The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-05-13
THEY WANT THE MONEY.

Some of the reports coming from
Turkey indicate that the Young Turks
are not quite satisfied with their sue
cess so far. and 1t is pretty plainly
limited that they have failed to md
the big pile OF money that Abdul was
supposed to have stored away In some
good hiding place. The statement
sent out a day or two ago to the ef-
feet that money and available securi-
ties to the amount of $s,-
ooo, 900 were found. and that
the army and the government are
quarrelling over that, does not give
much light, and the victorious soldiers
are reported to be clamoring over their
failure to find the main pile.
For the Young Turks insist mat
there must be big pile hidden some
where. We have seen 1t estimated
that the willy old despot had treasure
running into hundreds of millions of
dollars in value, but that was largely
speculation OF course. Still, 1t is but
reasonable to suppose that old Alb had
snug pile slowed away. He had been
Sultan for about one-third Of a CEN
fury, IL we remember correctly, and 1t
must be remembered that he was abso-
lutte in power. not only over the lives
of his subjects, but of their property
as well. He could demand the head or
the money Of a subject and get either
or both, and nobody could dispute with
him. There was a continual flow of
money into his treasury from taxation
and other sources. and IL 1t did not.
come fast enough that way he could
always find other means OF securing 1t.
Taking a rational view of 1T. there is
reason to suppose that the eight mil
lions reported formed only small por-
tion of his pile.
1t is doubtless true that Abdurs ex-
penses were pretty heavy. For one
thing, he had $50 wives to support, and
that was no small matter. Even IL he
didn't have to keep all of them sup
piled with the latest and most expen-
sive style of hats. they had to be
housed, clothed and fed, and that costs
something, however scanty their ward
robes may have been. and however
simple their food. Then it was neces-
sary for him to keep up small army
OF servants and attendants Of all kinds
and their keep amounted to something
considerable. saying nothing of their
stealings and pickings.
And not the least OF his expenses
came from his army. The Turkish SOL
diers did not serve him for love, loyal
ty or patriotism. In fact, 1t is said by
those best qualified to state the facts,
that the only way the Sultan could
keep his army in anything like loyalty
to him was by continual arguments in
the shape of brides and loot. When
they had no opportunity to do little
Iooting on their own account the mas
ter had to hand over something from
his own nocket-or from the public
treasury. which was pretty much the
same thing with ruler of his sort.
Looking at both sides OF the matter,
while there can be no doubt that the
Sultan received immense sums It is also
not to be doubted that he had heavy
expenses; stili, the idea cannot be got
ten out of the heads of the revolution
lists that there is a big pile hidden
away and they want it. If the old sin
ner really has many millions hidden
where they can't find 1t. we can i'm
agine the grim satisfaction it gives
him to know that all their efforts to
dig it up are vain. No doubt if that
is the case he will suffer his head ia
ken off rather than give up his secret.
A sly old citizen. is Abdul.