Omaha daily bee., 1909-07-19

his son, twelve years Of age. as shah.
marks an epoch in the country's affairs
as Impressive as the recent upheaval In
Turkey. Both are political commissions
springing from like causes-despotio indif-
ference to the needs and demands of the
governed. The change In Persia has a
deeper significance than a change Of
rulers. Colonel Mesrop Newton Khan, for
mer secretary of the Persian legation in
Washington and at one time alde-de-camp
Of Muzzaffar-el-din, grandfather OF the
new shah, In an interview in the New
York Sun explains the motives Of the lead
ers and what the changes signify. He
says:
The present difficulties IN Persia Illus
trate one very salient fact, and that is
that Mohammedism as a political agent Is
a failure. We see It In Morocco, Tunis,
Alsiers, Egypt and now in Persia This
revolt means that the independence OF
Persia seems to be doomed.
after the Russian-Japanese war Russia
became tractable and she and England
divided Persia up into spheres Of influ-
ence,' Russia taking the north and Eng
land the south. For more than a year
the Turkish troops have been In the west
ern part Of Persia. They moved right In
and have ruled there ruthlessly. I look
for no conflict between them and the
Russians at present. The Russians will
probably wait until the Turks find them
selves tied up in political and military
operations elsewhere and then will politely
invite them to move out Of Persia--which
they may do.
"When the troubles arose over the con-
stitution and II wal a~brogated the outly-
ing provinces wouldn't have 1t. Previous
to that these provinces lad sent in com
plants about their local and provincial
rulers, men who had lived by graft and
who had ruled most arbitrarily and often
cruelty, and these were removed. They
all came to Teheran n they surrounded
the shah.
Instead Of listening 10 the good advice
OF the foreign ministers about constitu-
tonal government and making the best Of
things, the shah listened to the army of
d~isgrunted ones. He also objected to the
doinss of the ignorant parliament. The
members were unfit to rule over the coun-
try. The people knew nothing of repre-
sentative government.
Parliament annoyed the shah by inter
fering with his prerogatives and meddling
with the nances Before that time the
shah was his own finance minister. All
the revenues Of the kingdom were his.
He took what he liked for himself, and IL
there was anything left over he paid sal
aries to his government agents. 1t an
noyed him to have this privilege of ham
ding the money lnterfered with, and he
listened to the m~alcontents.
"The shah has never had an army.
The fighting spirit has nearly disap-
naaFed Prom thu pnrotoAa Tia a.
called Cossacks are simply a brigade of
Persians in Teheran, wearing uniforms
like the Russian Cossacks, and hence the
name. They have Russian officers also,
Outside of this force at Teheran the
shah's army Is one on paper. His Co.'S
sack force is now outside Teheran and
can't get In. Its military strength prac-
tically amounts to nothing.
THE Russians are already in control of
.Tabriz, which Is really the most impor-
tant city of Persia. The force that is
sweeping down on Teheran came largely
from Baku, in the Russian oil fields by
the Caspian sea.
"On some accounts 1t is fortunate that
the nationalists now occupying Teheran.
which consist chiefly of the Baktiari
tribe from the south and west arrived
there first. The shah is probably at his
summer palace at sahabsranieh, twenty
miles or so from Teheran. He can do
nothing there. The reform element is
in the saddle. 1t is not offending the for
eign powers. II is trying to re-establlsh
parliament.
Russia and England will really rule,
and the complications will come when
Turkey is invited to move out OF the
west. For a year there has been an
archy. This must come to an end,' and
1t means, as 1 nave said. the doom of the
Persians as an independent people"
There being only six miles Of railroad In
Persia, no one cares particularly what
time It is, and noon OF one day as an
nounced by the firing of q cannon at the
drill ground may differ by as much as
half an hour from noon Of the next day
without arousinE One of the
servants of the municipality of Teheran
is told off to the sole duty OF winding an
eight-day clock in one OF the towers; be-
tween which there is nothing for him to
do but smoke his water-pipe and sip his
tea. Sunset, according to the Persian
reckoning, is always at 12 o'clock mid
night.
Saloons are ~non-existent, but arak (made
from ~raisins. containing 80 to so per cent
of alcohol) and native wines can always
be purchased at any of the shops in the
bazaar. Since the Koran, while It con-
dennis alcohol, has nothing to say about
opium, many who religiously esohew alco-
holio indulgence find solace In the deRrad-
ing and deletertous practice of opium
smoking.
AS for transportation, Teheran boasts q
system of horse caFs-a very good horse
can be bought for as0-and there Il one
little toy railroad six miles in length run
ming from the city gate. where the horse
cars stop, to the Moslem shrine of Shah
Abdul AEin. The horse cars ~obliginBly
pause in front OF the cafes Ind wait II
the passengers choose 20 take refreshment
or a pull at the long stemmed w~ater-pipes'
for the hurly-burly and hustle OF western
civilization are utterly incom~prehensibIe
in the slow-Eoing. placid country of Iran.
The difference in railway fare between