Evening star., 1920-06-25
WIFE RAISES TURK
Wz|ER TO FAME
Obscure Clerk Rises to High
Post by Marrying Sui
tan'S Sister.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.
Correspondence of The Star and Chi
.cagO Daily News.

CONSTANTINOPLE, Turkey. May 20.
! In Turkey it is not impossible TO be
at the same time brother-in-law and
son-in-law of the same man. For in
stance, the present grand vizier, Damad
Ferid Pasha, is both brother-in-law and
son-in-law of the sultan-brother-in-
! because he married the sultan's sister,
son-in-law because the sultan, as senior
of the family is considered the spiritual
| father OF all its members. The grand
vlzier is proud of this double relation
ship and in private conversation refers
! to the sultan as "his majesty, my
brother and father in-Iaw"
| Ferid Pasha speaks English quite flu
emily. People say this is his only states
manlike quality and that he is an acci-
| dent in politics. Some forty years ago,
| Ferid Pasha was an attache at the
! turkish embassy in London. After an
official function he and a friend, a men,
| Der OF wealthy and influential family,
| very proud of their new gided uniforms,
went to photographer and We're pic
tured holding hands A few years later.
the friend married one of the sisters of
! the then sultan, Abdul Hamid. The
| marriage was happy but did not last
| long, for the husband died The sultan
was fond of his sister and as a mark
! of his affection he told her that she
might choose her second husband her
| self, an almost unknown privilege at
| that time. The young widow was great
ly embarrassed for she had never met
a man except her late husband When
| her eyes fell on the picture of her hus-
| oand holding hands with another good
! looking man, she said. 'I want him -
But nobody around the sultan's palace
knew who this other man was. In
n IL
! Pasha was discovered in the Offices of
the sublime porte. where he was work
| ing in the press bureau translating Eng
| lish papers. He was ordered TO the
| palace aEIl few days later became the
husband of the princess.
Much Trouble; Little Authority.
One doesn't need much to. arrive in
Turkey-just a little. bit of luck or
good looks Now. however, Ferid
pasha situation IS not enviable. He
has more troubles than any other
prime minister in Europe and his au-
thorlty does not go very far. Thrace
and Smyrna will soon so to the
Creeks while in regions like Ana
tolla, which the peace treaty leaves
| 10 the sultan. the authority has been
| usurped by the nationalist leader.
Mustapha Kemal
No income flows into the badly
shaken treasury of the former
turkish empire. The inhabitants of
Ihrace refuse to pay because they
know that their country will not long
be a part of the empire They hope
to escape taxes by fighting the
Greeks, the future masters of that re-
glon. The Anatolians pay or are
forced to pay taxes to Mustapha
kemal, who needs money for the up
keep of his army. Thus. the only
people who pay here are the MussuI-
| man inhabitants of the CONSTANT
nople district No wonder that the
treasury is empty and the officials.
who have not received their salaries
Tor months. try to get money from
other sources.
The financial policy of the Turkish
| OF a young man, the only heir of
wealthy uncle. The sultans al
ways lived eXtravagantly on bor-
roWed money. paying heavy interest
Ihe income of this extraordinarily
| rich country had only one source
| taxes on the Mussulman population
But even the taxes were not dis
tributed equally among rich and poor
The peasants had to pay heavily
| while the wealthy pashas were eX-
empt. However, from time to time.
when sultan needed money badly.
ne would disgrace one of his favor
ties. send him into exile and confis-
cate his properties.
| English Hold Purse Strings.
The country needed money. though.
| Tor other things than the extraya-
| gance of the sultan and his favorites
| turkey was almost continually at
| war. Since 1877 Turkey has had eight
years of peace. Money was necessary
| to buy motor cars and special trains
| for the pashas and to a certain ex-
| tent to buy arms and ammunition.
| The natural resources of the country
| were great. but no one in Turkey ever
dreamed of using them. 1t was SO
much easier to go to European bank
ers and borrow. This system suited
the finance ministers. since for every
! loan there was commission for the
minister. AS matter of fact all
| Turkish officials used to live more or
| less in the same way; they were sell
dom paid by the government and had
| to live on bribery.
| During the war the situation got
| still worse. The Germans tried to put
| things in order for their own sake,
but were not successful. They went
| on lending money to the Turks while
| they drained the country of the gold
! in the treasury and the last pound
of wool of the Anatolian peasant.
| and gave in exchange paper money.
| The armistice signed. the Turks hoped
! to improve their financial position by
exporting tobacco and by allowing
! foreign firms to work the natural re-
| sources. Few dared start. French
| firms that began working in Anatolia
are stranded now, not knowing when
| they will be able to continue.
| Thrace and Anatolia being cat off
from the capital, the government is
now without visible source of reve-
nue.. The last sums 1t had We're spent
on propaganda in Europe, SO that II
| is borrowing again-this time from the
| British But the British are wise
| bankers. The Ottoman Bank. Brit
ish organization which has been al
| lowed to advance the cash, has oeen
| instructed to give the Turkish treas
ury every day a small amount upon
| the presentation of documents show
! ing in detail what use is to be made
! OF the cash.