Congress
Sivas Congress was opened with a speech of Mustafa Kemal Pasha that he gave from the rostrum of chairman in his capacity as emcee on the date of 4th September 1919. As a result of the voting that was carried out, Mustafa Kemal Pasha was elected as the chairman of the congress. The agenda of the congress was composed of the regulation and declaration of Erzurum Congress and the memorandum arranged by 25 delegates. The first three days passed by with the discussions about the procedures. Whether the congress would be occupied with policy was disputed among the issues that were discussed in the congress. Actually, all these activities were political struggles anyway. The reason that was mostly debated in Sivas Congress was the issue of mandate. The principal resolutions taken by this congress were stated in brief within the declaration of congress as follows: 1. The lands within our borders that were specified with Mondros Armistice Agreement constitute an integral union that is indivisible and inseparable.
It is essential that the national power shall be effective and the national determination shall be dominant.
It is resolved that the principle of collective defence and resistance shall be applied against all sorts of invasions and interventions and especially all movements that aim the establishment of Greek and Armenian organisations.
Since all sorts of citizen rights of the Non-Muslim people shall be reserved, any privileges that can derange our political sovereignty and social balance shall not be granted for them.
In case that the Ottoman Government is obliged to abandon and neglect any part of the country due any foreign pressure, all sorts of precautions and resolutions are taken for the protection of the caliphate and sultanate (state), the integrity of the country and the nation.
We expect that the Allied States shall totally give up their thought of the disintegration of our country and reach to a fair and equitable resolution that shows respect to our rights over these lands.
We will appreciate all sorts of scientific, industrial and economical aids and assistance of any state providing that the independence of our state and nation and the integrity of our country shall be reserved.
It is obligatory that the central government shall immediately convene the national assembly and all the resolutions taken about the future of the nation and the country shall be presented to the supervision of the national assembly.
All compatriot and national societies that came into existence on the basis of the national sense shall are united under the general name of Anatolian and Roumelian Society for Defence of Rights.
10. A Representative Committee has been elected in order to follow the holy purpose and to manage the general organisation.
Sivas Congress has entitled the Representative Committee with the authority to represent the entire country. Mustafa Kemal was elected as the chairman of this Representative Committee. The number of the members of this committee was increased to fifteen with the addition of six persons. Those who advocated for the alternative of mandate that was discussed in the congress for a long time had alleged that we had a debt of 400-500 millions, and our would not even cover the interest of this principal amount. They also stated that our financial situation was not proper for survival as an independent country and that there were some states that aimed to share the country just beside us. The grounds that they alleged for these convictions were that we could not get rid of ox-carts while they flew with aeroplanes and built armoured ships; and that we could not even built a sailing boat, etc. As a consequence, the opinion of mandate was rejected for one more time. Upon the recommendation of Rauf Bey, it was resolved that a committee from the American Congress would be invited in order to get rid of the propaganda that was ongoing for years in America Furthermore, Sivas Congress had taken a resolution indicating that it had considered this congress as an executive body. This congress had entitled Ali Fuat Pasha as the Commander of Western Anatolian National Forces.
Sivas Congress came to an end on the date of 11th September. A panel discussion with the participation of people of Sivas was organised on the date of 12th September. On the same date, the Ottoman-English confidential agreement was concluded when the nationalist movement started to threat the government in the palace. According to this agreement, England would undertake the integrity and independence of Turkey, Istanbul would remain as the capital city and the Straits and Istanbul would be under the dominion of England. On the date of 14th September, a newspaper titled as İrade-i Milliye (National Will) was published in order to unite the nation around the program that was resolved in Sivas Congress and the Representative Committee. The first articles of this newspaper were dictated by Mustafa Kemal Pasha. In the beginning, this newspaper was published for once or twice in a week and afterwards, it was published as a daily newspaper.