New-York tribune., 1909-05-16
rs Getting Ready to Divide the Spoils-Civil Con-
fict Threatens Says Ex-Attache.

Bulgars Macedonians and SeTvians. It is they,
moreover who formed the overwhelming major
ity of the legislative delegation appointed to
announce to Abdul Hamid his downfall and to
notify Rechad of his accession to the sover-
eighty. That Christians and Jews should have
II in their power to deprive Moslem Sultan OF
his rulership over Mahometan empire, on the
pretext that he had tampered with the sacred
books of Islam has aroused the indignation of
the followers of the Prophet in all parts of the
world, even in Afghanistan and in India. while
in Turkey itself il is likely to develop speedily
into general rising of the Mahometans against
the present regime on the shores OF the Bos
porus.
ABDUL'S CALIPHATE PRETENSIoNS.
With regard to the accusation brought by the
Young Turk party against Abdul Hamid- OF
having tampered with the sacred books Of
Islam, which the first and main charge on
the strength Of which they were able TO extort
from the Sheikh-ul- Islam the fetvah declaring
that a monarch guilty OF such practices was
unfit TO rule it relates to his Pan-Islamc
dreams and to his pretensions, very generally
admitted. TO the Caliphate-that is TO say, TO
spiritual supremacy over the entire Moslem
world. The Koran-that is to say the khadtssei
Shereef portion thereOf-strictly provides that
the Calph must be a Hneal descendant OF the
Prophet who founded the faith. Abdul Hamid,
it is asserted, fulfilled Of these Gualifica-
tions. his ancestors having belonged to tribe
distinguished for their enmity TO the Prophet.
He cannot be considered as being even in the re-
notest degree descended from Mahomet, and
the only foundation on which he based his
claim 10 the Caliphate is an alleged but by no
means authentic cesson of the dignity to his
ancestor Sultan Selin1, the conQueror of Egypt,
by the last Fatimite CaIiph, at Cairo, in 1916.
This Fatimite Caliph. so called because de
scended from Mahomet's daughter Fatima. had
no authority whatsoever TO bequeath the dig
nifty title to any one, least of all TO one VINO
was by race and ancestry legally and theologi-
caIly disqualified. No Sultan ventured to lay
any stress upon the possession of the title Of
Caliph until Abdul Hamid, who with the object
of strengthening his claim thereto, is said TO
have gone TO the length of eliminating from the
copies of the Koran published in Turkey those
Khadissef Shereefs which contained the inspired
Injunction concerning the Caliphate. This.
however is a question pertaining exclusively TO
the Moslem faith. 1t is a religious issue that
concerns only the followers of the Prophet. and
in which Christians and Jews are entitled to no
say. and that unbelievers should have chosen
this matter of Islamic doctrine TO deprive a
Mabometan ruler of his sovereignty his CO
reIigionists must naturally tend % prejudice
MosIems against the present government at
STEAMBOAT.
There is therefore, only the probability
but the certainty of the disturbances that are
breaking out in all parts of the Ottoman En-
pire rapidly developing into something very
much akin TO civil war But the great powers
of Europe cannot tolerate anarchy and general
disorder either in Turkey in Europe even in
Turkey in Asia They have extensive interests
in both sections of the Ottoman Empire, and
they choose to regard themselves as responsible
for the safety not merely OF the life and prop
erty of their own subjects in Turkey, but even
for the protection OF the Christian subjects Of
the Porte. Greece and Bulgaria, Austria and
Russia will each of them be eager to intervene.
under the pretext of restoring law and order at
their doors Germany. France, and in particu-
lar Great Britain will feet bound interfere in
order TO prevent any Of these governments from
obtaining an undue share Of the spoils in the
ACKNOWLEDGMENT Of the Turkish Empire, and
even the United States may feel itself compelled
to take part in the game If the sanguinary strife
between the Moslems and the Christians in
Turkey takes the form Of the massacre Of the
numerous American missionaries OF their wives
and of their children. and the destruction of
their. property and of their educational estab-
lshments.
PRIZES WHICH POWERS CoVET
OF course, the principal issues among the
various powers when the moment arrives for
the partition of Turkey will be the disposition
of Constantinople. WHICH the great Napoleon
described as "the key of the world" and the
control of the Dardanelles. Constituting as
these do the entrance TO the Black Sea, and the
sole access TO all the apoTts of Southern
Russia, neither the Gar nor his people can
tolerate their possession by any other power than
the now moribund Turkey. Some Of Russias
richest provinces are in the southern portion Of
the empire, where both the already developed
.aulfh ..FV -,
are enormous. These depend for exploitation
upon acces3 20 the open sea, which can be OBJ
tanned only via the Dardanelles; consequently
the Russian people, whose one great national
dream for hundreds OF years past has been to
obtain possession of Constantinople and to re-