Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1912-03-27
MAJ. TED" LOWRYS
LECTURE ON PERSIA
Gave Interesting Talk on Affairs
of That Country.
Described Events Leading Up to the Ey-
pulsiOn of Morgan Schuster, the
Treasurer General.

Some few years ago. after one of
the great waves of disturbance and i'll
fortune that periodically come and 60
throughout the Orient had swept China
with cholera, India with famine, and
Persia with financial distress, 2 COM
mission of EngiishmeG and Russians
met in So Petersburg anu planned
the PARTITION of what was left of tie
one time greatest nation of the world.
Persia. absolutely without funds,
had turned to Russia and England for
help, and these two nations had come
to her present aid as the first step
toward her final downfall.
Several million dollars were
furnished by each country, for which
they received a certain diplomatic in
fluence over the country, divided into
two parts, politely known as "spheres
of influence, and really nothing but
seventy five year mortgages, Russia
having the northern half and England
the southern half allotted them re-
spectively.
Following this move regeneration,
or an attempt at regeneration. took
place in Persia. Mohamed Ali, the
Shah, was driven out and his nephew.
boy of twelve, was placed on the
throne as a fgurehead. A constitu-
tion was drafted and something of q
representative government was estab-
| liShed
The new government was deter
mined, as much as anything Persian
may be determined, to re-establish
something of the old-time glory of q
nation wasted by misrule. greed, vice
and crime and further to throw off
the yoke that Russia and England
were every day bringing to weigh
more heavily on the neck of a country
already broken by too great burdens
Mr.. Wm. Lang, chief accountant of
the Imperial Bank of Persia, an Eng
lish institution and almost the only
solvent financial institution in the
country, was called upon for advice as
regarded the treasury.
His report, briefed, showed shat Of
the taxes assessed about eight per cent
reached the governments hands. The
other ninety two per cent went to fill
tie pockets of the few men intelligent
enough to steal we'll.
The eight per cent received was
IV1oi III nr1k xrfl1
questionable accounts against the
government
The Persian government faced the
problem of financial revolution and
turned to the United States for help.
W. Morgan Shuster, ex-collector of
the port of Manila and head of the
law firm of Sbuster and Bouve, was
named by our state department as
treasurer general Mr.. Charles Nc
Caskey as disbursing officer, Mr.. f.
s. Cairns as director of taxation and
Mr.. B. q. Dickey as director OF the
mint
With the coming of this commits
sion to Teheran the treasury began to-
do active business
Mr.. Shuster found a way to insure
no money going out of the treasury
except with his approval; Mr. Cairns
found ways to get at and assess
property st it's real value Mr. Nc
Caskey found ways of discussing the
money honestly; and Mr.. Dickey
RQ6 ont Sofiofoofnru
The collection of taxes was watched
and the receipts grew to about 80 in
stead of s per cent Of the assessments.
A corps of American assistants was
called in for the organization of a
gendarmerie and for the handling of
the ever growing business of the Office
of the treasurer general.
In the month of August, Mohamed
Ali, the ex-Shah. marched on the city
of TeheIan with an army of several
thousand men in a attempt to rein
state himself upon the throne. After
this defeat it came to the knowledge
OF the teasurer general that Sam sam
es-Sultareh, the brother of Mohamed
Ali, had financed the revolution.
Mr.. Shuster determined to seize his
property which consisted of large
garden and few buildings, and thus
effectually cut off this source of funds
for the revolutionist.
Russia and England had watched
Mr.. Shuster with very considerable
degree of interest up to this point
Their mortgages were being steadily
paid off and their hold on Persia each
day grew weaker.
It had become evident that Mr..
Snuster was going to re- establish
Persia on an Independent footing and