New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-02-09
Ten lines as High

Ten lines as High
"The most ordinary necessities of life
average ten times the pre-war prices. Sew
ing cotton is sold at thirteen and one-half
cents q yard. 1t must not be supposed
that Constantnople lacks anything. The
shops are we'll stocked Probably if requisi-
tons were made throughout the city
enough stores would be found to feed the
population for at least eight months"
Wealth is, of course, concentrated in
the hands of the Turks. Of the I'M
fortunate Christian population "The
Post" correspondent says:
"But all the trade, by pillage and rob-
berry, has been concentrated in the hands
sitioned for the army everything from
the Christians, including corsets, chill
>drens shoes, perfumes articles de luxe,
etc. Nothing given to the Christian
merchants but piece Of paper stating the
price Of requsitionjng, with a promise to
pay after the war The committee then
sold these goods to Turkish merchants at
more than thousand per cent above the
requisitioning price. The merchants resod
to the public at another thousand per cent
zone of the first acts of the Turks ard
Germans the declaration of war was to
seize the property of foreigners. These
houses were handed over TO any one desir-
Ing residence. In many cases the owners
have been fortunate enough to find that
responsible people occupied their. houses,
but in the large majority of cases the prop
critics have been completely ruined Fur
niture, doors, window-frames, everything
that salable, was sold for a mere
song; while the doors and ceilings were
pulled down to get laths for frewood
have seen some of these properties of
which nothing now remains but the bare
four walls. Turkish ideas Of dissertation
ran riot at this time. Christian cemeteries,
both within and without the city, were up
rooted, and even corpses in the ancient
church Of st. Louis were exhumed"
The new Sultan, Mehmet the Sixth,
who succeeded Mehmet the Fifth In
August, 1918, Is described by 1.-THE Post"
correspondent as being. new kind Of
ruler in Turkey.
Too Late
"Mehmet the Sixth is man of intelli-
gence and character and a very different
person from his predecessor He con-
veys an impression Of considerable in
tellectual force. He Is a rather tall man
OF ffty-six with a spare, slender frame.
sdght stoop and the face Of student.
When he came to the throne the CORE
spondent related that the new ruler saw
very well what was happening and made
every effort to change the policy of the
government but It was too late. His
f1rst act was to reduce the all-powerful
Enver from the position of vice-gen-
eralissimo Of the forces on sea and land
TO that Of Chief Of the Staff. Soon after
the new Sultan came to the throne En-
ver walked into his study without being
announced. The Sultan administered a
rebuke in the following words: My dy-
nasty seems to have fallen very low since
you take the liberty Of walking into my
presence unannounced'
"Bus Mehmot the Sixth knew that he had
staH task in front of him and set about
IL cautiously. He appears to have been
modelling his behaviour at this period on
that Of his predecessor, Sultan Mahmoud,
Who massacred twenty-five thousand Janis
saries and thus rid himself n the power
behind tho throne. When Invested with
the sword Of the Prophet Mehmet had his
imperial mantle made down TO the smallest
detail copy OF that worn by Sultan Nah
meud. The imperial march played at court
was march written by the younger Doni-
zetti for Sultan Mahmoud. Politically the
eulsan's plan was TO gain the favor Of the
people ard thus undermine the power of
the committee. At TIE first Selamlik the
public were not admitted. lie asked the
reason, and gays orders that the doors
should be thrown open and the people ad-
nsitted. They are my children, he said
,A1a z0nst be Ereaent on aach an OCCASION ~