The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-26

and imprisoned because a paper was found
in his mouse which contained Gladstone's
statement that the Sultan was an assassin
II WAS only a scrap OF paper, and mad peen
given him because the other sid contained
an advertisement for a hair restorer, and
he, in taking the paper to his house, did
not know Of the of quotation.
Another young man was kept IN prison
until hi died because a book was found in
his possession containing a picture OF the
Sultan under which some one 70
him had written the word Dog" A third
man was arrested because in ordering an
| en- gine he sent a telegram containing the
words. Seventy revolutions.
In his original order he neglected to state
the number of revolutions and sent the
telegram in answer to an inquiry. A fourth
man was imprisoned because he received a
telegram inquiring about a burglary. the
authorities mistaking the word burglary
for the word Bulgaria, where the authori-
ties were expecting an uprising.
more-are given simply to show that the
citizen Of Turkey is in constant danger OF
i'm prisonment, however innocent he may
be Of any intention to violate the law.
HUMoRs OF THE CENSOR.
But 1t Is In the realm OF the censor that
the most amusing cases have occurred.
The officials are destroying q great many
books Just now in Turkey and are very
careful about the ntroduGton OF 1ew ones,
frightened by the corfiscation OF books in
the houses Of her %neighbors, thought to
avoid all possible danger by burning her
husbands library, but her hope was vain,
for her husband was arrested as a dangerous
had a library. AZ he was holding a judicial
position, the fact that he no longer had
books was a sufficient ground for suspicion.
Religious publications are subjected to
very strict censorship. Sunday school les,
sons nave been cut out because they quoted
from the Old Testament In regard to the
killing OF kings, and the word Christian
ia often added before sinners in order to
make the text exclude Merchandising.
A Sunday school lesson about Joash, the
authorities did not think it proper to sug-
gest that a boy could be king. The above
are actual cases, but they have given rise
to Jokes that go a little further.
For ]insta I !, t h,I.s saS E.d that t dSyn a a
sounds like dynamite, and that ohemistries
have been excluded because the formula
for water; .HsO' Is suspected Of meaning
aHamud II. is a cipher" .,
l have had a little experience With q
censor myself. AZ beirnti one o. , ihe
COPY Of the lie OF Abbas Efendi were taken
from me by the censor. l N no objection
to his holding them during my stay In the
country. but when ne INFORMED ms tnht
thew would have to be sent to Constanti-
nople l demurred and, with the aid Of our
representative, Z Consul-General Bergholz,
no; only secured the boOks nut secured a
promise that the right OF American citizens
TO carry books would not In the future be
interfered with at that port.
AMERICAN AMBAssADoR NEEDED.
In conclusion, / desire to add that we
ought TO nave an Ambassador instead ofa
Minister at Constantinople. According to
the custom prevailing In the Sultan's realm
a Minister n not on equal footing with Am
baasadors, and as other nations have Am
bat Q ldors there American interests suffer.
We have eighteen cases now awaiting adj
justment. According to our law our APP
pointment OF an Ambassador TO any country
depends upon that oountry's willingness to
send an Ambassador to US. This Ia a false
basis. Our action should depend not upon
what other nations do but upon diplo-
matic needs, and we need an Ambassador
at ~Constantinople, whether Turkey needs
one at Washington or not.
understand the question L. already being
considered in Congress, and from observa-
ton 1 am salts fed hat The time has come
for the raising u our Lega i,n to the I unity
OF an Embassy that American interests
and rights OF American citizens may have
proper protection in Turkey. for nowhere
is there greater need for the introduction
Of American ideas.