The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-05-08
THE PASSING OF ABDUL.

In the Of contradictory kilograms which
have eminated from Constantnople during the pas
three or four weeks one thing stood out plainly tc
all who have kept in touch with the events of the
Moslem empire. and that was that Abdul Hamid III
| dubbed abdul the Damned" for his Armenian and
other atrocities was about to lose his sceptre This
climax was reached last week. and his brother Me-
hemed Rechad has been slected as the successor.
Mehemed V. is the thirty-ffth ruler of the Osman
line. and twenty-ninth padishah of the eastern en-
pire and the head OF some 175,0000OO MosIem wor-
shipersa religious party greater than all the Pro-
testant Christian sects combined.
Mehemed v is described as a tall stopped shout
dered, melancholy man, one who can be easily chan
died. as American politicians would say. For thirty
years he has been closely confined in palace that
was little better than prison. living in almost daily
fear that the sultan should find reasons of state to
place him beyond the possibility of his succeeding
to the throne 1t old trick to place the heirs
to the throne in sack and dump them into the Bos-
phorus to how long they could remain under wa
ter and it is asserted that most of them are there
yet.
OF Abdul. the deposed sultan little can be said
that would be credit to monarch even of Turkey
most said unregenerate and wthal the abest of the
long line of Osman rulers incubus to his country
and to his generation. He succeeded to the throne
after the murder of his uncle and the dehronement
Of his brother so the gentleman may consider him
self lucky in meeting death with his deposition
He has during his thirty odd years reign perpe-
rated such unspeakabe crueties that he has earned
the excavations of all civilized countries and caused
to grow up in his country such sentiment that
he could no longer hope to remain in power.
The progress of the Young Turks has been
marked with moderation that would be worthy of
a people more experienced in affairs of state. It
was their moderation which prevented foreign inter
moderation and the jeaouses of the
European powers. In dealing with the sultan the /!
Dung Turks wished TO conform to the sentiments !
Of the people They first secured the authorization
Of the Ulema-the 'l1nowers" or leaders of the No /
put the reforms for which they con-
tended into effect Under the peculiar system in
Turkey, the Ulema at once the lawyers and the |
priests, and their consent was necessary in every
hing pertaining to the empire. The Ulema found |
hat the constitution proposed by the Young Turks
was not in conflict with the teachings of the Koran,
md to Offset his waning power the sultan brought
all his wealth to bear in the shape of bribes and all
lis craftness in the shape Of promises to retain his
position which he eopardized thirty years ago in the
imminent of the constitution which has just been
e-established.
Abdul Hamid is reported to be glad he is alive
md well he might be, Judging from the fate of so
many of his predecessors. He bowed to the will of
Allah" with fine grace when he was promised his
fe would be spared. That promise however I'M
oubtedly carries with it proviso that he shall
ease TO be active factor in the life of the en-
ire. The one thing which may be accepted as a
ertainty is that Abdul will follow in the manner of
many of the other sultans should his craftiness
nd deceit working upon the prejudices of his for
Ter subjects bring about reaction in his favor. (
Abdul the Damned is the last sultan of the old |
turkey, Mehemed V. is the first representative of
ne new. The Young Turks have displayed their l
oility to proceed with wisdom and caution, and J
ave won the admiration of the civilized world
CELIBACY OF THE PRIESTHOOD t