The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-08-08
ABDUL HAMID, AND after
SOME SPECULATIONS
Views of a Resident of the
City Of CONSTANT
nople.

If one can believe the European doc
tors who were in attendance upon him,
the sultan has now completely recov-
cred from his serious illness. In Con-
stantinope their statements are re-
garded with considerable scepticism,
and in any case there is plenty of ev-
idence to show that Abdul Hamid is
no longer the man he was year ago.
He has ceased to attend to business
with the unwearying assiduity which
was one of his main characteristics,
and he has lost the keenness and
qrickness with which he used to inn
press foreign dplomatists in his con-
versation, He may have recovered from
his Illness, but it has left him tired
and aged and the prevailing opinion is
that he cannot last for many months.
Speculation is universal as to the date
OF his death, and among Christians and
Mussulmans alike there is a general.
feeling Of relief that the detested Ham
idian regime is drawing to an end.
His unfortunate subjects hope that
things will be better under his sue
cessor. They can hardly be worse, 1t
Ii true, but 1t is difficult to discover
any solid ground for taking cheerful
view of the future of Turkey One
Of the most experienced diplomatists
in Constantinople has described official
life in Turkey during the last twenty
or thirty years as struggle for exist
er.ce, in which those have survived
who were the least embarrassed with
scruples of honesty or public spirit.
According to him and others there has
been steady deterioration in the char
acter of men in office The cause for
this is to be found in the policy of the
sultan. Abdul Hamid, who, when he
came to the throne, found the Porte all
powerful. His predecessors, Abdul Aziz
and Abdul Medjid, had only enjoyed
the shadow Of power; the actual gov
errment of the country had been in
the hands of viziers and ministers,
among whom Midhat Pasha and Fuad
Pasha, were the most prominent at
the time Of his accession. He resolved
Is free himself from this tutelage and
b.
make himself absolute. For time he
played with the ministers who had put
him on the throne, even going to the
lefgth Of promulgatlng constitution
drawn up by Midhat Pasha. But he
got rid Of them one by one, and filled
the offices Of state with creatures Of
his own. Midhat Pasha whom he
feared the most. was, after some years
of fancied security exiled to Arabia
and there murdered. & The Porte, the
responsible government of the coun-
try, became mere machine for car
rying out the imperial will
The Sultan's passion for undivided
power went so far as to make him
intolerant of any influence which, In
however slight degree might impose
check on his arbitrary rule The
possession of popularity, of character,
or of ability, at once rendered an Of
fetal suspected. A reputationfor liberal
opinions was fatal Knowing the char
acter Of the men whom he employed
to govern the country and perpetually
suspicious of plots against himself, he
maintained whole army of spies and
turned a ready ear to the tales OF his
officials, who were only too ready to
tell one against the other A reign of
terror was established, and a. race of
informers and blackmailers has grown
UP. who are to-day the curse of the
country.
To what length these men will go,
and what influence their stories exer-
else over the morbidly suspicious and
credulous sultan, is shown by. the au-
thentic story of David Bey. This man
who was one Of the most successful
blackmailers in Constantinople, had
been refused money which he had de-
1nanded from the Quay company. In
revenge he wrote a report to the sui
tan, stating that the company was
taking large quantities of stone from
the island of Proti, one Of the islands
in the sea of Marmora, and was thus
Interfering so seriously with the equ.l-
ibrium Of the group as to put them
all in danger of being submerged. The
extraordinary story produced its IN
tended effect, and orders were sent
from the palace forbidding the QUAY
company to take any more stone from
the island.
No one has any illusions as to the
character of the vast majority of Of
ficals, least of all as to that of the
high functionaries at the palace and
the Porte. In most cases they are men
III low origin, who have been brought
to the front by their capacity for in
trigue, and who have accumulated
large fortunes by taking brides and
pllfering public money. But curiously
enough, there is a widespread impress
sion that both the grand vizier and
the sheikh-ul-Is are exceptions to
this general, rule, that they are patri-
otto and enlightened statesmen and
that though under the present sultan.
they are power1ess to fight against
abuses, they will do their best to in
duce his successor to follow a more
liberal policy This is, of course. mere
ly an impression; and, though both
the grand vizier and the sheikh-ul-
Islam have occasionally ventured to
oppose the palace, there is nothing to
show that they possess the qualities
necessary TO enable them to play the
-,