The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1909-06-03
By PAUL S. REINSCH

y
Clique to act carefully in order to
make sure of victim, an invitation
would be sent out for him to come
and receive some new rank. Such
letters meant not the advancefent,
but the suppression of the recipient.
At one time there were at least
10000 political prisoners in the
frightful jails of Turkey. Nearly all
OF these were men of the upper ranks
who had been indiscreet enough to
manifest their opposition to the gov
eminent.
There was moreover a vast system
of corruption from the highest Off
Gals down. The terrible Armenian
massacres committed by the Kurds in
the mountains of Asia Minor result
ed not merely in the displacement of
one race by another, but in the de-
struction of the agricultural value of
the land This meant enormous eco
nomic losses to the empire. The
Kurds were, however, always able to
make peace with the central govern
ment. Though the state itself lost in
taxes and otherwise, the clique profit
ed through the bribe money which it
received from the marauders. In
foreign affairs the government was
also incapable of following any poll
icy but the traditional one of Shift
ness. AS a result, the empire has
suffered great losses through the
breaking off of Eastern Roumelia,
Bulgaria, Servia, Bosnia, Herzegovi-
ma, Cyprus, Samos and Egypt. In
the outlying regions of Arabia and
Asia Minor, the provincial govern
ments had broken down; murder
and bloodshed were of every day oc-
currence. Turkey had become buff
fer between Arabian dissension and
European aggression. 1t seemed
only question of time when the Of
tomans would be entirely expelled
from Europe.
The government founded itself on
force and based it's faith on it's mill
tary strength. The Turk is a very
good SOLDIER enduring the hardships
OF war without complaint and obey
ing orders. A recent visitor reports
having seen body of troops stand
ing in the market place from sunrise
to sunset in a drizzling rain. 1t
seems that the head official of the
village had not returned from his
summer place and had given no or
uOAo LII ChCIl QudI WIIuOuL
murmur they took it as a matter
of course that they should suffer for
the convenience of a single official.
The Turkish troops won the admira-
ton of all military critics during the
Greek War on account of their bra
very and endurance. But though the
troops were the force on which the
sultan depended, the camariIla did
not have the ordinary intelligence to
take care of this body. They allowed
pay to stand in arrears; they neg
lected to provide proper food. Grad
ually dissatisfaction and disaffectiOn
spread in the army. There was every
possible reason for dissatisfaction
attacks from without, disintegration
within. Turkey was crumbling; con-
ditiOns within the country were I'M
bearable. With all this mis-govern-
ment there was added the racial ha-
tired of the various nationalities, so
that life and property were nowhere
safe. Moreover, the governing clique
disregarded the most elementary
principle that the power upon which
the throne rested, at least should be
kept in working order.
The thinking portion of the popu-
1ation became increasingly dissatis-
fled, but it lacked organization. 1t
was under many disadvantages. No
individual could afford to be out