Show I I ET if Li OLDE NATIONS Foreigners Resident In the Turkish Empire Are Pessimistic Concern Ing the Outlook for the tho New Regime Re Re- gime Ottomans gime-Ottomans Ottomans Not Loyal By WILLIAM T. T ELLIS Somewhere In Turkey For For rca rca- eons Bons that are apparent I dare not localize lo to- the Interview which I shall report report report re re- re- re port in this article The persons quoted could easU easily be he discovered and they would be made to feel the heavy hand of the government They represent represent sent the darker side of the present situation sit sU- within the Turkish empire Before Betor proceeding to quote these men inca I t may state one ominous and related fact viz Every foreigner whom I have met In Turkey Turkey and and I have Interviewed hundreds hundreds has has shown himself hostile to the present government This is an amazing condition conS con of things Sometimes the tile antagonism antagonism antagonism an an- has been merely skeptical and antI supercilious In other cases it has been deep and Hard Knocks for the Turk The criticisms of ot the present government govern govern- ment made by these British and Americans has not ot been necessarily in contrast with the old regime but It has been a criticism of the Turk as asa asa asa a governing power Neither Is It t to be considered hostile to Islam per se but butto butto butto to Islam as embodied In the ruling class of the government I h have ve heard A short hart time ago In my native village a Christian caught a a. thief among hid goats goates The householder house house- holder nolder wan was a Po man and overpowered overpowered over powered the thief and kept him In the BOUSO house for the night The next day he took him to the officials but because the offen offender er was a Moslem ho was set free tree while the Christian was arrested and fined 25 26 Turkish pounds for tor kid kid- naping a Moslem I IThe The Old Cry for Justice Tell mo me I asked what you educated educated edu edu- non Moslems want of the government gov t Instantly there camo came from several as if It by prearrangement the cry Justice Jus tice equality Why not fraternity also I asked reminding thorn thom of f the third of the tho watchwords which were so generally used at the time of the revolution Never mind about that let us have Justice and equality and then fraternity will take talce care of itself Wo We cannot get Justice There Is Isas Isas isas as much bribing as ever only the bribes are bigger There are aro fewer Christians In office than there were tn In the old days Venturing to suggest that In spite of all all conditions aro are improving and that the new forces at work must make for human betterment one man Impetuously said saM When will they be better After Atter we are dead We Ve want better times now Ottomans Who Hate the Turks After more pessimistic talk I Ire re remarked remarked re- re marked marke Then IThen you seem to think that th tha present government Is la going to smash Wo We hope so so was the Instant re re- re- re sponge We are willing to have any power but Turkey rule Of course w we dream the dream of Independence for our own part of the land Jand and for the Z- Z Ed Educated Non Non-M Ottomans scores of predictions that the outcome outcome out- out come of the present regime will be beutter beutter beutter utter failure This state of at mind on the part of the principal foreigners resident in Turkey must necessarily be a heavy drag on the wheels of the government Another ominous and allied fact Is that the Christians In the Turkish empire em em- piro pire are emigrating by the thousands If It anybody has the curiosity to examIne examine exam exam- ine lao the bulletins of pf Ellis Ems island during the present six months ho he will find a abig abig abig big percentage of Turkish subjects among the arrivals These men have fled tIed from I the he prospect of ot military service ice When put to tho the test they show that the Christian n population of Turkey Turkey Turkey Tur Tur- key is not loyal to the government Apparently Constantinople is willing willingto to let these people go although taken s ns a class the Christians are more efficient members of the community than the Moslems A An Upper Room Conference These generalities were Illustrated and substantiated by an Interview I had recently with a dozen non Moslem Ottomans who are all educated men men and most of bf f them professional men They would be called leading citizens of any community it I asked a friend to arrange an interview with the educated educated educated edu edu- natives natIve of ot the city who spoke English The result was an al evening gathering In an upper room of th the home bonie of if one of the members The Interview started with one man who had lived JIved abro abroad l serving as spokesman spokesman spokesman spokes spokes- man but it quickly developed into a a. general discussion Have Haye conditions Improved u under er erthe the new regime regImo No con conditions aro are really worse woi-se than In th the days The new regime has made the Moslems more alert to what is going on n and quicker to assert their superiority and to Impose impose impose im Im- im- im pose exactions upon non Christians havo have no rights In Tur Turkey ey today oday In spite of at what you hav read n U the papers Here lIere one man broke In with an il II- II various nationalities that go to make maleo makeup up Turkey but that Is far in th the fu fu- fu ture At present we prefer the suzerainty suzerainty of some one of the powers powers any any anybody body except the Turks or we would be glad to see our part of the country neutralized under the powers as Is the case with Lebanon over ver which however Turkey has some control contro Then all these emigrants who have left by the hundreds of thousands will return to this country All of them pine for the homeland but they simply canno cannot live Jive here Do you not see I remarked that the country is being drained of of the best people by emigration so that the prospects grow weaker as more of them leave Good people go to a good country was VIas the terse rejoinder of a college professor there Is no field hero for educated non The Army Bugaboo I have said that the prospect of military mil mIt- mIt service which is now open to tho Christians is driving many young men out of time the country Several were escaping on ships upon which I trav tray ele When remonstrated with lith these young men declared that the Christians Chris are per persecuted in the army that L No w r F y kr- kr Type of American School in Turkey there are no Christian officers lS l'S that the immorality o of the Turkish soldiers Is Is o of f a nature that makes even the nominal Christians flee from it and that the life in tho tile army is not only poorly paid paid about about 80 cents a mouth month but that the conditions arc aro of the tho hardest It seems to b be the opinion of these educated observers that Turl Turkey y is willing to have as many of the Christians Christians Chris Christians as please leave th the country Here I my companions began to ask questions about America They talked ed of it as the children of Israel must have talked of Canaan Every man manof manof manof of the twelve in that room as we found by a count has bas relatives In America some of them look forward to going thither themselves They think that the rapid spread of at the movement will help Improve I Icon con conditions but they say Bay that in Turkey Tur Tur- j i key tho the Masons do not cohere au- au BUm The Tho Sultans Sultan's Greatest Dread Speaking of the reform element which undoubtedly exists within Islam itself these educated Ottomans said that the progressive Moslems dare not show their hand In Turkey Thero There Is no real freedom of ot criticism If It you rou would print in your paper I Isu that the is su suggested to one Sultan not a descendant of the tho prophet and not even ven a member of the prophets prophet's tribe and so accord according ng to the ancient law Jaw of Cf Islam Is not qualified to be caliph would you be se sent t to prison 7 This point Is one which gives tho sultan sultan sul suJ sul- sul tan greatest concern With fine scorn the man answered No NoI I would not go to prison I would go to my grave These n new w days havo have only made the Moslem Turks more fanatical There is likely is JO to bo ho a massacre massacre at any moment Noun None of us Is Js safe sate I cannot venture out without my pistol as you see moving seo moving aside his coat and showing the pistol in his pocket pocket- everybody goes goes armed When the Moslems could kill Americans as they did Rogers and Maurer in Adana they say it is safe to go so ahead and kill native Factors In Reform The gentlemen present were unanimous unanimous that the greatest factors of ot promise In Turkey were the schools maintained by foreigners and esp espe especially daily by the Americans After the beginnings of ot the public ed education which have been made there may come general enlightenment There is great need for the improvement improvement improve improve- ment meat of agricultural conditions by the government itself If It pe people are to wrest a bare living Jiving from the fields with prices rising on every hand Late at night the conference broke up and I carried with me a picture of ot otmen men under the tho strain str-In of the great fear fea and a great discontent who could be patriots If given a chance but whoso whose present sentiments are are those of utter antagonism to the government of at which they are citizens Copyright 1911 1311 by Joseph B. B Bowles |