The San Francisco call., 1909-04-29
| AMBITION SPUR i
I OF YOUNG TURKS i
Recent Events Shatter Hope
That. Patriotism Only
Animated Leaders
of Revolt
By JOHN HAMILTON dILMoUR


have been destroyed by recent events.
The Turk is a Turk after all, and
his patriotism, which one section of
Europe applauded so loudly, proves to
be merely the lust of power and the
| transfer of despotism from the sui
tan's hands into that of many handed
committee.
Last December Noel Buxton, a MEM
Der of the Balkan committee, said
this.
There are two vital questions that
we all want answered: Are the Young
the power to enforce it? When Mos
lem has joined with Christian in this
unheard of fashion for four months,
may we hope that these people are
capable of order and peace, or are
we deceived? Is it ruse or do mir
acles happen?"
There were many who believed
that the Young Turk was animated
by profound love of country and
that mo outside influence" was at
work to stir in his breast ardent
wishes for liberty.
No stranger thing has happened in
history than this once silent revolt
of the Young Turk from the power of
the sultan. He worked secretly and
with much oriental cunning toward
securing his aim. Lawyers, priests,
soldiers, merchants-all classes CO.
operated ard 90 uaM r5id +ba,r Scraar
their work that no whisper for some
time of their tampering with the army
reached the ears of Abdul Hamid
through the agency of his myriad
spies.
They recognized that the revolution
aid of physical force and so set about
to capture the Macedonian army corps.
This corps was stationed in turbu-
lent province. 1t was in arrears for
pay and its situation enabled the con-
spirators to communicate with Europe,
or in other words, receive arms, am
munition. money. Macedonia is near
est to Austria.
What were the causes that led to
the formation of the Young Turk
party? They had been accustomed TO
assassination, official murders, perse-
cution. carefully cultivated Ignorance.
for the sultan believed, as did Louis
the Great, that the education of the
masses meant disaster to the throne.
The Young Turk suddenly became
alive to the fact that he was grossly
Ill used person. and If we accept him,
as when he appeared first before
Europe, as a patriot, we are COM
PEELED to admire him for the dangers
he ran and combated. He became an
object Of suspicion to the sultan be-
fore his work was completed, and the
sovereign put forth all his strength to
kill him. He triumphed despite the
sultan and his myrmidons, and Abdul
Hamid, with that strange facility
which he has displayed so frequently,
welcomed the party of reform as If
it were the offspring of his own de-
sires.
The most bloodthirsty potentate of
modern times who had ruled without
advisers was compelled to bow before
a party which had sprung up in five
months.
There were many who scoffed at the
idea of the Young Turk being anything
but Turk They refused to accept
his pledges for genuine reform. and
the first discordant note was struck in
the great peace harmony when the
Young Turk showed a desire to curtail
the privileges of the Chushan churches.
His Admirers declared that he would
learned soon that the Young Turk en-
tertained the idea that Turkey was for
the Turk and that young Turkey had
better attend Turkish schools. They
blandly explained that they would make
their schools so superior to that of
the foreigner that young Turkey could
have but one choice between the two.
This is the keynote of the Turkish
character, so there can be no surprise
that~the reign of peace and good will
was of such short duration.
The Young Turks. having wrested
power from their legai sovereign,
placed it in the hands of a committee,
and this committee was artful. 1t ap-
pealed to England for moral support
and asked that committee from Eng
land be sent to report on the good
work that it was doing. In other
words, the committee wanted a keen
agent and used the English govern
ment as a vehicle for the exploitation
of it's good deeds.
This is what member of the Balkan
committee wrote last December-a man
friendly to the Young Turks. and a
believer in his protestation of virtue.
and sent to Turkey from England to
present their side of the case:
"At present the committee does what
it likes. The time of ministers, the
imperial palace, the attention OF the
sultan himself. seem TO be at its dis
posal In the early days, when a war
ship was brought from the Golden Horn
and anchored before the sultan's pal
ace, it is said that his majesty furiously
commanded the naval minister to take
II away The minister replied that the