Evening star., 1909-04-18
TURKISH REACTION And REVOLT

When the dispatches Of the 18th instant
announced the outbreak in Constantinople
and the overthrow of the
Natural ministry and party of
Young Turks the impress
sion. aside from surprise.
was that it must have been the work of
the sultan. When Abdul Hamfd took the
oath OF allegiance to the constitution July
"a, 1903. there was little or no confidence
in his conversion, and memory reverted
to the exile and assassination of the pa
triot Midhat at Jaif May 10. 1884.
Mr.. Dicey in the Empire Review for
February Of this year says: Time alone
can decide whether the military insur-
gents would or would not have done more
wisely in deposing Abdul Hamid instead
of retaining on the throne q sultan who
had well-nigh ruined Turkey by his cul-
pable negligence and had committed too
many outrages and enormities to ever re-
gain the confidence Of his subjects"
Time has decided already that the Young
Turks were very ingenious TO be taken in
and bamboozled. and. alas. IL 1t be true.
as reported. corrupted by the sultan.
be announced In the dispatches. which 1t
is significant to note are made to pass by
Vienna. that the Turkish revolt is in
favor OF the liberals and not the reaction
aries. and that 1t was directed chiefly
against the hierarchy established by the
faction into which the Young Turks COM
mittee of union and progress had devel-
oped.''
There is significance also in the fact
that commissioned officers have had little
or nothing to do with the military revolt
OF the 18th. but. on the contrary, 1t was
led exclusively by on-commissioned Of
fcers land the religious party). who inn
prisoned their officers In the commence
ment of the movement.
The reasons assigned by government
for the revolt are briefly stated as fol-
lows: THE dictatorial
Omc1al methods OF the committee
Reasons Of union and progress: a
general order from the
commander of the 1st Army Corps that
troops should obey their officers and fire
upon any engaged in demonstrations. in
cluding theological teachers and stu
dents"
A dispatch from Constantinople to the
London Times, dated April IA. is cited to
render the situation more comprehensive.
1t says:
Ne8i0CI OIL H1li1t6ry QlSC1pllno Tor poll
tics by a large majority of the oficers
of the local committee of union and prog
ress and the example OF the committees s
interference by means OF Its Salonikl
troops with parliament two months ago
has borne bitter fruit. The committees 8
unceremonious dismissal OF Kiaml Pasha
aroused considerable feeling among all
classes of the population. The new min-
istry failed. moreover, to show the
strength anticipated by its supporters
H.
been neglected. Members Of the Jemiyet-
il-Mohammedich, religious body. were
delegated to work secretly upon the rank
and file of the army. Ahmed Ria, presi-
dent of the chamber. had become imperi-
Gus in his attitude, and. finally, the mur-
der OF Hassan Fehmi Effendi, editor Of
the liberal journal, the Serbesti. on April
had aroused the Indignation Of the peo-
pie. The committee OF union and prog
ress opposed Kaimil Pasha and suspected
him of being too anxious to please the
sultan. Kiamil, having been overthrown
and censured by parliament, issued on
April a statement in which he de-
nounced the committee of union and prog
ress and warned the public that the ef-
forts Of government were being neutral
ized by the committee and that the fu-
ture of the country was endangered.
These somewhat vague charges, which
come as a surprise to Europe and Amer
lea, have undoubtedly
Young Turks served Kiamil Pasha. the
nv.r<h-on sultan aiding. ITO over
throw the Young Turks.
The mutineers are represented as
marching, without commissioned officers.
to parliament house, where they demand
ed the adoption of the Sheri laws. the
dismissal OF the grand vizier, the minis
ters OF war and marine, and Ahmed Riza,
president of the chamber, and many
other things. all Of which being agreeable
to the sultan, he proceeded to issue an
imperial hiatt, appointing Tewfk Pasha
grand vizier and Zia Eddin Effendi as
OF the security and progress of the
government and country, and the well
fare Of all my people,"
Tewfk Is said to be very strong
fact, it being understood that 1t is an
emergency appointment. which Is to give
place to that Of kiamil Pasha
The casualties resulting from the riot
ing OF the 18th include Nezim Pasha, min
lister Of justice in the late cabinet, who
was mistaken. 1t appears, for Ria Pasha.
VINO escaped with wound. Ladik Pasha
was killed, while q number OF civilians
and soldiers were killed and wounded.
a correspondent, writing from Constan-
canoe In the appointment of Tewfk
Pasha. who Is reported to hold pro-Ger-
man sentiments, and he is, therefore, an
object of some suspicion to those who re-
sented the dominance Of German inf1u-
ence In the old regime.
On the other hand. dispatches from
Berlin affect to attribute the outbreak
In ConstantinOple to British Vaccinations
They maintain that Great Britain was
dissatisfied with the recent action of the
Young Turks. and started the present
movement in order to restore Kiamil, a
supposed anglophile. Such headlines as
Britain Stands Behind the Rebels ap-
journals on the 14th instant.
Il
DR.. Dillon. in the Quarterly Review
for January, In an article entitled THE
Reforming Turk" writes:
Asiatic Europe seems consti-
m...4 tutionally incapable Of
grasping the subtler
phases Of Asiatic thought. or of appre-
ciating the higher aim of Asiatic striv-
ing. The west has never fully under
stood the psyche of the east.
mo one among us. for example, ap-
pears to have foreseen the vast change
that recently came over Turkey When
therefore. the reformers, whom we had
been taught to look upon as idle day
dreamers. made a clean sweep of the re-
hesitated to yield evidence to evidence
and continued for a time to take a his
torc event for passing episode"
The young Moslem theory which was
held in India. Persia and Egypt was ap-
piled to Turkey. That empire presents