The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-11-28

the government and the population; and 1t fs the character of that contact which determines whether the influence of the government on the daily life or the people shall be for good or for evil. Few responsibilities can be greater than that of tho Minister whose business 1t is to choose the right men to give them the right tn- structions. and to see that they carry them out.
 The work of re-organixing the sys- tenn and the personnel of local gov ernment is bound to be both long and difficult. Happily, in Taibaat Bey the Turks seem to have found the right man to undertake the task. He has shown the spirit in which he Is minded to conduct the affairs of his Ministry by a circular which he addressed q couple of weeks ago to the local au- thorities. As evidence of the greater respect <and confidence now enjoyed by the turkish government, he cites the recognition by the Austro-Hungar- ian government of the right of Tur- key to aim at the suppression Of the special privileges (Capitulations) ae- corded to foreigners. In the same spirit the Russian ambassador has re- gently instructed the Russian Consuis in Turkey to let their conduct be guided by the friendly feeling which the Powers entertain for Constitutional Turkey, to remember that the privi- ieges granted to foreigners by the Capitulations are fated to disappear. and not to encourage any abusive in terpretation of those privileges by their nationals.
 Must Be Circumspect.
 Talbatt Bey in his circular points out that this new attitude on the part of the Powers places all Ottoman of1- cials under the obligation to preserve the friendship and respect of the civil lized Powers by their conduct. He urges them. while refusing to admit of any exaggerated interpretation of privileges under the Capitulations, to show kindness to the foreign guests who trusting in our hospitality, have brought" their labor and their capital into our country" With the foreign Consuls he directs them to maintain the best social relations. for the day Is past when Turkish officials were forbidden to associate with them, and were expected to treat them as ene- mies When differences arise they are to be settled. not by dilatory corres- pondence. but by direct personal ex- change of views. The future abolition of the Capitulations party depends. he tells them. on the way in which they carry out these instructions.
 A question similar to that of the privileges enjoyed by foreigners Is that of the privileges conferred by former Sultans on the non-Musuiman com munities. The Greek. Armenian. and other millets have been allowed 10 minister many of their own affairs. and in all religious and quasi-religious matters--such as marriage and tnheri- tanee--are subject to their own laws Their ecclesiastical chiefs regard themselves as the official representa- ttves of their nationality for secular, as well as for religious purposes. It is natural that, after their past expert ence of Turkish mis-government. the non -Musulman elements should cling 10 the privileges which they possess as in- dispensible safeguards.
 1t is equally natural that the Turk ish government should regard these privileges not only as hindrance to the fusion of all the clements of the country into one sation, but as source of possible danger especially in the case of the Creeks and the Bulgarians. whose eyes are inevitably prone to turn towards Athens and Sofia. It is certain. however, that when the work . of reform has made sucn prokress thae the privileges of the millets are recog- nized to be unnecessary, they will tend to disappear of themselves.
 The Ottoman government has been informed that Abdul Aziz Ibn Feisul who Wahabi .Emir of Riadh. Mubarais Ion Sabah, Shoilh of Koweit, and pcs- sibly the Imam Yahya Ibn Hamid- cd I Din or Yemen intend%to make @1ie pill grffnage to fhas D 6ly* HiSt es pf IShan 1 this winter. rAss apprpae ling vislt cI | these aistingsl shed "A Afabs:t6 Meeca and Medina. whittier the Khedive of Egypt will also go assa piIgfitn. has caused A certain uneasiness in ofIicial circles It Is apprehsndedi that ftbis meataig oi Arab, leaders, all s'of whom 'have been at one time or another openly hostile to the Turkish goyernment forebodes further reactionary movements in Ara bia. d'S