Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-04
REv0[[|N ALBANIA
Rebellion Gives Turkish Gov
eminent Much Concern.
LOCAL FEELING IGNORED
Desire to Retain Alphabet and
Language Disregarded.
TAXES NOT SPENT AT HOME
People Are Stirred Up and Revolu-
ton Disastrous to the Empire
May Follow.
BY WILLIAM r. CURTIS.
/ Special Correspondence OF The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald


Chicago Record-Herald
CORFU. Greece, May y 1910
The rebellion against Turkish authority
in Albania is giving the new government
at Constantinople great deal Of concern,
which Is shown by the fact that three
army corps of infantry, six field batteries
and two regiments of cavalry have been
sent there under the command Of Maj.
Gen. Shevket Pasha. one of the .ablest
soldiers in the Turkish army.
The causes for the rebellion are quite
interesting. The Albanians were more
highly favored by the late Sultan Abdul
Hamid than any other OF his subjects.
They were exempt from taxation in re-
turn for military service and about thirty
thousand Albanians served in the Turkish
army. They composed the garrison of the
sultan's palace at Constantinople and his
personal bodyguard. He trusted no other
soldier. An Albanian sentinel slept upon
the threshold Of his room and the sultan
never left it without guard Of Aibanians
around him.
The Albanian corps had special uni
form and received extra pay. Ordinary
Turkish soldiers are paid piastre,
which is equivalent to ) cents in our
money. per day; the Albanian bodyguard
were paid II piaStreS. or 6O cents Gay,
with generous allowances.
At the time of the revolution the sui
tan's life was saved by his Albanian
guard, who would have fought until the
last man died In his defense. knowing
their fidelity and realizing the difficulty OF
mittee made terms with them and by their
demand Abdul Hamud was sent IS pris-
oner to Salonca instead of being hanged
to the nearest tree. On the preteXt that
the government cannot afford to pay the
wages that have been received by the Al
banians. the most of them were sent home
to their province and there disbanded,
but were allowed to retain their arms:
They are said to have as many as 11O,OCN
Mauser rifles, although they are short OF
ammunition and have no money to buy
more.
Since they were disbanded eight or nine
months ago the Albanians have been idle
as well as disaffected toward the govern
ment They are professional soldiers
They have never done anything else. and
the government took great risk when II
sent these desperate and d1saffected men
to the most unsettled and insubordinate
province of Turkey.
y Imposition of Taxes.
After the services of the Albanian
troops were dispensed with the govern
| ment began to impose the taxes from
which the people had previously been ex.
empt. The collectors met with armed
resistance. It is asserted by the govern
nient authorities that the people were
prompted to this mischief by reaction.
IFS at Constantine lie. wiz circulated
stories among the ignorant hillmen that
the government intended to impose taxes
on mustacheS, boards and children as vel
as chickens, and naturally when the as
SCISSORS came around they were resisted
by force, and the trouble then began. The
government has sent troops to. support
the tax collectors, and the war is on, as
you have doubtless read in the telegraph
DISPATCHES.
The Turkish government demands that
the people shall pay the arrears of taxes
from which they were exempt under the
late sultan. 1t insists upon a registration
of the population for the regular military
service, the suppression of outlaws and
the surrender of all the arms carried
home by the Albanian troops.
Reports from Albania are very unreli-
able, but the universal understanding is
that the natives are moking a determined
resistance, and have raised the Austrian
flag.