourage know to their cost, TO rise up in
the middle OF the night and plunge into
| affairs of state which demand attention.
! II Is Of cours, inevitable in such circum.
stances that those who suffer or who lose
| chances Of profit by The blocking OF guber-
Material fur ctions will resort to devious
and indirect means for getting their own
| special grist through the mill. The mere
| chance whether paper lies near the Top
! instr ad of at the bottom of A pile makes
a vital difference to the fortunes Of some
individual or community. Hence the obvi-
o,is beginning Of corruption.
But the system which prevails In Turkey
has u broader recognition and basis than
this would indicate. let no one imagine
that the Sultan himself Is deceived by the
arts practised upon him. He fully under
stands and tacltly approves the system
of which he is the victim
Public offices Of al sorts are regularly
bartered and sold Every contract made
with the Government pays it's high COM
mission to tho palace officials, Every
warrant against the imperial treasury
is discounted by q well-known process
Every importer hribes tho custom house
officials. and every taxpayer OF any me ans
"equares' the collector
II is the simple truth that II fne taxes
Of Turkey we're honestly collected and hon
estly expended, the country instead OF being
impoverished would have q rich and over
flowing treasury. The burdens upon the
people might he substantially reduced and
genuine prosperity might become possible.
Why. then, does the Sultan submit to
wholesale robbery? His policy seems cap
able Of but ons Interpretation. II IL the price
he pays for security.
Experience has brought his faith In
human nature to a very low ebb He no
longer believes. If indeed he ever did do so,
in disinterested loyalty. He has cynical
confidence in the purchasable faithfulnees
of sef-intsrest. and he trusts no other
motive
This service he buys and the price he pays
for it Is well-nigh ruinous to himself and
to Turkey. But what will not q man give
for some sense Of security for his life?
1t is interesting to quote the current
practical working of the system The
market price Of salary warrant upon the
Turkish treasury varies between 10 and
IS per cent. OF it's face value. just now
the quotation is IS per cent
The holder sells his warrant to a broker
at that price. Thence there Is a regular
channel OF communication with inter-
mediate rake-offs Of and 10 per cent. until
the proper go-between disposes Of II at rs
per cent to the Treasurer.
Thai official credits himself with the full
amount, for, Of course. he and not the
Government profits by the rs per cent
discount. 1t will he readily understood
that the market price Of billet as. Treasurer
is considerably higher than that of the
Go"ernorship Of province
At the custom house it sufices on the
average in case where dutiable goods
should pay, say $780, to give the examiner
tip Of IS and to pay duty to the extent
Of so. A sheep farmer who owns 900 |
sheep returns his flock for purposes of !
taxation at 100 and pays baoksheesh to the !
assessor.
The wonder is. under suoa system, that |
any money at all reaches its legitimate
purposes and that the Government can |
be carried on even on the primitive existing
lines. single instance will illustrate the
point that it is impossible &c do business
with the Turkish Government except in
conformity with the rules OF its peculiar
system
foreigner wished to secure the adoption
of an important military invention by the
Turkish Army. He secured an agent who |
knew the ropes. The channel through
which the Sultan himself WAS reached was
ohe W 'A'n AaNoIhe p'TeOndi ATTENDANTS.
The Sultan was interested. promised TO
have special tests made and to give an
audience to the inventor. The matter was
overlooked for day or two The attendant
forthwith assumed an aspect of deep melsn-
chofy whenever he was in his masters
presence, The weary monarch. we'll ac-
customed to such methods. at last inquired:
-Wel!, what is the matter what do you
want?'
"Yonr Majesty has forgotten the---de-
vice. and the matter was advanced an
other stage.
Within month, the necessary tests
were made. reports entered, the Sultan's
Assent obtained and the contract awarded
The inventor had been obliged to divide
no less than IS per cent Of his proceeds in
to the palace crowd
Even then there was a hitch One of the
secretaries through whose hands the papers
passed had been overlooked. or rather
he had not been definitely informed of his
share in the division. He was duly notified
however.
He expressed his entire satisfaction, but
that he must &c, the papers hack
at once, because he feared that he had n.ade
4 slight mistake in one OF them. 40 he had.
and IT became necessary 10 obtain the