"تقارير إدارية ١٩٠٥-١٩١٠" [ظ‎‎١‎٢‎٥] (٦١٦/٢٥٥)

ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE PERSIAN GULF POLITICAL RESIDENCY
Mebdi accordingly left for that place under circumstances explained to
me by Zabir-ed-Douleh as follows after much conversation Mehdi agreed to
go as required, he was to travel in a carriage supplied by Government and
stipulated that he should go without an escort as otherwise it might be said
that he was being sent as a prisoner. Mehdi then demanded that iii s
departure should be kept secret lest the people should prevent his going; he
accordingly was to go to his brother's village and from thence to Hamadau
where a carriage was to meet him. The above was all agreed to and Agba
Mehdi was given 500 Tumans for his expenses, which money was borrowed
from the Bank.
Mehdi disappeared and a few days afterwards was stopped at Kasr-i.
Shirin on the frontier where he had arrived without a passport and was
consequently unable to cross into Turkey. Zahir-ed-Douleh was astonished
Mehdi wired him tbat he had confidence in him as a Governor and as his
own presence was not needed he had decided to sro to Kerbela and devole
himself to religion and asked for a passport to leave the country. The
question was referred to the Atabeg who permitted him to cross the frontier,
Zahir-ed-Douleh remarked that it was the best thing as he was now out of
the way and his flight would discredit him with the people.
I did not discover till quite recently that the whole tiling was again a
piece of " haute politique." Zabir-ed-Douleh had played on the fear of Mehdi
had persuaded him that it was unwise to go to Tehran and had given him the'
funds to escape, thinking that he would thus get rid of a man who stood in
the way of bis settling matters as he desired. Atabeg's death created, as may
be supposed, considerable stir but no disturbances occurred.
For the next month things continued in the same state, the Governor
making enquiries and evolving suggestions. Both parties remained on the
defensive but discontent gradually began to arise again, as nothing definite
was decided. Zahir-ed-Douleh finally placed a scheme before the Majlis by
which Salar-ed-Douleh was made responsible for most of the losses since it
was to his various inflammatory letters that the troubles were ascribed,
Saif-ed-Douleh was made responsible for part and the remainder was variously
divided. The suggestion was not approved and so the situation advanced no
further.
At the beginning of October a notice was put up in a chief street leading
off the main square to the effect that unless the Governor did something for
those who had been looted in the summer he would be killed by a member of a
band of ten men who had banded themselves together for the purpose.
The country around became most unsettled; the Governor attempted to
eschew despotic methods. Much as one's sympathy lay with him in the
attempt it was predestined to failure. In a country in which there are no
methods of constitutional government, no laws by which to regulate the course
of events, no police to enforce order it is hopeless to attempt to govern
without a show of force. In such a country it is necessary to rule by fear.
A man like Zahir-ed-iJouleb, led away by the appearance of foreign cities
which he has seen from the outside and of the working of which he has no
idea, imagines that the absence of tyranny and the apparent calm aye automati
cally the result of civilisation. He does not realise the force which is always
present behind the law. It is easy to imagine then that in a country like
xersia Zahir-ed-Douleh's methods produced a condition of unsafetv which was
worse than any thing which had preceded it. I ascribe it solely to the
instability of rule in this country that tilings were not worse than they were
or it was never certain that Zahir-ed- Douleh would not be dismissed and a
stronger man put in his place who would tal<e a reckoning: from the causers
ot disturbance.
a ^ er Prince Zafar-esrSultaneh was appointed Commander-in-
rz 0 forces of Western Persia, He made Azam-ed-Douleh, son of
Zanir-el-Mulk, the head of the Zengineh tribe, chief of the forces at
Jiermansnah, and in the letter officially noting the appointment was a
marginal note saying that the latter was not to take up the appointment till
he had paid the 2,000 Tumans agreed upon as the price of the post.