Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-25

Palace Of Yiidiz IL unchsnging and to some
degree Interchangeable, for here the qualities
the sultan exacts from those who serve him
are all united in each Of his courtiers. II
the ministers OF Abdul-Hamid are servile.
ten times more 30 are the people OF the
p-slace-one might say they had no person
atty, no Individual existence. II is for
this that they are chosen to serve as blind
instruments Of a personal policy, inaug-
urated by the sultan after concentrating
in his hands all power; for. as / have al
ready remarked. It is the Yildiz palace
which rules the empire.
some DEPTHS Of oriental Intrigue.
The word yildiz means star \ beau
tiful name, but il hardly appears appro-
pirate for the home Of a monarch like the
sultan. as it resembles a prison rather than
a palace. II is a prison for the sultan
himself. who lives there, self-immured and
surrounded with real fortresses and by
thousands of soldiers camped around the
circle of the protecting walls; a prison Tor
the hundreds OF women who compose the
imperial harem, a prison for the people
OF the court. for chamberlains as well as
for the lowest domestics who live there'
keeping themselves night and day at the
disposal Of their master. Everywhere one
feels the depotism, the fear, the perpetual
dread that centers around the gloomy per-
son Of the monarch. who, though smut
within a triple ring of walls, allows no one
so much as to cross the outer gate OF the
palace without being subjected to a search
ing inouiry. But. for a prison 1t Is a tlne
one, as big as a town-a city, one might
sav-built on the crest of a hill at the
mouth OF the Bosphorus and containing in
itself everything-palaces great and small
kiosks. belvederes, arsenals provided with
ouick- firing guns. museums, observatories,
mosques. lakes. shops, work rooms, stables
etc. But most especially Yildlz boasts the
finest collection OF spies that could pos
siblv be gathered together; the entire
household Of his majesty is composed Oh
them.
Abdul Hamid has gathered AROUND nm
self an encourage such as no sovereign nas
ever had, having brought together N
yilest and most corrupt men 10 De lou"u
in his realms. and when they were nov Oao
enough for his purpose he has taken upon
himself the task Of fasfioning them III ms
own image. All his policy consists IN STUDY
ing their vices and making such use Oh
their weaknesses, hatreds, jealousies ana
discords as to render a combination against
him impossible. For example, it often hap
pens that two courtiers quarrel exchange
sarcasms, even blows. or perhaps merely
insults: the sultan then decorates them
and makes them a useful present-the dec
grafton Is the higher, the gift the more
in proportion as the quarrei mas
been the more violent. Later he calls the
enemies to him separately, recommend
ing to each loyalty to his imperial person
gives conclliating advice and engages each
to watch the other.
InefficIency and L~azinesS.
The city of Constantinople has a popula-
ton OF more than 100000 inhabitants
over whom Abdul Hamid has appointed an
army of 1000 spies-official and secret
who. as they say. watch directly or .indi-
rectly for the preservation of his life. This
work costs the Treasury departmet $1,000
600 a year; still he allows to die of hunger,
not the great officials. but all the petty
ones too humble for him to fear, and leaves
in misery and restitution the army-not'
OF course, his private guards at Ytldiz,
whom he cherishes and pays highly, but
the troops of the provinces.
The ordinary Turkish official is a curious
example of the oriental character. One
has only to look at him to feel that ne 10
born an official; that he has come into the
world with the soul of an Ottoman official.
To rank as a fuhctionary is. IN fact, for a
Turk the only honorable career. Com
merce, even the liberal professions, are
degrading very good job for the giaour.
is why, whether he be son or a
pasha or son of a cabby, the Turk has only
one ideal. one ambition-to end his days
I'm the skin OF an official.
Tho duties of an official consist in doing
nothing, or almost nothing, for a Turkish
bureau is a temple of idleness. The Otto
man functionary will make the unfortunate
man who has to deal with him come time
after time, to extract from him a little
bakchich, or perhaps from more honorable
motives, as, for instance, to save himself
the trouble of writing a letter or looking
up a register. OF course there are among
these officials men who are industrious
and painstaking. but il is only the strongest
will that can resist the enervating atmos-
phere OF a Turkish ministerial department.