The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-01-24

. . = . . .
T. H. Leslie. the author Of the &
. following article. Was for some y
: time located at Niagara, this .
= county. as a pastor. becoming in =.
: terested In the mission work and =
. he has. for the past vear, been .
: located at Ourfa, Turkey. 4"
Te the Editor:
The war. the last chapter Of which
we hope Is being. enacted in the peace
negotiations at london, has shown,
more than anything else for many
years the utter incompetence of the
Turks. old or young, to govern a
modern state justly or efficiently.
When, four years ago. the Young
Turks overthrow the autocratic gov.
of Turkey and established a
constitutional government they reused
great hopes in the breasts Of the very
Heterogeneous population Of, the en-
good etss viii VIII f fsom ,h ha1lR s. a~eS s. 1fSe %srl St
Why how have thy failed ana why
are there SO. few to sympathize with
Turkey in her misfortunes?
The responsibility which the Young
Turks assumed Was such as might
.nNo s tue WlseSt statesmen OF
the most progressive nations. Tc
posed Of many diverse and antagonis-
tic elements of population whose ra-
cial, sectional and religious prejudices
are too strong to allow them to cher
tsh any- common interests and mould
this conglomcrat.on- OF a%ntipathies
into a modern progressive nation with
a national consciousness md patriot
ism was a moro than Herculean task.
The wonder is not that they succeeded
50 little but that. with the methods
they used, that they. succeeded at all.
Incompetence Is Evident.
In the first place, the Young Turks
were a small minority Of the popula-
ton and their initial success was Who'll
~ from the fact that they had secret
~ obtained control Of the army. But
after obtaining control Of the govern
ment their incompetence as statesmen
began almost Immediately to show it.
self. They were good plotters but
poor constructors. and the most OF
tnelr tune, strength. and energy was
expended in schemes to keep control
but Young Turks knowledge Of the
real policy OF their administration.
This last was most. difficult to man.
age because the Young Turks them
selves We're too few to. occupy all the
Offices in an empire Of which every
executive officer, even. of the smallest
and most far-distant county is ap.
pointed by the central government
Consequently many Of the offices were
Turks for policy's sake but who had
little real relish for. the Young Turks
rule.
After the first outburst Of rejoicing
over their new freedom had cooled
down. the attitude Of the people them.
selves towards their new government
constituted a most formidable obsta.
Gle to the success of that government
The great majority of the people OF
and childish and knew nothing Of
held under. the heel. of the tyrant &C
long that they naturally supposed
that any change in tha government
would give them a chance to BE-
yrants in their turn and each race
hoped to dominate owe all tho others
They expected the new government,
To- transform Turkey into a secone
and to do so without the necessIt,
|of collecting taxes. And when the,
found that taxes must still be paid
and laws must still be obeyed: ani
neishbors' lives and property respect
ed. he larger number OF those who
tWese not holding some fat government
office began to desire and plot for the
overthrow Of the. government. Tur.
key. became al incubator.. Tor revolu,
|tionary societies. -.
1t then became apparent that thu
Young Turks had not subscribed Il
the political creed Of liberty, frater'
nifty. equality and justice without some
selves opposed by the very peopl.
from whom they hoped for support
and branded as "infidels" by the Mos
lem clergy. they resorted to that mos
dangerous Of all methods to carry GU
their policies. military government
and to win the support of the 'ortho
dox Moslems i~naugurated a policy o,
"Ottomanization' Of the empire. Thil
policy bore hardest upon the Christian
I~tnhabitants OF European Turke,
where he disaffection oon broke on
In open rebellion. This rebellion tn,
Turks tried to crush with a heav,
hand. but h a hand only closed upoI
the poor wretched Inhabitants Will,
the real rebels fed to their mountain
Businesses. from which they have car
ried on AN effectual guerilla. warfar,
ever since. aided by sympathizers from
across the bordcrs Of the free Balkan
states. Aided BY the revoIutionar!
societies in Bulgaria, Bulgarian apd
Greek and Albanian bands Of brigandI
have. alternately with the Turkish
military punitive expeditions. kept tn
/ n~rnVinccq nj N,noAontn and AI1,ne;,