Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-15
PROGRESS IN TURKEY
Significance of Awakening of
the Young Ottoman.
THE new CONSTITUTION
Regime of Old Yildiz Kiosk Clique
Draws to a Close.
SPIRIT OF FREEDOM AROUSED
Mundji Bey Traces History of the
Turkish Constitutional Movement.
Newspaper Influence.
SPIRIT OF FREEDOM AROUSED

~ SPEAK dOOul my country, Turkey, which
Is so often misrepresented by foes and So
called friends. Her foes have failed to see
the rise Of the young Ottoman his strug-
gle, his energetic work and aspirations to
attain the highest civilization. Her So
called friends have stood with the old
regime and its representatives., the Yildiz
Kiosk clique. tnjuring the cause Of Otto
man freedom
The history of the Young Turkish party
Is to be traced back to the times of Sui
tan Abdul AZiz. the uncle of the present
ruler OF the Ottoman empire The reader
OF the Independent may be reminded that
sultan Abdul Aziz committed suicide, but
some of the palace officials, to avoid fur
tner revolution. changed the whole form
OF Abdul Aziz's tragedy. and fabricated
the story of the murder attributing it to
the reformers. These pioneers of Ottoman
!reeOom We're prosecuted, some were be-
headed. imprisoned, exiled and some met
with the fate of midnight murder at Yil-
dr. None Of them today is in the active
revolutionary field.
During the reign of Abdul Aziz. Prince
Mustana FAIL Pasha, who occupied many
important positions in Turkey, took with
him to Paris a few bright young Turks
for their education. Among these stu
dents were Renal Bey and Ali Suavi Eff
AOAAA. EOOA tIlcy acquired mastery or the
French language and felt the influence of
the western civilization; they realized that
their Vatan (Fatherland) needed reforms
A Turkish weekly was started at once to
propagate western ideas among their COM
patriots in Constantinople This was
about half century ago.
IL Is, perhaps, interesting to know how
the term Young Turk came into exist
ence. While these young men were stu
dents at the Paris University they at
fr0Nfad attention - xI,4f-
intelligence. cleverness and diligence. One
day one Of the professors remarked before
this class, How different and how funny
the young Turks are" and since then the
Ottoman reformers were identified as
Young Turks.
The periodical newspaper Medjmoutt,
which was edited and published in Paris
by All Suavi. a clergyman, highly edu-
Gated. brave. energetic and intelligent. was
taken and widely read in Turkey. At that
era Turkey had liberty of the press.
Many daily, weekly and satiric papers
were published in Constantinople. It was
at that time that Renal Bey that grand
old Ottoman patriot wrote many dramas
many others. which were played by Ar
menian actors like Gully Agop who had a
great theater at Gedik Pasha, at SIAM
boul. Sultan Abdul Aziz went there once
q week and occupied the imperial box
with his foreign diplomatic guests
These were promising days for the Otto
man empire. Prominent, able and world
renowned diplomats like Aali Pasha and
Fouad Pasha managed the ship of state.
and managed it well. At that time Tur-
key was the third naval power in the
world, coming next to Great Britain and
France. Unfortunately, Sultan Abdul
Aziz was a man of pomp and show, and
through his imprudent extravaganza the
Ottoman debt increased and the treasury
was almost bankrupt and the country
ruined. Although we were considered
great power, financially we were embar-
raised. The cabinet finally decided to de-
throne Sultan Abdul Aziz. and the famous
coup d'etat followed. Murad V. the unfor
tunate prince, was proclaimed sultan.
only to rule for three months, as conse-
quence Of a palace intrigue. which cam
not explain here for lack of space.
Sultan Abdul Hamid became emperor of
grant a constitution, which was elabo-
rated by Midhat Pasha and other liberals,
men like Sheikh-ul-Islam air-Ullah.
Hussein Avni Pasha, minister or war;
Armenians. like Odian. who were co-work-
ers and advisers Of Midhat Pasha.
First Ottoman Parliament.
Did Abdul Hamid perform his promises?
Yes, he did-on December 1S, 1875. four
months after his accession to the throne.
The first Ottoman parliament met March
10, 1876. at Dar-ul-Funoum, which place
was designated for the chamber of depu-
ties. The first parliament, in harmony
with the senate. set out at once to carry
out reforms in the empire. This alarmed
Sultan Hamid. and on the eve Of the dec
laration Of war with Russia the parlia-
ment met for the last time February Is,
1877.
What was the state Of affairs in Turkey
from the closing of the. first parliament
till the granting of the new constitution
July "a last? In short, it was a period of
the decay of Turkey. the loss of many
Ottoman territories. the humiliation of the
independence and the dignity of the ma
ton: the destruction Of our commerce. in
dustry and agriculture; the suppression of
public instruction: the ruin of the finance;
period of espionage. tyranny. massa-
creS and Intervention Of the foreign pow
ers in internal affairs. During this time
Turkey lost her navy and became very
small and weak, and always exposed to
external attacks, even by Balkan states.
which are controlled by the great Musco-
Vite power.
Consequently, during these thirty-two
years of the reign Of Abdul Hamid the
Young Turkish party became very active,
and, as the Kurdish tribes In various parts
of Asia Minor became aggressive against
revolutionary parties sprang up among
them-Armenists, Hunchakists and DrO-
chakists. This was followed by terrible,
inhuman, cruel and obnoxious massacres
and outrages. which were ordered by the
palace officials, but OF which no true Ma
hommetan or Ottoman could be accused.
The nation Is not represented by the Yild1z
Kiosk. To me the words palace Off
GALS mean assassins, mean monsters,
mean thieves and public enemies
The Armenian Massacres.
dered by the palace clique I can prove
by documents. That these palace Off
Gals robbed the public Of its rights and
neglected the needs Of the country re-
Quires no further proof; 1t is too we'll
known. Under this state of affairs, on
account of the poverty Of the people and
the neglect Of the payment of the public
officials and soldiers, the number of SYM
pathizers Of the Young Turkish move
ment grew larger day by day. Turkish
and Armenian revolutionary publications
were snhuggled into the country and read
in every hamlet. The people became en-
ltghtened to see the unbearable existing
conditions, and the revolution became
inevitable. This tyrannical rule and des-
potlsm. worse than NerO's and Attila-s.
forced the great cOnfiagratiOn. The first
alarm call was heard In Paris.
In December. 1907, the representatives
of the revolutionary and progressive par
ties OF the Turks -.ArmenianS Greeks