The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1912-12-06

Christian congregations are summon.
ed to divine service by definite num-
Der of shots.
The primitive method >of revenge by
means of the vendetta, or blood.
feud, still obtains in the country, and
the Staying of one member of family
or clan leads to a series of crimes or
to warfare. The claims of hospitality
however, are very strict, and injury
to guest has to be revenged. In the
case of marriages, a stipulated price
is paid for the bride. Marriage by
capture remains the rule today. Won
en- are respected, but wives have to
work their hardest in the fields. There
is very little education In the coun-
try, although there are schools IN
some of the towns.
It is this primitive race whose quar-.
rel with the Turk Is not very clearly
understood in the west, which Is wor
rying the concert of Europe. In the
first place, as has been shown. the
most successful of sultans and con
quering generals in the heydey OF OF.
toman power never succeeded in sub
DUNG the Albanians These gallant
mountaineers acknowledged the SOW
ereignty of the sultan only so far as II
protected them from the encroach
ments Of other nations who would
have civilized them.
Turks NefarIous Rule.
The present trouble with the Alban.
ians began when the new constitu-
tional regime came into being In Tur-
key four years ago. The Young Turks
insisted on regarding themselves as
the dominant authority in Turkey
This would have been all right II they
had had numerical preponderance and
the moral and intellectual ability to
dominate the other races.
All races in the Turkish dominions
have suffered during the nefarious
rule of the Young Turks secret com.
mittee of mediocre men. but none
more than the Albanians. In few
weeks their centuries-old privileges
and immunities were abolished, their
country was invaded by hordes OF in
experienced officials of race which
they held to be their interiors, their
language was tabooed in the schools
and forbidden in the printing press
unless written in Turkish characters.
their young men were drafted into the
Turkish army and sent of to Asia
Minor and the deadly Yemen to be
shot, system of taxation was intro
duced which threatened to drain them
as dry as their Macedonian 1ieighbors,
and worse than all, they were notified
to surrender their firearms
The result was rebellion. But the
Albanians could do nothing against
the trained troops equipped with ma
chine guns which the Turks turned
against them. The rebels fed to the
mountains and soon their little peace
full villages were the scenes OF fright
full massacres too horrible to recount.
Arms having failed, the Albanians de-
cided to try constitutional methods at
the general election which took place
last spring. But by violence and file
gal use of the army the Young Turks
secret committee, 1t is said, prevented
free elections not only in Albania but
throughout the empire, with the result
that q parliament Of Turks, subser-
Went to the committee OF union and
progress. was elected.
Again the Albanians rebelled, and
this time with greater success. The
army ordered against them refused to
march. In fact made common cause.
many OF them, with the rebels. This
time. instead OF having to defend
themselves in their mountains. the Al
banians have been able to invade
Macedonia, since when the packed"
Turkish parliament has been turned
out and q new cabinet Of Young Turks
formed. The Albanians have been
promised redress Of their grievances
BIZ the new government. But 50 far
they have refused to go home. They
want to see the promises Of the Turks
carried out. II they are not they viii
march to Constantinople