The morning journal-courier., 1908-08-03
OPENED TO COMMERCE..

Mundj Bey, the Turkish consul gem
eral to New York, calls particular at
tention to the great import Of the pres
ent political upheaval In his home land
and its attendant constitutional
changes In its commercial aspect. AS
he says. the result will mean new ter
rltory thrown upon for the advances OF
commerce. Coming az this change will,
upon the dawn of great commercial
revival and the return OF q new and
better prosperity In this country, II
should be OF particular interest TO
American manufacturers and growers.
II they are not wise enough to fol.
low up the hint the consul general has
dropped. they are far more dull than
had been supposed,
I'VE are now a free nation" says the
consul general, land we have a free
government. and external Interference
will no longer be tolerated. Through
that influence we have lost our agrl-
culture and our commerce. We
want to control our industries our
selves. and now that we have freedom
OF speech and freedom Of the press, and
freedom of action generally, we will be
able to teach the world that We are still
to be reckoned with. that we have en-
ergy and skill and determination. and
that we will exercise them for the ad-
vantage OF our country" Turkey Is
again to take fer place among the
powers with a law-making two-house
parliament. with Judges and ministers
responsible to the people, a modern
navy and an adequate army. She
seems destined to leap forward by
leaps and bounds and that advance
will mean much 10 the progressive
commercial men here and elsewhere
who have the foresight 10 profit by It,
The granting of general amnesty 10
all political refugees abroad. regardless
Of race, which will apply to some 200, 900
Armenians and others In this country.
should draw back TO the home land
many whose progressive natures could
not endure the old conditions Some
there have been here, TO be sure who
have openly questioned the good faith
Of the sultan In granting this amnesty,
/ but there seems to be little cause for
this with such widespread democratic
movement as the present one. Nor is II
to be supposed that the powers would
allow the sultan to offer such bait
to get his former subjects back to him
only to punish them for political
crimes. even did he have the desire and
power TO do so.
The fear has been expressed that the
Young Turks will carry their radical
ism too far and that the whole affair
will end In a fiasco As one Of our con-
temporaries says, IF the sultan gets
hold of enough money to recover con-
troll Of the army, the new constitution
will be tucked back in its dusty pigeon
hole and the Turkish government will
remain of about the same quality as
for the last thirty years" Yet there
seems little cause to worry about that
Say the press reports; Everybody has
been greatly impressed with the per.
feet organization of the movement and
the absolute discipline in all the ranks >
Things have gone too far to return &c
the former regime, at any rate Once
freed from their monumental wells and
from their martyrdom In the harems
the Turkish women, at least, cannot be-
expected to return to them again will
ingly. When the sultan is hooted and
the constitution Is praised on every
hand, when officers and civilians are
embrac cling each other everywhere
and expressing their delight at the new
order of things, 1t may we'll be sup.
posed that permanent change has
been effected