Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-12-21

account of an act of personal injus-
tice he escaped from the Turkish
camp, renowned Islam and raised the
| standard of revolt in his own native
| mountains. He defeated every Turk
! ish army that was sent against him,
including two large. forces led in per
| son by Sultans Arnurath and oMham-
med Ill.
His prowess was no doubt the
cause of his influence over his ,warlike
| clans, but to hold together a people
| torn by feuds and factions required
| a high degree of craftsmanship This
he did not seem to possess and at
the time of his death the loosely join
, ed parts of the State he formed be-
gan to fall apart. He bequeathed his
kingdom to his son, John, a minor,
1 and named the Venetian republic his
protector. Events proved that the IN.
| dependence which Skendenbeg had
won rested upon no stronger founda-
! ton than his own genius. Ten years
after his death nothing. remained Of
his kingdom but inspiring legends
which are today theNtreasures of the
, Albanian people. @EZx.Fs
L All E1SpSfCus 0oho vi 5olliAoB IA
| the eighteenth century again succeed
ed in securing for the Albanians an
approach to national independence,
| but to regard this illiterate old saw
age, who carved his way to wealth
and rank by a combination of violence
and treachery, as patriot would be
absurd. His aim was to create for
| himself and his sons vast estate
| that would survive his death, but in
| doing this and without intending 1t
he contributed to the solidarity of the
Albanian people. His rule was rule
of blood ami treachery, he tolerated
no tyrant but himself and his main
object seemed to be to suppress brig
andage. Still, under him commerce
| fiourished, roads were safe and the
people enjoyed degree of security.
Whatever Ali may have been he gave
| the Albanian race second hero and
another legendary leader. i
Another Bloody War. .. ..... -. :
The next struggle for independence
was in 1880 and was due to an or
ganization called the Albanian
League. This owed its existence in
the first place to the connivance OF
the Turks, who used 1t against the
Montenegrins in order to avoid sur.
rendering the territory assigned to
them by the Berlin Treaty. But the
power that it displayed developed into
a program for an Albanian nation and
a demand for antontmy. The Turk
stepped in and defeated these ambi-
lions by arresting thes leader and send
ing him into exile.
The Albanians welcomed with much
rejoicing the success of the Young
Turk party. II seemed to offer the
good government to which they had
long aspired and in which they had
always been disappointed: They no
doubt had promises from the leaders.
Efers a-sceftaiH siegFe( fsgeif governs
ment and of an improvement in the
physical condition of their country.
The rejoicing at Scttari when the.
proclamation Of the Constitution was
made was one of the most picturesque
events of the time. A general
amnesty was extendedtto the warhke
mountaineers and they ,swore among
themselves besa = or general peace
to all their feuds, and poured into
Scutari by hundreds. Their celebra-
ton lasted for days and. the people
returned to their homes feeling that
at last they would realize their hopes
of centuries.
Where Young Turks Fail
They soon discovered, however,
that they were little better Oft under
the new regime than under the old.
In fact, a great many Of them were
worse off, for Abdul HaInid, in order
to curry favor with them when he
could not conquer them, had habit
of distributing military orders and
pensions. The Albanians finallv or.
ganized a revolt, the first OF such
pretension that the Young Turk party
had to face The propaganda extend
ed wherever there were rAlbanians.
The leaders had for time their head
quarters in Rome. and public meet
ings largely attended by Albanians
and their sympathlzers We held in
New York and in some OF the west
ern cities. -
The revolution opened with ageres
sions of the mountaineers above
Scutari. They defeated several
Turkish forces that were sent against
them, but were finally practically
starved out by being besieged and
surrounded in their mountain fast
nesses near Tusi. Their lands had
been destroyed, their homes and
churches burned and many of their
most valiant men killed. They re-
turned to their homes on promises
from the Turks that their demands
would be granted and that certain
amount of money would be given to
each of the families that had suffer
ed to re-establish itself. These prom
Uses were no better kept than the
others and the Albanians were about
ready to renew the struggle for their
old claims, to which had been added
the demand for autonomous govern
ment. when the present Balkan. war
broke out. One of the curious incl
dents of this war has been the way
the Albanians, prepared as they were
to fight the Turks independently were,
nevertheless aggressively loyal to
them before the advance of the Slavs.
The Albanians present very cur
iOuS contrast when considered col