The National tribune., 1909-04-29
THEsrIrnkIsH TROUBLES.

iinposslDie ioi
to have ga proper conception of what
is going eon in Constantinople The
ideas of sthose people are SO radically
different from any that we entertain
that we cannot hope to see things from
their viewpoint. There is only this,
that the governing ring around the Sui
tan has for centuries been so corrupt
and weak as TO lose almost all sem
blance of real government. NO man
around the Sultan has any regard for
the interests of the whole country or
any desire to sacrifice himself to pro.
mote Them He is entirely bent on self
enrichment and his associates are his
coparceners in his/robbery of the peo-
pie and equally destitute of patriotic
spirit. The talk about constitution,
Parliament and fraternity among the
different races is all rubbish. We have
seen what an absurd travesty the Span
ish-american countries, the Austro-
Hungarians and others have made in
attempting to form constitutional gov
ernments and, therefore, can have some
idea of how hopeless this must be to
people educated for more than a thou
sand years in the traditions of Mahom-
etanism.
1t is likely that the crowd which has
now succeeded in overturning the cabal
about the Sultan will be somewhat bet
ter than its predecessors, but it will
only be less degree of badness and
cannot be considered an improvement.
AS near as can be made out the VIC
torious party claims to be only fighting
against the corrupt ring around the
Sultan and not against the Sultan him.
self. 1t looks as if they were shrewd
enough to see the benefit of playing
this card in place of dethroning or ex-
in his place. Any day may change
this, however, because the Eastern peo-
pies have never been accustomed to
anything else than the total deposition
and execution of the reigning monarch
with widespread massacre of his sup
porters. We know how firmly fixed
by immemoriaI time and practice is
this idea by reading the stories in the
Bible.
The idea of any fraternity among the
races composing the Turkish Empire
is highly improbable. Such a thing
could only be brought about by making
over not only the Turks themselves
but all the other races which have
grown into their present condition of
mind by thousands of years of race
hatreds and antipathies. Jews, Ar
menians, Slavs, Syrians and others have
lived together thousands of years hat
ing each other all the time and with an
accumulation of bitter memories of
reciprocal wrongs and injuries. Viii
lagos of different races have been side
by side, sometimes with only a narrow
street separating them. for centuries
without any coalition or intermingling.
The Stays are, Greek Catholics. and
mortally ihate the Armenians. who are
ArmeniaE Catholics. and besides are
the money lenders and the grain buy
ers. The, ArYenians despise all the
others as. mentally. inferior to them,
the Jews are cordially hated by all races
and the true Turk, who looks down
upon the others from a pinnacle of
centuries Of mastery, despises them all
alike and feels that his duty in life
is to rule them and keep tolerable peace
and obedience to the laws by murder
Gus raids upon them when their bad
ness outruns his patience. He then
kills few of the most obnoxious of
either race, with great impartiality,
most hopeless condition of things, and
we're it not that it involves the nations
Turkey most people would
1ismiss the whole matter allowing one
set of dogs to go on eating the other
without any interference. Unfortunate
y Turkey cannot be allowed to go on |
md stew in her own juice without out |
;ide interference. Constantinople is |
90 important a point in the worlds |
to be left out of the calcula-
ion, and there are other places in the |
Empire which touch so closely the |
of civilization as to compel |
lction by outside powers. The Govern
nent of Turkey has been so worthless
or centuries that it cannot keep peace
within it's borders or SECURE the rights
# other nations. No matter what the
sultan may have solemnly promised in
he way of treaties he has been unable
o execute his pledge and there are
periodical needs of other natiors bring
ng force to bear upon him to secure
ven a partial fulflIment. Within
ew years the United States has been
compelled to send warships to Constan-
inopic to secure modicum of good
aith. American citizens, like other
oreigners, cannot be protected, and
he best that has been secured is to
xtort from the Sultan compensatory
to the families of murdered {
americans and for DESTROYED American
property. The case has been even
'orse with the British, French, Italian ,
nd Austrians, all of whom have much !
lrger interests in Turkey than we have ,
nd have suffered incomparably more
rom the fagrant misrule. All Europe Z
|; now onsthe tenter hooks as to what 8
hould be done, but this is no new Sit I
alton. Two hundred years ago Tur- ,
ey was almost as wretchedIy off as I
he is today and the other powers were 4
chatting what ShouId ba dane m oon,. | 4;