Durango semi-weekly herald., 1906-06-25


less. Many of them mutined on tn,
transports in the Red Sea and refuse,
to land until they had received thei
pay. which was In arrears for sever
or eight months Their officers hat
no money to meet the demands. ant
were compelled TO communicate witt
Constantinople. Funds were forward
cd to them to meet part of the arrear.
| but the soldiers refused TO fight unit
| they were paid to date
Nearly all of the mutinous soldiers
were from Syria and Palestine. The
remainder of the sultan's force Is
made up OF Kurds and bashi-bazouks
VINO cannot enure the climate. The
kurds come from the Armenian high
lands. and are quickly overcome by
the terrible heat OF southera Arabia
The bashi-bazonks from European
Turkey are also accustomed to high.
or lands and cooler weather, and they
are of no service In desert warfare
representative of one of the Armen.
Ian societies In Boston, who was sent
down into Arabia . see how the re
bellion was getting on. has Just re
turned. He says THE refusal of
the troops to fight is most natural
That portion OF the army which was
gathered from around Damascus, Al
eppo and the southern part of Meso-
potamia are in sympathy with the
Wahabites The Kurds from Armen,
Ia which mako M lao. l.t,1tr 90
troops. cannot fight even II they were
Inclined to on account of the climate
while the hashi-bazouks are Of no
service in the welfare MS conducted by
the Arabs, The Arabs really do not
have to fight, although well supplied
with modern arms and ammunition.
All they have to do is TO get the sui
tan's troops to follow them as far
south as they can be drawn, when the
latter die like diseased rats on the
march. Since January last the mon.
~ raised by Arab sympathlzers in
Europe has been used to purchase
horses and camels for them, which
gives them the greatest advantage
over the Turks, whose supply OF
horses and camels has been entirely
cut off &"
The people OF the United States and
The outside world generally have very
little conception OF the intelligence
and ability of the Arabs. We look
upon Arabia as a hopeless desert
with few wandering barbarians, for,
getting the marvellous history of the
race and the fact that they, like the
Chinese. have preserved their individ.
nality, their ylrility and the strength
OF body and mind whicn characteriz.
ed their ancestors during the cru
sades. The descendants of Ishmael
are mastery race. and, although In
this generation they have fallen be
hind the most progressive Europeans
for several centuries they played the
most important role In the worlds
history, and their monuments are
found in Spain, Africa, India and 9th
worlds greatest teachers in the arts
and sciences; they established the
first colleges and universities; many
OF their public libraries were as large
as those of modern times. and they
were the inventors of arithmetic, al
zebra. geometry. astronomy and phil
osophy.
The present rebellion against the
authority Of the sultan Is the result
OF schism in the Mohammedan
70, 10 tr;t
rect descendants OF Mohammed, do
not consider Abdul Hamid the legiti
mate successor OF the Prophet. The,
regard him as an impostor and inter
loper, whose ancestors supplanted
the real Padishah (Father of all the
Sovereigns of the Earth) and they
Will not recognize his authority even
under force. The schism began In
1906, under Sheik Abdul Wahah, who
next to Mohammed and Abu-Bekir.
Ishmael. There have been nine wari
similar to the present since 1907, led
by the Wahabites, who are called tne
"Moslem Puritans.' Whenever they
could get money, arms, ammunition
camels and horses they have resisted
the authority Of the sultan OF Turkey
and nave driven his governors and
his soldiers out of Arabia. In the
present case Sheik Mahmud Yohia
the leader Of the rebels. obtains his
military supplies from the Young
Turkey party. the Macedonian com
mittee and the Armenians. The
arms. ammunition and other supplies
are purchased in France and are ship
ped from Marseilles to several differ
ent ports on the Red Sea and the
Persian Gulf, where they are dis
tributed. Much of the funds are con
tributed by Christians, but II tnt
Arabian rebels were aware Of tha
fact they would not accept them
They are very fanstical. They xii
and drive away all Christians who ap
pear in their territory and are unde
the impression that all their OUTSIDE
help comes from the Young Turke!
ma rfy and nthar Maalama