THE TWO SULTANS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 121, 19 June 1909, Page 3

THE TWO SULTANS.

ABDUL HAMID'S SECRET REMOVAL AT MIDNIGHT. VANISHED HOST OF PARASITES.

HOMAGE TO KEW SULTAN.

(By William Maswell.) Constautiaople, April 27. T. the sumptuous apartments of this oalaco we awaited the arrival oi the Sew Sultan. The only diplomatic representatives visible were the and German. Many were the exchanged. Joy and hope radiated uoin tfca face* of those wno crowded the marble staircases and corridors'. Soldiers, (senators, and deputies mingled to exchange congratulations. At halfpast .three a bugle announced the approach of the new Sultan. Chcfket pasha, commander of the Third Army Cows, and officers of the staff descended iato the courtyard,' followed by Said Pasha, 'President of the Senate, Ahmed Ki&a, President of the Chamber of Deputies, and the Sheikh-ul-Islain, in purple robes and white turban.

Jiey took' their stand in the courtyard, and in the well of the marble stain the band shuck up the "Hymn to liberty"—no longer the Hamidian hymn. Into the courtyard dashed a closed oarriage and pair, followed by a rabble of volunteer* in blue, rifles in uand. Bw door of the carriage flew open, an* out stepped Kechad Effendi, small in stature, stout, and dressed in biack lik* any European save for the red ie/.. lastantly he was surrounded toy offi tea of the staff and the chiefs 0/ Parliament, whom he greeted warmly. ■ X iwave of emotion swept up the m*rt>le stairs and along the marble corridors and balconies, over which huug an eager throng of senators and deputies. If they had known how to cheer they would have thundered a welcome, but the East is rarely demonstrative. Never have I eeen Orientals so deeply •noted. Without haste, yet without hesitation, Rechad mounted the three Uights of atairs. With every step excitement grgw till the wave of emotion overwhelmed the crowded spectators. Escorted J>y Cheftot Pasha, Said Pash.l, and Ahmad Riza, the new Sultan euttnd a aagnificent apartment decorated and uphobvtered in crimson and gold. From the painted ceiling hung great crystal •andelabra. At the door stood a guard of honor, sunburnt soldiers in worn ' bine uniforms with rifles and bayonets, men who represented the grim actualities of war rather than the graces of ceremonial, the true guard of onor for so great an occasion. Rechad entered and stood to take the oath, administered (by the Sheikh-ul-Islam. After he had received the nonage of the Cabinet Ministers and Presidents of the Senate and the Chamber a hush fell on the assembly. The voice of the ulema was raised in prayer, to w&ich response came from corridors and Mahommed.' Then the deputies passed before the Sultan to offer. homage, guns thundered a Salute, and from thousands of soldiers rose the shout of "Long live the Padishah." Mahommed V. was Sultan. There remains the ceremony of the g'rding on , of the sword which is the ttoman Sovereign's crown. This cereatony is reserved for a future day, as is also the visit to the relics of the Prophet, which signifies l the assumption of the Caliphate,, the headship of the Moslem world and the papacy of Mecca.

Hahonuned V. descended into the streets to receive the greeting of the army and the peopje, -whose joy shone in their faces. A cloud has vanished from the Ottoman Empire. The sun shone brilliantly for all save Abdul Hamid Effendi. That is now'his name among the people. The deputation from the National Assembly did not shrink from its task, and ■went to Yildiz to inform Abdul Hamid that he was no longer Sultaa If he doubted, the firing of the hundred and one guns must have convinced hiin. Like some tyrants, he was ready ( to ibow to the Trill of the people when it is enforced •with the sword, for he had declared he was ready to accept any conditions, and evon congratulated Chcfi ket Pasha on haying 6aved the Constitution. HS remains to-night at Yildiz, but to-morrow cwill follow his host of •wives, slaves, and parasites across the Sweet Waters of Europe into Asia, to Which (by Birth and instincts he belongs. DBAMATK PLEA FOR LIFE. . When the Macedonian troops entered the Yildiz Kiosk to-day, the Sultan, ■Abdul Hamid, who had received warning of their approach, .hid himself in the harem. The troops arrested every pcrsob they met, but the Sultan was aot to (be found. They reached the entrance to the Sultan's harem, and there paused for a conference." The officers decided to send a messenger to tell Abdul Hamid to leave the harem.

At last, tired of waiting, the troops entered the harem and rushed from loom to room, bursting open the doors that barred their way, and in tire last chamber of the harem the Sultan was found. The soldiers seized him and placed him in a carriage, and took him to the Cheraghan Palace.

. THE PRISON OF TYRANNY. Constantinople. April 23. Salonica, the cradle of liberty, is destined also to be the prison of tyranny. This morning Abdul Hamid Effendi Jeft Constantinople for the first time sine* he came to the throne thirty-three years ago. ..Shortly before midnight he was bidden to prepare for a journey. He submitted 'without protest. Entering a closed carriage, he was driven through the silent, deserted streets over the ; Galata "bridge to the railway station in Stamboul. A mounted escort closed round his carriage, and none knew or suspected the identity of its occupant. A strong guard occupied the station, where a special train awaited the exSultan. Of his enormous retinue and of his dependents only eleven women heavily veiled, two children, two eunuchs, and five servants accompanied the deposed ; Sovereign. Afodul Hamid seemed completely broken, the pale shadow of the Uljph who five days ago drove from -the palace to the mosque with the confidence of a ruler who believed that he bad deserved well of his people. Until yesterday he had hoped against hope, despite the evidences that confronted him at every turn. Armed men •worn to end his evil reign, surrounded the palace. (Juns looked grimly over Wall and roof. Food and water and • light were denied to the regal establishment that lately tasted six hundred cooks. Lamentations of women and children filled his ears, and appeals mingled with curses, fear possessed the palace and its occupants.- These latter included—3?° secretaries, chamberlains, and aides-de-camp. 370 women and slaves. 160 princes and princesses. 315 coachmen and grooms; 120 eunuchs. ■■ 450 gardeners. /-■■■'-. '250, domestics. "JS of , th e Imperial hodyguard. ■ 000 cooks. Of all these dependants and pashas Hardly one remained last nVht The palace was in darkness, while both' banks !i T he Josphoros gleamed with li"hl< SmallrwondcrAbdul Hamid realised that fatehad at last deserted him, and that Jre must pay the penalty of his unnumfiereu crimes. ,

■NEW SULTAN' PEXXILESS. mere was no scene, no emotion, no tragedy. Yildtz ~ now deserted, save aor a few personal attendants. Three hundred of the cools, mostly spies and *mny miiaicians and other parasites ■were arreted, ' rfw Ufil V° 6ne ™ s r»'nnitled in the » t?T* £ ter el * hl °' c,olk . «'"• l'««s"s last nijrht were illuminated, and .oldies • Wore firing their ni1,.,. A bullet enter hI my tadroom-tho second in three davs ' JLTZ nue . XMui Hami ' l h ">» the »!^ e of A w mf "i<ms activities the fio- ' I ™ mt „" as takt ' n a Prmli-iit .slop. If 110 t" remain o„ theV-! Phoru* he would hare .been a constant! menace for it n inconceivable that a ■ w r "". <hamctpr would for long to tatfe. - * t0 reiist t,le **"?*?<* . Jfrf Ifi he TOntc " t t0 the k ' LSI f ? naHy "*»***. The multi- ¥>' 2L « 8 T"' wouW I,avfi »c c o™ the of ./ Mot,on ' for U is a weakness irfr ; «?J^; ,tj / "P 1 *""? of Turkish h,i%%v'i7 in the shado-v m« "" g,lt ta> « ho P cd *« tacome i*Sj^J.?- lth is B™'' aud most °f his KSS*" at ' ons arc out of reach. Tnvcsife*^l?' honr " cr . «as,' revealed that it WaSJI2 P™t.ec to retain at YiTdiz a ££■327 of a r ,llion p o " nds! " >»•*- ease of emergency. These have &M 6 * <m Panted for payment The |Ss»«ra!Mqt'Will endeavor to recover tin's

Imperial nest-egg. They have need, for I the new hulian is penniless. For more than thirty years Mahonimed V. wag the pensioner and prisoner of his In-other. Even his personal attendants were forbidden relations with the outside world. The successor of Abdul Humid enters on his career at the age of sixty-four, an unknown man. "In intelligence and experience he is little better than a peasant," observed one of the most eminent of his supporters'. Yet his kindly nature and desire to please will prove more lasting qualities than the cunning and industry of his brother. One proof of wisdom he I has given already. He has consented to allow the Government to nominate his entourage. Hitherto Yildiz, with an [army of favorites and spies, has been a continual menace to the Constitution. Intrigue was the breath of its nostrils. The capital rejoices in its liberty, and to-night the people may be abroad till ten o'clock instead of eight. What will be the effect in the provinces remains to be seen, though it cannot be doubtei that the vast majority will welcome the change. The visit of Maliommcd V. to the old Serai to venerate the relics of the Prophet, on his return from the Ministry of War yesterday, reminded the people that not only the Sultan but the Caliph had been dethroned. MOSLEM CALIPH.

The Ottoman claim to bo the spiritual head of the 'Moslems may not be universally accepted, yet in the eyes' of the vast majority of Moslems the world over the Sultan is Caliph. The removal of Abdul Hamid iwill not necessarily atfeet the Moslem population, seeing that it was brought about after the manner prescribed by their religion. But Abdul Hamid played an important and active part in this theocracy, and is credited ■with having originated the Pan-Islamic movement. Whether that movement is as widespread and powerful as some pretend, there can be no doubt that Abdul Hamid was often used as a Icvcf and a menace. His disappearance will prove whether his influence was of the personal kind or merely an attribute of his sovereign position. At present there is no indication, cither in the capital or the country. The political prospect seems' not less clear. 'AH parties arc united for the purpose of establishing constitutional government on a sound and permanent basis. They have the support of every sect and race and the sympathy of every Government in Europe. Attempts are being made to create the impression that the British have withdrawn their syfmpathy from the members' of the Committee of Union and Progress. This belief has perhaps arisen through some indiscretion in certain official quarters, but is entirely without foundation. The British here and elsewhere arc as earnest as ever in the hope that the reformers who won and saved the. Constitution may carry through their arduous'.and delicate task with success.

All intelligent Ottoman sulbjects recognise this, though they may sigh for a White or a Dufferin at this critical moment in their history.

The new Sultan, in an interview with the correspondent of the Lokal Anzeiger, has stated that he wishes to remain on good terms with all the Powers, but "especially with Turkey's' old friend and well-wisher, Germany." This is a fresh indication that German influence has now the upper hand at Constantinople.