Page 244 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

GO ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF TIIE PERSIAN GULF POLITICAL
RESIDENCY
Suleiman Mirza, a young ])rincc possessed of some cloquenco, speedily came
o tlio front and was one of tho chief leaders of the popular party in subsomienl
local polices. Ho began to deliver nnli-foroign speeches 'in connection £ith
the Anglo-llussian agreement but they were not well rocoivcd and lie did not
continue. He finally bad to leave Kermansliah accused of being a iiabi.
Zahir-ed-Doulcb bad now married his daughter to the grandson of
Zahir-el-AIulk and his warmth .towards the popular party began to dccrcnse
complaints were general and it was openly stated that if he did not himself
take bribes like other Governors his ngonts undoubtedly did so and that his
apathy was worse than tho rapacity of an ordinary Hakim.
The two Commissioners from Tehran warned him that he had been specially
re-appointed bccauso he had said that he would recover the monoy duo to the
people and that if lie did not propose to fulfil his promise lie had better
resign his appointment. On this Zahir-cd*Douloh by a private arrangement with
them imprisoned the chiefs of all the local regiments including his new
relations by marriage. That is to say they were imprisoned by day and went
home at night returning tbc following morning. He also imprisoned the three
Kndkhudas of the Maballas involved. This farce did not last long but the
Governor promised that all the money should bo paid within ten days and
opened a public subscription 1 On the 7th day perceiving tho hopelessness
of his position he departed by moonlight, nis wife and family had left a day
or t wo previously on account of tho illt>css of a daughter at Tehran, a fact which
had given rise to a certain amount of suspicion.
Thus once again Kermanshah was without a Governor and as no one was
appointed from Tehran Zahir-el-Mulk, chief of the Zangineh tribe, took over
the charge of tbc town and was confirmed latter a9 "Deputy-Governor.
Tbc new ruler returned to ar.cient methods of cutting off limbs, et cetera,
and governing by fear. However muoh this may shock humanity, it stands
to reason'that tbc form of Government must be suited to tho civilhation of
the people to be governed havine also regard to the means at hand to enforce
order. To cut off one man’s bead for highway robbery is more humane than
to allow’, by weakness of Government, tho murder of twenty innocent citizens.
The town became quiet and continued so.
Zahir-el-Mulk informed the militia that he would be glad if they would
cease drilling while he was Deputy-Governor and also asked the local assemblies,
of which many had sprung up, to refrain from sitting as lie did not undeistand
new ways.
After a little, however, telegrams began to arrive in connection with
affairs at Tehran. The council at Tabriz wired that after his w*ant of faith with
the Constitution they could no longer rec«»gnizo the Shah as ruler, the local
assembly ot Ispahan followed suit and soon the Kermanshahis were being earned
along on top of the wave of disalTcotion. Moin-ur-Raya, a former shining
light of thcaristoeractic party, made a speech saving it was the duty of the
town to raise cavalry, seize the guns and march to IVliran to the assistance of
the Assembly. The Shall, however, soon gave way and on the failure °f h,s
coup d'etat telegrams w?ere received from Tehran and most of the larger cities
saying that misunderstandings had been removed and all should give t an *s
to God. The Ispahanis added that the Shah had been misled by evil men n
was not to blame.
It will be seen that the telegraph has given a cohesion to the
party which oould not otherwise have been obtained, news would have a
weeks to filter through and it would have beon impossible without it to pr
the rapidity of action required. At Kermanshah it was considered
several large cities had openly expressed their intention of throwing
allegiance to the Shah it would be very difficult for him to remai
present position.
The militia commenced their parades once more and tho Governor made
no objection. from
On the 28th December two telegrams arrived from P^P|fc»^eghrira
Sheikh Fazl Ullah of Tehran saying that the Majlis was aga- •
or religious law, tho other from the Majlis warning the people g