Evening star., 1908-01-12

peac. and consttutionalism is ar
rayed against absolutism.
Just what part the people play in the
conflict. If any. is not yet apparent. The
revolutions in Teheran and Tabriz are
too distant for just appreciation, but they
seem sporadic and lack the quality OF
spontaneity.
1t Is not impossible that the Anglo
Russian agreement. the creation of zones
OF inhuence,' is the incentive to the pres
ent disorders developed by the action OF
England and Russia on the one side and
the consequent counter acton OF Ger
many and Turkey on the other
The Persian situation is somewhat out
side OF the ordinary. for there is trans
version Of roles. Usually the people re-
volt against the tyranny of government.
In this case 1t is the sovereign, the shah.
who opposes parliament, and for a de-
hc.ency In his ''stipes' Or civil list which
parliament voted Che miserable and in
sufficient sum of e1O0O0O, and hence the
anger OF the shah. who in turn 'mutinies
Tor money. Following the shah, the pow
er!ul princes and princesses were de-
prived of pay and they protested to par
lament. and with these, and after these,
a most or courtiers and dependents, many
or whom in the past days of spolia-
tion and graft duplicated pay rolls or
simulated soldiers long since dead or
discharged the service.
curious feature of this situation was
the appearance recently upon the scene
of the widows of Nasr-ed-
WIDOWS Din. the late shah, who. de-
Claims prived of their pensions,
came N tho MailiSS
petition. Prince AssaduIlah Mirza men,
Der Of the parliament, espoused the cause
Of his relatives and in a speech mentions
instances In which European govern
ments rendered honors to ladies of royal
houses.
On August 81, 1907, the Atabeg-Assam,
or grand vizir. Emin-es- Sultaneh was as
sassinated, the very day on which news
Of the signing of the Anglo Russian
agreement at st. Petersburg was an
nounced in Teheran. The Atabeg-Assam-
Russian influence in Persia and the mur-
der was taken as matter of solemn
significance and a sign Of protest.
The shah signed the constitution Oc-
tober II and on the Goth the conflict be-
gan between the shah and parliament
November II the shah. accompanied by
the princes of his house and high tunc-
tionaries. went to Babaristan, where the
parliament palace is situated, and there
his prime minister read his speech from
the throne. The shan promised obedience
to the laws voted by the chamber and
made oath thereto.
When certain conditions of the Anglo
Russian agreement became known in
Persia and the lines of English and Rus
sian spheres of influence" We're an
nounced the government of the shah ad-
dressed a note to the British government
copies of which were communicated to
the representatives of the powers. The
shah declared that 1.-The agreement was
an affair between the contracting gov
ernments, but that Persia maintained
her entire liberty of action and would
continue to maintain the open door,
AT Babar1stan the CONNIE nts were less
contained. How is it," cried a deputy,
that Russians and Eng
impatient lishmen may have the right
0ueries to construct railways and
establish banks in Persia
and every one not Russian or English
may be put out of the door? If the other
powers find this proceeding to their
wishes we find it very, very bad And
recently a Persian journal wrote: cit is
better that we should die bathed In our
Russian or English protection
The Russian legation at Teheran, reply
ing to the note received from the shah, is
reported to have declared that Russia
had no desire to disturb the internal af-
fairs of Persia, and that her policy was
limited to the protection of her frontier
and her subjects.
Restive under this manifest violation of
Persian autonomy, masked behind the
well-known fexibility of zones of fnfIu-
nd ha arf
shah to parliament, that body on the 18th
Of December addressed a note to the rep
resentatives of the powers in which it
was said:
When the affairs of the empire fall
into desperate state the nation sees that
it's only hope left is the creation of a
constitutional government. The dead
shah accorded a constitution and the
shah who reigns actually ratified it,
But persons who under the despotic
regime were in the habit of depressing the
people deceived our young sovereign and
caused him to believe that the constitu-
ton was the cause of recent troubles The
nation will do nothing to disturb the
peace, but. as the result of attacks of
members o. the government with evil in
tent, 1T will defend the constitution, its
only hope"
The ministry resigned and was succeed
ID on December 10. Four ministers of the
outgoing cabinet retained their portfolios,
tic and education. The three new min
'sters are the premier and minister of
finance, war and commerce and customs
The cause of the resignation of the min
istry is involved in some doubt in the in
complete dispatches. IT is stated, how
ever, very clearly that one of the re-
signed ministers was arrested, but the
'adtcal deputies of parliament demanded
his release. The British legation, it ap-
pears, intervened and asked that the min
iste-, who, by the way, had received an
English education snould be released. 1T
was understood says the correspondent
and with good reason, that his life was
in danger. The minister was released
and permitted to depart for Europe in
aXile."
The ministry as reconstructed it Is as
serted represents the reactionary ele-
ment and is opposed to the constitution.
Nizam-e -es-Sultaneh, the prime minister,
is a Kurd of very humble origin who
has attained to high place in Persia one
which, though autocrattc in form or
name is at the same time endowed with
democratic possibilities.
The new prime minister is said to be a
very astute politician and has amassed
great wealth. He first
The New made himself known to the
n representatives. of the pow
ers in Tehoran as the gov
ernor general of Arabistan. where his
strenuous action provoked the vigorous
nrotest of the British legation at Teheran.
The mollah or religious party, heretofore