Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-05-05

him by the now constitution, 1t Is read
lily apparent that better day has
dawned in Turkey and that hence
forth the real power OF government
will be in the hands Of the Young
Turks themselves. The advance made
I In the revolution Of last July Is thus
made permanent. The party Of prog
ress has broken the old sultan that
dared to oppose 1t and has intrenched
itself SO thoroughly that there will be
no further efforts at dislodgment. AS
in England under Cromwell and
France under the convention, the SOW
ereignty has passed from the crown to
the forum. from the king to the par
lament. The people are emerging
from the shadow of the throne. We
are coming into the kingdom of man.
Liberty is to be the new political Cos
pei in all lands. Democracy, having
captured the occident. Is now storm
ing the strongholds of the orient 1t Is
no longer so much question of the
cross against the crescent as it is
question of progress against privilege.
The Young Turks are imbued with the
: spirit of the twentieth century. are
: trying to keep step with western Eu-
rope and America They stand for the
reign of common sense. common hui
mainly, common decency. They are
democrats in turbans. They have
shown to Christian nations that the
conquest denied to the sword Of the
crusader has been granted to the
torch of science and the wand of free
Tn hi ann hot hon VIZ
tories" transcending those of war"
The results of this revolution are inf
ritely hopeful. the most hopeful signs
seen in recent days.
Three conspicuous leaders of the
Young Turks are Ahmed RIA the
president of the chamber of deputies :;
General Schefket PaSha, the command
er of the victorious army that has just
captured Constantinople, and Enver
Bey, his assistant in command, TO
whom Schefket Pasha chivalrously
: gives credit for planning the cam
paign. All three of these men have
gained many of their ideas through
> contact with the outside world, Ahmed
Ria through Punishment from his
country and Schefket Pasha through
education in Germany. Enver Bey
was in Germany at the time the recent
revolt broke out, but hurried home Il
time to organize for the march on Con
stantinople, which has resulted In the
dethronement of Abdul Hamid.
The Hymn of Liberty.
These men will do much to shape
the course of empire under the reign
Of Mohammed V. 1t is significant that
at the coronation of the new sultan the
hymn sung was not the usual Hamidian
hymn, but the hymn of liberty. Even
more significant is the statement OF
the ruler himself to NJ. III. Donohue
of the London Chronicle, who has
been friendly with the Young Turl
leaders for years. 1t is the first tint
a ruler of Turkey ever gave state
ment to the press, another sign of Mo
hammed's progressive character. Here
is the statement il full:
During my seclusion of thirty-thre,
years my enemies have slandered me
They have said that l was a mailman
bordering on imbecility, and shut N,
up for years. But Allah has SO willel
l llislI HOW III HIS DOunlN
has been pleased to call me to fulfil
my destiny and rule over Islam.
Il beg you to be the envoy for tn
deliverance of message which
would send to Europe and to the en-
tire world and which is the first of it
kind ever to be SET out from within
these walls.
Say to them that l have ever bee
the convinced and ardent supporter o
the cause of enlightment, liberty m,
progress. BY the help of Allah, tn
most high, l shall follow answering
ly the path of duty, seeking to &C
justly and honorably to all men,
they giaours or true believers.
- My voice has been silent for thirty
d three years but the voice of true cor
I'll science has never been stilled. Yo
ask me what / think of the situatio
ne in modern Turkey as / find it toda
If after the political resuscitation of Ion
u years. / will tell you that though shu
c. up here l have contrived, feebly pei
ty hcps. to keep in touch with the marc
re Of progress of the outside world.
a. 'The few partisans who have bee
On loyal to me through the dark days c
err adversely are aware that from m
he earliest years. while faithful to tn
k preceDts and teachings of the Koran