Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-05
B0STONIAN IN TURKEY
NOT ESTEEMED IN
THE REALM OF THE SULTAN.
Bay State Man Was Compelled to Do
Business Through an En-
glish House.



Boston merchant has lust returned
from business trip to the Turkish capital.
Having undertaken contract with the
government of Turkey. he left Boston dur
ing the early part of the summer. equipped
with passport signed by Secretary Hay.
The Turkish ambassador in London granted
him Turkish passport. which was vised
by the Turkish representative at Paris
and after some weeks of travel he reached
Constantinople via Servia and Bulgaria.
He was in Belgrade at the time the army
overthrow the government. assassinated
the King and Queen. and established a new
dynasty. Yet at that time the city was
apparently quiet, and the populace seemed
to take the tragedy in almost matter
of-fact way. On passing the Bulgarian
frontier he found himself under the care
OF the Sultans own secret service men.
and never once was he allowed to escape
their watchful eve.
The Turkish Army.
Says this interesting traveller: Contrary
to all reports regarding the condition of
the Sultan's army the soldiery is well paid
and equipped and the regular troops are
under perfect control and not detachments
of demoralized mob. The Turkish rail-
road is controlled by French and German
corporation. and Is guaranteed by the
sultan q certain amount or business Every
foot OF the track is guarded day and night
by attachments of soldiers. and the rail-
way is virtually run by the army. On my
way to Constantinople l passed through
Adrianople. l was the only foreigner there
at the time that city was teeming with
revolt. and 1t was only due to the protec-
ton of government officials that / was able
to escape harm at the hands of the fanat-
ical hordes. AS it was. the soldiers We're
compelled to hurry me away from the city
The distance of 265 miles to ConstantinoEle
was safely passed, although several at
temPts had already been made to dynamite
the roadbed and the railway guards had
been doubled
Il found the Turkish capital a hothed Of
fanaticism. Serious outbreaks were of
daily, almost hourly, occurrence There
are no police In the city, that duty being
performed by soldiers. The hotels every
bank. and the foreign legations and bust
ness places are under the care of armed
guards day and night There are no bust
ness men. properly speaking. among the
Turks. The people are divided into three
claSses-government employees. soldiers and
farmers The soldiers are recruited from
the agricultural class. and are fine appear
ing, alert and well equipped. AS the sultan
is the prophets representative on earth, the
army is most loyal to the government, and
no matter what other obligations of the
sultan may go unfulflled. every effort is
made to pay the army in full.
Our Standing With Turkey.
"The business of Constantinople is Gone
by Greeks. Armenians Frenchmen, Ger
mans. Englishmen and Americans. Ameri-
cans are esteemed the least of all foreign
ears. and in fact are little thought of
that 1 am compelled to transact my BUSH
ness through an English house. 1t is only
since the Spanish American war that we
have won any respect at all in Turkey"
AT ConStantinople, the Boston merchant
STAYED at the Hotel Pera Palace where Mr..
"a afT i.tn al rrr;Ia
Concerning diplomatic affairs. our traveller
continued: The fact that the representa-
tive of the greatest nation on earth should
be compelled to make his headquarters in a
hotel, particularly at this critical time.
cannot be too strongly condemned Min
lister Leishman is a remarkably able man.
perhaps the abiest representative our coun-
try ever had In the east. but he Is handi-
capped in his standing with representatives
of other powers by being only a minister.
ana not an ambassador. All other nations,
even those which have not fractional part
of the interest in the orient that America
possesses. have raised>their representatives
to the rank of ambassador. The Turk can
only understand outward forms of power
Every nation which has any interest at all
in the SultanS dominion has ALWAYS near
at hand a fleet of from five to ten cruisers,
ever on the alert to resent any slight that
may be cast upon the nations they repre-
sent. Even the toy nations of Europe
Keep formidable SquadronS within call On
the other hand. the United States whose
commercial stakes are immense and whose
citizens are in imminent peril of their lives
has at hand a fleet consisting of one
steam launch thirty feet long by ten feet
beam. fer which Minister Leishman was
authorized to eXpend the sum of 81 200 for
purchase. equipment and maintenance. 1t
is a shame that this puny craft should be
the only one within hailng distance to
safeguard American interests in the city of
Abdul Hamid. 1t is to be hoped that the
present crisis will call the attention of the
administration at Washington to the mig
gardly policy which has been the ruin of
our business interests the BosphoruS
and has cost the lives of many citizens.
The trade of the United States with this
portion of the old world could be many
times increased by pursuing a different
policy. There ready customers and 4
large demand for American products. such
as machinery, agricultural implements rail-
way supplies, wall paper. pictures, cotton
cloth. and in fact almost everything OF