'The Turkish and Pan-Turkish Ideal by Tekin Alp' [‎25r] (54/58)

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martyrs of the reaction. The parts played in the Turkish revolution by
heroes such as Enver, Niazi, and others, were played in Persia by men
such as Sadar Chau, Bakir Chau, &c.
Those brave men who, during the reaction, made an heroic resistance
for a year at the siege of Tabris, and went through the most terrible
privations, were also Turks. That is to say that there is no lack in Persia
of Turks who are worthy of fighting for an ideal, and even of dying.
If, therefore, a part of these many self-sacrificing idealists could be
won for the Turkish national movement in Persia, the cause is assured.
CHAPTER IX
THE CAUCASIAN TURKS
The greater part of the Turkish nation is in Russia, who is now at
war with Turkey.
The Caucasus, the present goal of our doughty troops, is the home
of a large number of these Turks. The country south of the Caucasus
Range may really be regarded as Turkish territory. The Turkish element
forms the chief part of the population (50 per cent.) : in some provinces
this figure is increased even to 80 per cent, of the whole population.
The alluvial plains of the Volga and the Kama, in European Russia,
are inhabited by four or five million Turks, who are closely allied to the
Ottoman Turks in language, institutions, and civilization.
These, and their brothers in the Crimea and Caucasus, lead an inde
pendent life, cut off from one another, especially in the provinces of
Kazan and Ufa, where the Turks are in the majority. The Northern
Turks are not indeed superior to the Ottoman Turks, but must not
therefore be underrated : they are indeed in the proud position of having
come to national consciousness before the Ottoman Turks. Their pro
gressive, economic, and social organization is in every way a great help
to the national movement.
The Ottoman Turks owe to their earlier despotic system of Govern
ment the peculiarity of being always Hukumetji, i.e. that they are always
too much tied to their “ mother ” Government’s apron-strings and will
not be independent. If anything is to be done for the good of the people,
the Government must start it. The Government, who has so much to
bear, so many dangers to avert, so many cares assailing it, cannot always
find time to deal with all the details, which are really the people’s business.
A people must make its future for itself; the Government can only
help and advise, for the whole question is one of natural development.
The Ottoman Turks have not yet obtained a common organization like
that of the non-Mohammedan peoples.
This is not the case with the Northern and Caucasian Turks, all
progress among whom is the result of their own efforts. The Russian