The Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 1907. THE SULTAN AND HIS SECRET POLICE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3769, 15 August 1907, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 1907. THE SULTAN AND HIS SECRET POLICE.

Jehan d’lrvay, who has written an article bn the Sultan of Turkey in La Revue, describes the life in harem, while Gheoul Pasha writes on the Turkish police. The death of the Sultan, says the latter writer, is at most a question of months. The slow agony of his death is described as the most curious phase of his life. 1 Notwithstanding his sufferings, he has never lost his presence of mind, but has always sought to conceal his real condition from the Turkish people and the world. He has given orders that no rumours as to his illness are to be noised abroad, and his faithful police are requested to double their efforts to prevent indiscretions. The secret" police-represent three-fourths ,6f the population of Constantinople.

There is no need to recruit them, for they enrol themselves in ’•he infamous corps of spies. The spy is, indeed, the real master of Turkey. Armenians, Greeks, and Jews were among the first spies, but during the last fifteen years Turks, and especially Syrians, have distinguished themselves in this dishonourable profession. The ambitious spy naturally prefers to make his report to the Sultan in person, and if his information is very serious his fortune is made. It would be impossible to give even an approximately correct idea of the development of police espionage in Turkey during the last fifteen years. , Coachmen, porters, servants, officials, soldiers, officers, and even Ministers are enrolled in this army of crime, and terrorise the country, but oddly enough, the fewest spies are to be found among the official police. This system of espionage may have contributed to the safety of the Sultan, but it must have caused immense misery to a large number of innocent persons. Whether justified or not, an order from the police or the Minister of Police is all that is necessary for persons accused to be suddenly arrested in the street or elsewhere, at any hour of the day or night, and taken to the palace or .to prison without any explanation. The unfortunates may be detained for weeks or be sent into exile or to prison without trial. Though the Sultan is himself the chief of the secret police, there are a few other spies of mark, such as the famous Izzit Pasha, Faik Bey, and some others. Each of these has his own special police, and their reports thus centralised are presented to the Sultan daily. The Ministers are very closely watched, and every word they utter is reported to the Sultan. The astonishing thing is that the Ministers allow spies to sit at their tables.