BLOODSHED.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 482, 15 April 1909, Page 5

BLOODSHED.

NOT AN OFFICERS' MOVEMENT. ALBANIA AFFECTED. SULTAN GIVES "WAY TO MUTINEERS. (Rec. April 14, 11.'58 p.m.) Constantinople, April 14. The mutineers invaded Stamboul (Constantinople, the old quarter) at midnight, and by morning tho greater part of the garrison of Constantinople, and the Haloihu Rifles—hitherto tho mainstay of the Committeo of Union and Progress—were surrounding Parliament Building, assisted by many civilians armed with revolvers. They did not attempt to invest tho Porte (the building containing the odices of tho Grand Vizier and other high functionaries; hence, tho Turkish Government itself). ' The officers who accompanied the mutineers were there by compulsion. Tho rest of tho officers were gagged and imprisoned in tho barracks. The mutineers, commanded by a non-commissioned, officor, cheered tho Sultan and demanded that the State should respect Sher'iat or sacred law. A few artillery and cavalry remained faithful. They were massed before the Ministry of War, and used quick-firers to intimidate tho crowd. Seventeen were killed and 20 wounded. The latest reports are that the ex-Minister for War is a prisoner. Tho mutineers are barricading tho approaches to Parliament. Edhom Pasha, accompanied by cheering troops and bands, proceeded to Stamboul. After the resignations of Hilmi Pasha and his Cabinet, an irad by tho Sultan was read in tho Chamber of Deputies. It pardoned tho mutineers, and announced that the Sher'iat would be observed in future. The Chamber cheered the message. The unrest of the troops is not confined to the capital. There is a conspiracy against tho Committee of Union and Progress in Albania, in the interests of Albanian autonomy. AN ARMY-MADE REGIME. DANGER OF MILITARISM IN POLITICS. Is "The New Turkey," which camo into being through tho support of the army, about to perish at tlvj hands of its creator? In July last year the new constitution was forced on the Sultan by an informal revolutionary body, the Committee of Union and Progress, behind whom was the army. The committee was the organising head of the Young Turks, who had for two or three years been conducting their propaganda in tho army, with the result that they had secured, by July last, the absolute loyalty of _ the Third Army Corps stationed at Macedonia, and a considerable support from the Second Army Corps, while it was estimated that at least one-third of the officers of the whole Turkish Army were Young Turks, Thus tho Committee of Union and Progress was able to force the constitution on the Sultan without bloodshed. An Unconstitutional Power. That, was all right in the transition 6tage. If everything had been ideally correct, the Committee would have then disappeared, and the artuv would have remained the loyal machine of a strong constitutional Government, Then people would have said that the Turk had acquired the true democratic genius, and that Islam was indeed able to govern itself on Western lines. But the Committee of Unior and Progress refused to disappear. It re mained as an unconstitutional power behind the Legislature, and it soon made itself felt, The new Grand Vizier or Premier, Kiumii Pasha found, to use his own words, that the Committee had the power, whilo he had th( responsibility. That was. a travesty of de mocratic government that Kiannl refused t< accept. He threw down the gage to the Com mitlee, and the result mistht have been fore seen. Despite his popularity and iiis eminent iisrvi'ccs to his country in the time of oppressin: and despite a unanimous vote of confident passed by the newly-elected Turkish C'hambei only a month before. Kiamil was overthrow! last February. The Chamber passed n no confidence motion by voli>s lo 8. It wa: subsequently stated that, prior to this vote ; amy officers lobbied in the Chamber. ! Extraneous Forces. The Committee of Union and Progress tlioi 1.1 became a subject of keen critkina in th

European press. It was argued that the Comnittee should not continue to occupy an unlonstitutional position, but should either como orward nivd govern the country itself, thus lornbining power and responsibility in tho mauler of a democracy, or should allow the nomnal Turkish Government (o become tho real jovernnient. Tho course taken by tho Comnittee was to permit liilmi Pasha to form a lew Ministry (which has just fal'tn). At lie same time, it ivas stated that many of tho ■cactionary leaders of tho old regime had botome "converted 1 ' and Had joined tho Comnittee of Union and I'rogress; in fact, the new 3rand Vizier liilmi Pasha was cited as one if these. "The triumph of militarism" was ine suminine up of the Committee's coup, by I'hich Kiamil was deposed. The question naturtll.v forced itself: Whore was militarism likely 0 lead the Constitution—what democracy ever lourished with an army as foster mother? iVrote "Tho Times" correspondent: "Tlic mere iresence of a few officers and men of the Salonika battalions in the lobbies sufficied to iver-awo all opponents, but tho danger of such nethods is too apparent to need further comnent." Remarked one deputy: "It is no longc: 1 battle with parliamentary weapons; there ire extraneous forces at work here, against vhich we cannot continue to fight." Urmy Discipline. The new Hilmi Ministry saw that something lad to be done with regard to the political nethods of members of the army, and acconlngly it issued a circular, though whether its nstructions arc taken seriously is not clear. The Minister of War circularised all commanding officers, 6tating that certain officers, specially subalterns, were misinterpreting the irinciples of liberty laid down in the Constitution, had been at times guilty of disreipectful conduct to their superiors, and had idopted on attitude tending to the subversion if discipline. Thus they attended meetings, :ook part in politics, made speeches, enrolled :hemselves as niembers of societies, and pubisliod signed articles in newspapers. The rules if military discipline forbade all such acts, ind commanding officers were, therefore, instructed by the Minister to bring these facts to :he notice" of officers and to bid them conform :o the regulations of the service oil pain of tho severest penalties. This circular, whether jbeyed or not, is interesting as showing how ;ho nrmy tries to dominate tho political nachine. Remarking on the fall of Kiamil, 'The Times" fails to see how such a coup >y an organisation which has no place in tho Turkish Constitution, and for which there could lot be a placc in any free Constitution, could je regarded as "ft triumph for constitutionalism." "Tho Times" adds: "It is a triumph "or the revolutionary body which overthrew :he despotism of the palace in tho name of tho j Constitution, and that triumph shows that the :ondition of Turkey is still revolutionary and las not yet become constitutional in any real sense." Force for Islamic Intolerance. Tho latest news published to-day must be leld to justify "The Timcs's" verdict Acjording to the cablegrams, tho Committee nf Union and Progress has fallen before a new jody which has utilised the First Army Corps n tho same way as the committee'used the Third and Second Army Corps. AVhatt-ver tho -tiling figurehead, the ruling force is tho soiliers—and in this case, it would seem, the solliers without the officers. Obviously, the coup s not yet complete, and a backwash niav occur, jut tho Sultan's acceptance of the siti.i.tion i 3 iminous, and may be held to lend ci lour to :ho suggestion that the reactionaries, bv n irocess of "conversion," are dishing tho •efonuers at their own game. It tho Vrmy as n wholo is going to throw over tho Toiing Turk reformers, who have dominated .he committoe, and to establish in their place ■lie League i of Mahomet—whose name may bo :aken as highly suggestivo of Islamic int'olovince—then the change is not tho better for tho iause of freedom. 'J'Uc committeo stood for, or it any rate professed, racial equalitf ana reigious tolerance. But the League of Mdiamu!. suggests the reactionary regime al lover again. 'A Two-Edged Sword." Tho ex-Minister for War, reported to he n irisoner, must l-o Nazim Poslia,. who retired Tom that portfolio when Kiamil fell, Nazim Pasha formerly commanded an Arinj Corps, ind has been declared to be the finest General n Turkey. That he should bo unpopular with :ho mutineers is nr.tural, when we learn that iio "shares Kiamil Pasha's oonviction that tho irmy is a dangerius political weapon—a two:dged sword that may bo turned against the smiter. His efforts have been directed toward iceping the army frco from political bias and restoring it to its proper functions. Nazim Pasha's refusal to join tho Hilmi Mir.iitrv deprives the Government of n great and bi ..cficent influence, and is unmistakable evidence of his disapproval of the policy of Turkish Ironsidis ind Pride's Purge." Thoro are more than one Edhom Prsha h Turkey, but the one now acclaimed as the new Minister for War is probably he who-n forces smashed up the Greeks in their sliort-livcd war with tho Turks. Tewfik Pasha, spoken of as Grand Vizier, also has namesakes. He is probably the ex Minister for Foreign Affairs who was nominuted the other day as Turkish Ambassador in Lei don. The Minister for Marine, who is dtscribi'l is wounded, is Riza Pasha,\ who mus L not lie confused with AH Eiza Pasha, tlie Minister with whom Kiamil quarrelled.' Hassan Fchnu Pasha, reported killed, was Minister for Justijo' under Kiamil, ns well as under Hilmi. The Sher'iat is defined as "legal relifion under the supervision of a murshid."