The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-26
QUEER CUSTOMS IN LAND OF TURK DESCRIBED BY WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN

constant danger of Imprisonment. how ever innocent he may be of any fnten-
 ton to violate the law.
 But 1t Is in the reslm of the con
 sor that the m st amusing cases have
 occurred. The oficials are destroying
 a great many .books just now in Tur-
 key, and are very careful about the
 introduction of new ones. Recently
 the wife of a justice of the peaca.
 frightened by the confiscation of books
 in the houses of her neighbors. thought
 to avoid all possible danger by burn-
 ing her husbands library. but her hope
 was vain. for her husband was arrested
 as a dangerous character on the ground
 that he must have had library. A
 he was holding a judicial position. the
 fact that he no longer had books was
 sufficient ground for suspicion
 Religious publications are subjected
 to very strict censorship. Sunday
 school lessons have been cut out De-
 cause they quoted from the Old TestA-
 ment in regard to the killing Of kings. and the word Christian" Is often ada
 ed before sinners in order to make the text exclude Mohammedans. A Sun dav school lesson about Joash, the boy king, was objected to because the au~ thorities did not think 1t proper to suggest that boy could be king. The above are actual cases, but they have given rise to jokes that go little far ther For instance, they say that dy- namos are not allowed in Turkey De- cause the name sounds like dynamite, land that chemistries have been exciua- ed because the formula for water. Fl (2) 0. is suspected of meaning. Ham cd II is a cypher."
 I have had a little experience with censor myself At Bsyrout. one Of the Turkish ports, copy of the Koran and a copy of the life of Abbas 9nen- di were taken from me by the censor- had no objection to his holding them during my stay In the country, but
 when he informed mo that they would have to be sent to Constantinoples
 demurred. and. with the aid of our rep resentative. Consul General Ber9holz. not only secured the books. but secur- cd a promise that the right of Amert- can citixzens to carry books would not | in the future be interfered with at that port.
 In conclusion. desire to add that we ought to have an ambassador In stead of a minister at Constantinople. | According to the custom prevailing m | the sultan's realm. minister is not on equal footing with ambassadors, and as other nations have ambassadors I there American interests suffer. We have eighteen cases now awaiting ads | iustment. According to our law our appointment of an ambassador to any country depends upon that countrya willingness to send an ambassador to us. This is a false basis. Our action should depend not upon what other nations do. but upon our dipiomatic ! needs, and we need an ambassador at | constantinople, whether Turkey needs one at Washington or not. l under stand the question is already being cons sidered In congress, and from obaer- vation I am satisfied that tho time has come for the raising of our lega- ton to the dignity of an embassy that l American interests and rights of Amer ican citizens may have proper protee% ton In Turkey. for nowhere Is there greater need for the introduction of American ideas.