MEHMET THE SIXTH

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 152, 22 March 1919, Page 7

MEHMET THE SIXTH

TURKEY'S NEW SULTAN

HOW ENVER PASHA WAS

SUPPRESSED

(Prom the "Morning L'ost.") ' In August, 11)18, the old Sultan Melimet the Pifth died, and'was succeeded by 'Melimet tho Sixth, a younger son of the Sultan Abdul Medjid. Mehmct the Sixth •is a man of intelligence and character, and a very different person from his predecessor. He saw very well what was happening, and made every effort to change the policy of the Government, but it was too late. His first act was to reduce the all-powerful Enver from the position of Vice-Generalissimo of the force on sea and land to that ot Chief of the Staff. Soon after tho new Sultan came to the throne Enver walked into his study without being announced, alio Sultan administered a robuke in the totlowing words: "My dynasty seenio to ba\o fallen very low since you take the liberty of walking into my presence unannounced." , , But Mehmet the Sixth know that ho had it stiff task in -front of him, and set about it cautiously. He appears to have been modelling his behaviour at this period on that of his, predecessor, Sultan Mahmoud. who massacred twentytwo thousand Janissaries, and thus rid himself of the power behind the throne. When invested with the sword oi the 'Prophet Mehmet had his imperial mantle made down lo the smallest detail a cony of that worn by Sultan Mahmoud. Tho Jjnperial march played at Court was a march written by the younger Donizetti for Sultan Mahmoud. Politically the Sultan's plan was to gain Hie favour of the people, and thus undermine the power of tho committee. At the first Selamlik the public were not admitted. He asked the reason, and gave ordera that tlie doors should be thrown open and tho people admitted. "They are my children," he said, "and must'be present on such an occasion." During his ear. lier life, although living in retirement, he was regarded with great suspicion by tho commit to, who considered him a spy of Abdul Hamib and therefore presumably not very friendly to the committee. His Characteristics. The Ministers find a great difference between him and his predecessor. Ho insists on wading every document put before him for signature. His principal political advisers are Aclimed Puza-Bey and Tewfik Pasha, the present Grand Vizier Achmod Riza Bw was one of the founders"'of the Committee of-Union and Progress. During Abdul Hamid's reign lie was exiled to Paris, where ho edited an Ottoman journal. Extremely Francophil, lie was, on the declaration of constitution, elected tho first President of the Chamber. After the murder o. General Nazim Pasha by Enver, seeing the line of terrorism which the "Young Turks intended tq follow, he broke with, the committee and was made a Senator, Mehmet the Sixth, immediately on his accession, ma''e him President of the Senate. Tewtik Pa=ha is an ex-Grand Vizier, and was for many years Ambassador in London. No elections have taken place during the war, and the Parliament, known as "Eiivcr's 'Yes Sir' Parliament." was a mere instrument of the committee. , On September 2 a break *rifh Germany occurred over the ownership of Baku. Bv the terms of the Treaty of BrestLitovsk tho Germans guaranteed to Russia the possession of Baku and to defend this claim against. a- third Power. Talaat Pa=.ha and Djavid Bey went in.September to Vienna and Berlin to try to persuade Germany to allow Turkey to occupy the district. The Germans refused io agree, which did not prevent Talnat'from reliiirning with all manner of oily explanations that (lie matter had •been satisfactorily settled. Unfortunately, von Payer a few days later innde , a. speech in the lieielistag in which he declared that the Baku arrangement, with Russia was an . accomplished fact and could not bo modified. A storm of indignation burst nut in the Press. It. was openly Mid: "To-day Berlin sells us for a pint of petrol. For what will she sell us to-morrow?"

Hour of Retribution. But an important result of Talaat's journey was that lie saw that I lie game was up and that the hour of retribution hail come. After the failure of the German offensive of March and April the Turks knew that a decisive victory could not be Rained. While in Berlin Talaat. saw that the end was nearer than ho had thought. Therefore lie and Djavid gave interviews in .Berlin at the beginning*of September which caused much comment. They staled that peace would come Hefaro the end of the year, as none of the Cowers would be able to obtain n final victory. This was only the first step to prepare public opinion. ]n Sofia they learnt that ..Bulgaria was preparing to make peace and that Turkey wasi threatened* with being cut off from her German Allies. ■ On his return to Constantinople, nftw communication with members of the Central Committee,- Talaat decided that the' Cabinet must resign.

The Sultan Tew-fik Pasha with the formation of a new Government', but tltu committee brought pressure to bear in the shape of a portion of the Russian and German Black Sea Fleet, which appeared oft' (he Bosphorus. Therefore, Izzet Pasha, a member of.the. commit; tee, but an opponent of the wur, formed' an administration. Ticing a .member of the. committee, he allowed the chiefs to escape. In the Cabinet were three notorious members of the committee, Reouf Bey, Minister of Marine, Fethi Bey, Minister of the Interior, and Djavid Bev, Minister of Finance.