Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-11-25
WHY THE SULTAN
IS So OBSTINATE,
Foreign Control in Macedonia Re-
oarded as Blow at His Sow.
ereign Rights.
AGAINST TEACHINGS OF ISLAM
Ills immediate Advisers Have Con-
yinced Him of This--Vitimate'y
He VIII Doubtless Yield.

ronstantinople. Nov 24.-"rhe cher
exclamation of the obstinacy shown
Nv the sultan Of Turkey regarding the
A.rands Of the powers for the nnah-
.t.t control of the Macedonian vilayets
"a 70 be sought for in his own peculiar
character" said a very prominent resi-
,snt Of Pera Ga suburb on the north
.nore NJ the Golden Horn. known as
the European quarter, where the am
bassadors reside) TO the Associated
Press today.
The informant was man whose long
,osldent In and study Of the Levant
,ualltled him to speak with author
CIV. while the sultan is of an arbl-
,rarn nature" said he, "he is greatly
Influenced by his religion. The eN-
oonents Of this religion who sur
,ound the sultan are densely ignorant
Of international politics and they nave
succeeded In making the sultan believe
that II ia against the law ana the
teachings Of Islam for him to cede
territory except when compelled to do
70 by force.
while there is no question at present
OF the giving UP OF territory the estab-
llsInent of foreign control IN Mace
donla is regarded here as blow aim
go at the sult9n's sovereign rights ana
Il considered AS being equivalent to the
shedding up of land, particularly when
the well known tendency OF the pow
III . ftg.t.f toll NH -
taken into consideration.
THE embassy believes that the sui
tan sees the necessity Of giving way,
and that therefore, when sufficient
show OF force has been made. he Will
have an excuse for yielding which will
justify him IN the eyes Of his advisers
and his people.
THE local newspapers are not al
lowed to mention a word concerning
Macedonia nor TO convey the slightest
intimation regarding the political dis.
pute over financial reforms. Conse-
duently all classes, generally speaking,
are ignorant as to the situation, ana
the few who have Information con-
corning It are disguised at the sultan's
Obstinacy.
American readers should understand
that Turkey is 300 years behind the rest
" Europe. that the sultan has absl-
Lutte power that his ministers are mere
fgureheads and that all power Is con-
Centrated in the hands of the sultan or
in those Of his immediate entouraga
at the palace. the chief eunuch and the
Hollacks (or prlests) his fayorites. Hence
It Is truer TO use the words sultan and
palace OF the porte when referring
10 Turkeys international relations.
Furthermore this ~ the month or the
'Ramaza' or period of fasting, when
very little work Is done and the Turks
are In "a rather fanatical mood The
festival OF 'Bairam' occurs on the 2Sth,
These conditions will have an effect on
the situation.
when the sultan Is much worried
he shuts himself on from the world,
listening practically to nobody lie
has been quite unapproachable for some
time past. except by his favorites and
the high religious functtonaries, who
continually praise him and assure nm
that the king can do no wrong ana he
refuses to see his foreign minister.
'The political situation has already
worked much damage 10 business gen
orally and has injured the interests ot
those who are trying to obtain conces-
sions In Turkey
Continuing. the informant OF the As
ISOLATED Press said:
1T Is we'll known that up TO the pres
ent time the sultan has insisted on the
governors OF the Macedonian vilayets
sending the proceeds of nearly all the
taxes collected by them TO Constantine
ple where they are mostly absorbed In
paying the sultan's favorite officials
spies and others and that the powers
have agreed that no reforms can DC
effected In Macedonia until large por-
tion OF these funds Is reserved In the
provinces for the payment of the OIL
Gals there, because it Is well known
that the Macedonian officials are guilty
Of shameful corruption In order to make
up the emoluments which are not con-
veyed to them through the regular
channels. . .,
II can say that the sultans OPPOSE
ton is due to his personal Characters
tics plus the religious conditions exist
ing in Turkey and | believe that ne Is
likely to yield on sufficient pressure