The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-10-23
Constitutional Prospects In the
East.
English Indereeient. I

Aoo suc pOItiCSt ana the social
regeneration Of the East begun q. last
IN sober earnestness; is the Khedive to
be the first honestly constituted ruler.
and Egypt the first constituted state,
In that Eastern world. which. since the
dawn of history, has been the mother
OF despotisms, and has always seemed
incapable Of grasping the Western
ideas OF liberty, and the political order
which liberty uprears and sustains !.
We have had many a masquerade of
constitutional government in the East of
late. and We have got not little weary
OF the self-denying ordinances of rulers
and the rights and privileges of sub
iects, which have been SO often
formally and solemnly guaranteed. But
in no case has the masquerade ended in
anything but ridicule and contempt.
10 q new era beginning.in the surrender
Of the personal estate of the Khedive
into the hands of the responsible gov,
ernment under a responsible head,
with English administrators looking in.
to everything. determined that without
fraud or oppression both ends shall
be made to meet in the finances Of
Egypt. by the reduction of expenditure
which has been wantonly Isvished.
and the development of the resources
Of the country, which have been shame
fully wasted and suffered to fall into
decay: 1t is an early day to prophecy
at present; but certainly nothing so
full Of promise has hitherto occurred
to break the dresry .monotony''of oppres-
sion and misery which has been the
burden Of Egyptian history from the
days OF the PhsraOhs until now.
1t is Important that we should un-
dsrstand clearly where the real test of
the difficulty lies by which we are be-
Get in the endeavor to introduce the
ideas and habits of Western civilization
among the Asiatic people. 1t ia not
want Of intelligence that we have to
complain of. The Turks are keen
enough about their own interests. and
in the game Of diplomacy seldom fail to
get the better of their European rivals.
Nor is it want of energy; they have
energy enough and to spare for any
object on which they care to spend it.
Our difficulty lies in theis utter want of
sympathy with the idea. They do not
care for our methods. just because they
do not care fol Our results. They see
nothing beautiful in we'll ordered, i,
peaceful. prosperous State after the
European fashion; it is not at all the
kind of thing which State should be
according to their ideas At the root
of the political ideas of q people lies
their conception of Divine kingdom;
and Gil Oriental people have their
social and political notions vitiated in
the spring. by their belief in the ab.
soluts despotic character of the Divine
reign. God, the Supreme dsspot,
is their Fundamental religious idea; and
they do their best to initiate what they
conceive to be the Divine method in
their management of their own political
affairs. To them it seems part Of the
ordained order of the universe that
their king should play the dsspot. II
he is good despot, happy for them; if
he is bad one, their habits of thought
and life lead them to bear with him to
the utt-most;if bis rule becomes intoler
able, he disappears. and another of his
race occupies his room. But the idea
Of building up stable system Of
checks, limitations. and safeguards.
based on the right and on the free &C.
tion of the subject. 10 allen to the. .Ori-
entail mind; and the amount of trouble
which it costs, the meetings, delibsra-
tions, speeches and sacrifices which it
demands are weariness which would
make life intolerable to tho Oriental
heart. Hence, for sheer want Of SYM
pathy with both our ideas and our
subjects in constitutional government.
they cannot stir themselves to take
;aterest in it; liberty 10 absent which
alone could make it power for the re.
generation Of society.