PERSIA'S EX-SHAH.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 734, 5 February 1910, Page 5

PERSIA'S EX-SHAH.

REPORTED CAPTURE ' OF■ SOME* OF'

HIS SOTPOBTEBS.

PARLIAMENT MAT STOP HIS PAT. By Teleeraph-Prcss Association-appyrJeht.

";;•:!';■;;■;' ;i St.P«tersburgi ! Febriiary 3. ; ;; I .'The press, reports that Saidar : Khan, chief; supporter of the deposed ■ Shah. of Persia, was captured'near Resht, in-Nor-: thern Persia, while crossing the frontier disguised, : : i, ;;«'■■' ;\ '•:;".;':'•. : '';V :: '

• .Saidar' Khan,- it; ia stated; -had in lis possession. compromising correspondence with other'.of tho'-ex-Shah's /emissaries;. who, havei. been captured' at Meshed, capital/of;the Persian province, of-Khor-assahVv;.. ;?■'•/'', ';• : ;'-: ' .:"'--/,,:./:':' '

;, Members.'of..tle.Persian Parliament demand that /the.:.ox-Shah's' pension' (i£33,y00 a year) shall, be stopped.' : ~.,'-!' v '. ''.''

CONSTITUTIONALISM

AS:',UNDMSTOpD "IN' PERSiAi

:■■ Writing, under date October 23 the Te,heran correspondent' of "The.Times'''renews r the .position ■ existing after -.the deposition •of the ox-Shah. He writes) -."Since .the'fall of -' ; Mahomed Ali the affairs-of Persia- hayo been 'in a state of transition. A new - regime has' cer:tainly been in power, but. a regime which lacks in: reality a, mandate from' the country.: Persia as. a-whole, is inarticu--late, and'::the ■■';.constitutionalism of..' the' Nationalist party is .anadea understood' andipropounded. by ,• a ' strictly limited section'■of ;■the';.'Persian''public. . Teheran isi to; all- intents and purposes- solidly. .Nationalist and Constitutionalist. Tabriz,' 'Resht, and. Kazvin, tho other three important'.towns 'in', the north, are of the,, same--bent, -.though- in'a less.en.thusiastic degree,. owing to ■. their experiences of the militant: party, and to the lesson ; they.' have learned that free gov--ernment,.:.to:,;a,,no/ less marked extent than.'d«Bpotio government, entails ■ rosponsibilifies. and, • .particularly,'. : : liabilities.., Apart ■;from these' northern' .centres, Persia is not ■; violently. interested in :national':. politics. . Ispahan 'welcomed ' ,the Bakhtiari champions of Nationalism because.'its inhabitants were ground down ,by a rapacious: governor, and continued. •to : entertain them for the same 'reason that Sinbad,the Sailor extended.the pitality of his ■ shoulders to; the Old Man-: of the Sea.' Shiraz, Bushire,; and Meshed include'among their dwellers a fair number, of; .progressives, ■'■: ,'and': probably throughout the country'most of tho trading, classes are-in sympathy with' the new movoment" . ' ••■;-.... •■ j :-. .;■ -..,-*... • . .

"But the; overthrow-of Mahomed Ali Shah .was accomplished: by.' forces.,' that cahnot.be considered identical with those which have inspired and directed the constitutional movement, in Persia. The Bakhtiari chief who led his tribesmen to Teheran is a man of considerable culturo and education,' who' has travelled-' widely and profited by his experiences. But his followers are nomads- with no understanding .'of privileges and no ambiiton to possess them; - Thoir ideal is patriarchal gqvernment; with a minimum of' land! settlement, a maximum of nocks and herds, and a soupcon of bucoaneerinc,to give savour:to existence: The sVcalled revolutionary armyis of another kidney.;; Formed around a nucleus of. professional Caucasian agitators, employed by the,: Persian Committees, at' Constantinople and ' Baku, it-.consists mostly of individuals hailing, from tho -province : of iAzerbaijan, where. Tnrldsh blood gives a character' and: virility to tho '. inhabitants 'that ,is lacking in. most,of .the settled I regions of Persia, The revolutionaries, or mujehedih, as' they are commonly ;called here, are i constitutionalists to a man. Tho real revolutionaries are Caucasians and ,Turkish 'Armenians,.humber.ing about one hundred, with a sprinkling of .European: adventurers, including at least one Russian, one German, 'and ono Swede. : Theii .aims.. are ostensibly humanitarian-T-to ■■,-. rid ..-■ an .-' Oppressed country of its despotic rulers and to give it.free government. So much.so, that it wis said of. them, -. shortly... after '.they .triumphantly entered- Teheran, that when 'thoy had put, Persia on' its legs they, meant to go and do the same for China! The best mujehedin, however, are patriots pure and simple. A". fow have. proved themselves. ' When . the Shah's ; gnns bombarded'the: Mojliss in 1908, a handful of Azerhaijanis put up a plucky .fight, and accounted for nearly sixty of their opponents before accepting defeat. Tho' survivors of that gallant band are among tho mujehedin who entered Teheran; • "Generally tho situation appears to be that the control of affairs has hitherto belonged' to tho' forces that effected tho deposition of Mahomed Ali Shah, and that the leaders of tho public movement whioh evoked in aid theso forces arc- not satisfied with the fitness of their present rulers .to give reality to their constitutional aspirations.. It remains to bo seen whether the conntry.as renreseated in tho forthcoming Mojliss, which at tho beginning will bo just over half its full strength/will not assert its right to appoint men of its' own choice to'the task of reorganising the Administration."