Page 429 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911

CHAPTER II.

ADMINISTRATION REPORT FOR SHIRAZ FOR THE YEAR 1909.

The vcar 1909 marks a long step in the gradually accelerated process of
decomposition of all authority m Fars.
Gonoral* It as marked by two main and most im­
portant facts. For the first time a really resoluto and capable Governor-
General has failed to impose an effective authority on the province;* and for
the first time a direct attack has been made on a foreign consular officer,
resulting in the death and wounding of members of the regular forces of a
foreign Power. These two things are unprecedented, and cannot fail to
produce far-reaching consequences. Another important event, in the opposite
direction, is the arrival in Shiraz of a British detachment, small, but adequate
for the protection of the European colony in the face of all eventualities
which may reasonably be expected.
Asaf-cd-Dowleh continued to display the qualities described in my last
report until July 1910, when he was
Local authorities. Governor-Goncral.
dismissed and Zil-es-Sultan appointed.
Asaf-ed-Dowleh, however, lingered on in Shiraz hoping for the tide to turn,
until July 24th. The Bakhtiari coup d'etat in Tehran had meanwhile been
fatal to Zil-es-Sultan's appointment and he was replaced, on July 21st, by Ala-
ed-Dowleh. This event brought Sowlet-cd-Dowleh to the fighting point and he
declared categorically that Ala-ed-Dowleh should not enter Fars as Governor-
General. He also showed signs of an evident intention to maintain his
puppet Asaf-ed-Dowleh in power, and it was mainly in consequence of pres­
sure brought to bear on him by the British Consulate that the province was
finally delivered of this incubus. Sow let meanwhile pursued his role of King­
maker by coming to Shiraz and negotiating the appointment of Ain-ed-Dowleb
at a telegraphic interview with the triumphant popular leaders. This ap­
pointment, which was made known on August 8th, was as ephemeral as the
previous nominations, and appears to have been cancelled under the influence
of the Tabriz revolutionary Taghizadeh. Finality was at last reached on
August 12th by the appointment of Saham-ed-Dowleh, of which Sowlet was
graciously pleased to approve, and he left Shiraz, on the 16th, to meet the new
Governor-General at Abadeh.
Sabara-cd-Dowleh showed himself without delay to be a most remarkable
type of Persian. He arrived on September 20th, entirely without guards, and
proceeded at once to tackle Shiraz problems with an energy to which the
Shirazi is quite unaccustomed, but to which he submitted at first with his
customary docility, and when a visible sign of power appeared in the shape
of a force of 120 "Persian Cossacks, Saham’s authority seemed secure.
His extremely independent attitude commended itself, however, neither
to the religious leaders, his behaviour to whom was the reverse of conciliatory,
nor' to the all-powerfull Sowlet, whom he further alienated by sending him
imperious letters on a number of subjects, especially the extensive misbeha­
viour of a certain section of the Kashgai in injuring the telegraph line. By
the close of the year Saham-ed-Dowleh had made a strong attempt to secure
the dismissal of Sowlet, and had conspicuously failed. The end of his regime
was consequently imminent, and it did not in fact outlast the month of
J anuary.
His rule while it lasted was an excellent blend of ancient principles and
modern practice. He soon saw, what must be obvious to any observer, that the
Shirazis are inherently incapable of anything like real Self-Government,
mainly owing to their incurable propensity for petty little personal quarrels’,
and their entire lack of any public spirit. While therefore making apparent
concessions to the constitutional principle by pressing on elections to the
NirKxn-ea SuHancb, in 1937, thoagh a very capable man, seems to have been largely incapacitated by old
age and disparaged bj the conQict of authorities in Tehran.