The weekly herald. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 1906-19??, 1907-08-08
LIBERTY
IN PERSIA
Constitutional Government Now
One Year Old In ASIatIC
Kingdom
Special to Daily Panhandle.

ment was given to 1.-The people OF
Persia by Muzaffer.ed.Din, shah II
shah and king Of kings, whose maj
esty Is as exalted az the planet Sat
urn; whose sovereignty the sun use,
as standard; whose splendor and
magniiicenco are equal TO those OF
the heavens; whose armies are az
countless as the stars; who is al
powerful as Jemshld, whose power
equals that OF Darius, the keeper OF
the crown, and the throne of the
Kaianians, sublime emperor of all
Persia, absolute master OF the lives
and goods Of his subjects, and vice
regent Of the province" Then, after
giving up all the despotlc powers
vested In Persian rulers for untold
centuries, Muzaffar-ed-Din was gath
cred to his fathers, and MohammeG
Til Mira rules In his stead.
Yesterday Teheran celebrated, with
all the pomp and circumstance OF
oriental custom, the first anniversary
OF the most important reform in Per-
sia's fong and despotic history. Bril-
liant troops in the gay uniform OF
the empire marched before the shah,
TO the music of tinkling bells and
crashing cymbals, while all the dip
lomatic representatives OF Europe
and America paid their respects to
the young ruler OF a nominally freed
country But beneath the glare and
glitter Of the brave display misery
looked out with hungry, hate-filled
eyes; drowned by the brave music
was sullen murmur OF discomfort,
A constitution is a good thing, say
the Persans but one cannot eat II.
Two-thirds of Persia goes every night
hungry to its bed. It is bread the
Persians want, and not the high
sounding words of the legislators
The thieves In high powers have not
relinquished one iota their blood
sucking proclivities since the paria-
ment was proclaimed and the consti.
tuition put into effect. The once
mighty empire still lays PROSTATE,
always on the verge OF a revolution
that may make II an easy prey for
the lion or bear and furnish excuse
for its final Acknowledgement
What the Persian parliament, un-
duly limited in its powers, may yet
accomplish for the relief OF the fu-
ture is problematical; that its first
anniversary is not one to be proud
OF is admitted by all Perhaps the
greatest hope of the empire is in the
young shah, who has given many
evidences OF progressive and just
spirit. Mohammed All Mira is a
thorough European, the French hav-
ing been his models in habits and !
department. He has abandoned the |
oriental methods of life OF his pred
ecessors, and, strangest Of all, has
no harem and treats his wife as an |
equal. Except in matters governing |
the court, he retains few powers UNI
der the constitution, except that he
is allowed to appoint sons and fa-
vorites as governors Of the various
Persian provinces.
Whatever may be results OF con-
government in Persia, the
silent bloodless revolution which
brought it about remains the most
remarkable in all history. The trans
formation of Persia from an autoc-
racy to a liberal monarchy will be
necessarily slow, II It Is ever accom-
pished, because of the fact that the
great masses of the Persians have
no idea of the meaning of constitu-
tional government. The Persian Lam
guage contains no word expressive of
such a government. The masses of
the people are absolutely illiterate,
not one in 10000 can read or write,
and there is no saving middle class.
In all the records Of history there is
no single instance of constitutional
government where the Mohammedan
prevails, and 1t is contended
that the two cannot exist in the same
atmosphere, AS a matter of fact,
however, some OF the stanchest sup
porters Of the constitutional move
ment are and have been Moslem
priests. 1t is feared that these
priests who have been among the
foremost leaders Of the reformation
may discover the ineompatibility of
he laws Of Islam with constitution '
II government, and seek to restore {
he old conditions. In any event, Z
here will likely be troublesome times