New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-07
n LAND OF "GR1FT.
Characteristic Features of PERSIAN
Life.

nounced that the religious party in Persia hao
risen and demanded a constitution, and was IN
sisting the expulsion of all foreign merchants
and officials. At the present time the only SUI
perior authority which the Shah recognizes u
the Koran In his administration Of government
he is expected to follow its dictates The re-
rzious system is not subject to the Shan. Dut 70
the ImauIn-Juma.
Persia may have no railroads and few roads
better than cowpatls. Smoke ordinances may
be unknown in Iran because there are no fac
tory chimneys- Dentistry as practised IN the
streets of Teheran, the city of the shadow OK
God" the "footstooI of the King of Kings" may
be SO primitive as to be unduly painful Agrt-
cultural implements may be crude as to do no
more than tickle the ground of the fruitful plain
of Mazanderan. But in the realm Of Muzaher-
ed-Dfn has been developed system OF graft
which yields not little in its refinement to those
of the worst American cities There is nothing
crude about the system. Graft" is everywhere
In Persia One, reading of it. might think the
account one of an American exposure When' IN
1896, upon the assassination of his father
Muzaffer- ed-Din, the present Shah. squatted on
the long marble platform called the throne ne
declared that thereafter civil and military Off
GERS should be appointed for merit instead OF
money. But system of graft" is not so easily
wiped out
Anyway. for many years before this edict was
issued practically every office in Persia, from
the highest to the lowest, purchased by the
incumbent In many cases there was no salary
attached and if the price and the expenses or
office were not made up by fees, there were
other ways of closing the year with good ball
ance in the treasury. Indeed, Offices were sought
because of the opportunities for securing graft
In the cases of governors and judges, whose
power is such that criminals have much to fear
from an i'll state of their digestion. even muir
derers could buy freedom for the equivalent on
$50. The police officers received no salary, and
were obliged to pay monthly fee for the office
They made it up by protecting criminals and by
extortion.
Titles and commissions in the army wero
bought for Il price. rifle judiciousIy bestowed
would win for the giver the title of khan
a carpenter has hacked and sawed for official
and carved for himself title at the same time.
photographer squeezed a bulb and degree
of rank popped out OF the box as a reward
A tailor made for himself name when he made
q suit for his patron Perhaps in their cases it
was true that titles are marks of honest men
and wise" but the traveller on the Iranian pla-
teau would be tempted to qualify Young's line
as applied to the Persian
Men with military titles are as numerous IN
that land as 'colonels'' in Kentucky and hardly
more entitled to the rank. Nasr-ed-Din's army
had more officers than there were places with
salaries attached Almost any one who had
sufficient money could buy brevet- When there
was vacancy the heir of the previous incurn-
bent had the privilege of buying it, but if I'M
able to do so a holding the same rank
could come forward with the first years salary
In hand and bid for it. There was always q
rush of brevetted persons when a vacancy oc-
CURED in the salary list.
Sometimes when the coveted salary seemed to
be assured there was slip between the daz-
zling drinking vessel and the mustached lip OF
the thirsty Persian. A certain khan was in
formed that g. salary could be obtained. With
haste he sent his present to the capital In due
season he received an elaborate document, the
coveted f1rman. which entitled him to the salary
of his rank. When he called on the revenue
officer to collect 1t he was informed that the
heir had already obtained It He made an eff
fort to secure another vacancy. Failing he
asked for his money.
1T has been spent in procuring the ffrnan
You will be remembered next time" In other
words his present had been distributed where
it would do the most good. and. to use Tam
manyites language. he had been done good
The kind Of officers secured by this method Is
Illustrated in the case Of the son of a mira or
scribe. who robbed his fathers cash drawer, ran
off to Teheran and came back IN few months