The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-08-23
THE new POWER In TURKEY
ORIGIN AND AIMS OF THE YOUNG
TURK PARTY.

the Proclamation OF the Constitution.
The Young Turk party may be said to
be forty years old and TO have had its
origin in 1857 at a grand council held in
l,olma Bagtche Palac on the Bosporus In
the presence Of Sultan Aziz. Those present
we're Mughdar Pasha. commander of the
army: Essad Pasha, head Of the Ottoman
Treasury; Mehmed Ruchdi Pasha, Minister
Of Foreign Affairs; Hall Pasha. OF Marine;
Abdul Kerim, Of War, and Midhat Pasha,
Of the Interior.
Az this meeting 1t was decided that
Sultan Aziz, accompanied by his two
nephews. Murad Efendi and Hamid EHendi.
the present Sultan. should pay a visit Of
state to the European courts. While the
prime object of this proposed journey In
the mir de- of the council was a personal
study of European institutions they diplo-
matically assumed that it was simply for
the recuperation OF their masters health
ard a rest from his labors.
Upon the return Of the Sultan and his
party Constantinople dressed herself like
the Queen of Sheba to receive her sovereign.
Great indeed we're the Nominations and
festivities; but even greater the antioipa-
tons of the Ministers that their Sultan had
returned imbued with western ideas.
When they began to ask their master
what he had brought with him from his
travels he enumerated among the things
that had particularly impressed him pianos.
fine furniture. paintings, jewelry, but not
a wo.d was said Of political, economic or
ed lcational institutions. He mentioned
many features Of European life Of which
he ~disapproved, declaring that politics.
commerce, arts. ard above all money max
ing, 80 engrossed the men of the west that
they took no time to consider the spiritual
side of life. As the grand summing UP
Of his TRADE against Europe he i~nveighed
bitterly against the ugliness Of the women,
declaring that the Expresses Of France
and Germany we're the only beauties he had
seen in Europe.
Alas for the expectations OF his Ministers
who had hoped to hear OF new ideas reforms.
Inventions and matters of state that would
suggest things to the Sultan for the better
ment Of his own country A constitutional
government was In the minds Of the Minis
ters' IL their Padishah, from whom they
had hoped 30 much, had utterly failed to
appreciate the desires OF his Cabinet for a
Constitution.
lICh ShSy eooA AASS ostSb sbo o60
Of their Sultan, arguing that this might ac-
count for his failure to observe and absorb
what was most essential in his travels. But
what of his nephews whom he had taken
with him2 Might not they ave been i'm
bued with western civilization
After waiting for the Sultan to show signs
Of progressiveness they concluded that the
case was hopeless and decided to strike at
.lL~. n-.-oko Aolx~n 49, A. NHi-,o&~,
at a meeting held In tho Office Of tho Ad-
miralty on tho Golden Horn in May, 1876,
Redif Pasha, q soldier by experience and q
man Of nerve by character, was appointed
to attend to the contamination Of their
adventureeome plans-
In the darkness Of the night he forced his
way into the presence OF Abdul Asiz with
this fateful message, that by the will Of the
people he was no longer their Padishah.
The Sultan's first impulse was to resist, but
a glance from his window showed in the
gray Of the dawn rank after rank Of the army
drawn up in front Of the palace and the
navy anchored In the Bosporus, their cry
no longer @Tohok Tasha Padishah!' Gong
live the Sultan Aziz). but Down with the
P%adishahi' Enchanting -Great is Allah
the deposed monarch was hurried into
the transports awaiting him and his harem
and carried way to the old Seragllo, while
Murad, released from surveillance in his own
palace, was proclaimed Padishah.
AConstitution was drawn up by Midhat
Pssha and his assooiates-the same doou-
ment that has just again been proclaimed.
Although this new political organization
now came forth under the name Of the
Young Turk party, among Its o~riginators
we're many old and experienced statesmen
belonging to the school Of Zia Bey. Ali
suavi and Aghai E1endi, exiles living in
London, who had In 1857 started the pub
lcation Of Mughbir (ths Advertiser) under
the editorship of Mustafa FAIL Pasha, a
man Of liberal ideas
While Midhat and his associates were
jubilant over the start Of the constitutional
machinery the conservative element Of
the Turks, with the oonnivanoe Of Hamid,
the younger brother Of Murad. were work
ing to undermine the foundations OF the
newly built edifoe. After six months Of
the dreamy reign Of Sultan Murad he went
through the same experience at the hands
Of the conservative party that his mole
bad undergone at the hands Of the progress
sive, and was forced Town and out, his
brother Abdul Hamid taking his place.
At this time the war clouds were hanging
thick over the Balkan States, and In order
TO appease Europe, especially Russia,
Hamid swore TO support the Constitution.
But it was then too late 10 stay the paws
Of the Northern Bear, as they were already
outstretohed for their prey. When Hamid
saw that the Constitution would avail moth
ing in averting wal and that Russia would
not tolerate any Constitutional govern
ment in Turkey. he prorogued the Legis-
lature and bundled up the Constitution and
pigeonholed 1t with the understanding
that Parliament would be oonvoked anew
after peace with Russia. In spite OF that
Promise the Constitution remained where
he filed it for thirty years.
But the constitutional seed had been
sown among tho more intelligent Turks.
This in spite OF the fact that the young
Sultan had bowstrung or sent into exile
thousands whom he thought too deeply
imbued with the constitution sentiment
work with his policy.
Among those who escaped to Europe
md E1ypt o,l - - .<Av4nl thntr ptszna-