New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-10
ENGLAND.
HrR POSSIBLE PRoTECTORATE-THE CAB
met.

v.araov,, Times created real sensation. With
an, q note Of preparation OF warning, it came out
for an English pro ectorate over Egypt The day
has beeu when such an article i'll that paper might
have convulsed Europe Even in these days OF It's
decadence such declaration is by no means WIFI
out effect The artice is perfectly serious in tone
ard co sidcrabl, more vigorous III statement than
one now commonly finds IN the leader columns o,
tho Leading journal. Moreover. 1t has been notceu
of late that some fresh relations have been estao-
lshed between the Government and TINS paper
Twice IT has been supplied with full and auulen'i0
accounts of Ministerial plans in advance OF al o'no
papers. The curious intimacy between 'i' '
Conservative organ and an unnamed uu' no' u"
suspected Minister has, for the time pe'ns' 0oe "
ali end or il rs thought prudent tha' IL shoui" sp
.,oar 60 have come TO an end. The DAILY Aecs tor
some reason has seldom been selected Is the reposi
tory of Cabinet condolences. And The Times. WIN
al ;,s fa,lures and errors and weaknesses on ITS
beao has never quite lost its value as a means oil
nnbiicity at home, nor all its authority ABROAD.
peouIs Elected Yesterday that only last week III
had accurately oretold, OF rather announced. WIN
much fulness and entire accuracy OF detail inc 'o
solve Of the Government TO dispatch AN expedluoh
TO Egypt. 10 tins recent evidence oil De-
ing on good terms WITH MlhlS'eiS'
or with some leading Minister W"S
dne in no small measure the excitement ahout 'hiS
protectorate article If 1t had been puoiiSn'"
month ago people woul have regarded II only AS
the result of rather clumsy effort to express VIVA"
Its authors believed TO be a general opinion. Now
everybody is asking Is this what Ministers really
meant"
.We do not speak in the name or on behalf OF any
Ministry or any party" says The Times, but for
the Nation" This declaration is OF the kind with
which diplomacy is wont to relieve Hscn
and its agents of responsibility. 1t may
perhaps be politely put aside as not meah-
ing much / am constrained 70 add that whle
serious attention paid TO the article on the theory
of posi- bic Ministerial inspiration the competence
of the present conductors of this paper TO speak, as
4. claims to- "for the Nation" would be strongly
disputed. | say this while agreeing that u has
thus far very correctly OWNED and adequately In-
terpreted the prevailing English opinion Win rel
srence to Egypt. 1t is as certain as anything can
ba that Euelishmen approve the bOmbardment and
approys the expedition, and do heartily wish their
troops were already in force on Egyptian soil. Bat
between that and approving the scheme now pro-
pounded there is a Vast interval Inc word pro-
tectorate nuch as it means is hardly broad enough
10 cover all that Is limited at or advocated III Is
clear" says The Times. " that III undertaking 'he
task of delivering Egypt from anarchy England
acting alone and on her own responsibility VIII ac-
ou,re. and will assert. the right to controlling
Turkey and the Powers told in so many words
that If they still hod aloof. they must recognize
the claims of England under whatever form OF gov
eminent, TO performance ii Egypt"
IT is to saw the least remarkable that the paper
which cont aimed this very explicit menace TO the
Sultan contained also tho news of the Suitans sud
den but too tardy assent to he proposal Tor sending
Turkish troops TO Egypt-subiect to notifications
of the proposed conditions 1t is, perhaps also sig
nfcant that The Times of this morning reterates Its
sentiments of yesterday. Perhaps it was hardly TO
be expected that it should be dlsnaYed
by the energetic denunciatOns of some OF the even
ing papers. What the LOndoner, cymo as he Is
comments on with surprise is this attitude of reso-
Lutte consistency during four and twenty hours.
The writer whoever he be, of the articles re]oices
- in Ais-vyaFk- With a picturesqueness too seldom
pernitted III those stead ygOing columns he speaks
of his definition of a strong and Ineligible policy
in Egypt as falling like shower bath on the polt-
cal world The image is an apt one, but II ProVoKes
tba ouerv whether the constitution of the patient Is
robust enough for such heroic treatment. Other
papers il should be sail and notably The StdRd1rd'
have rally preceded The Times urging that Eng
land conld not be expected to pull Egyptian chest-
nuts out of the fire Tor the rest of Europe to share
With her ON equal terms afterwaTd. They have
nojpted to some such predominance of England IN
Feypt a. the natural and proper result oil the eX-
clusiye efforts she is making. But the point and
PURPOSE Of English efforts have never before been
stated with ANYTHING like such defniteness or with
the same ar of speaking. spite of all disclaimers
with some great authority to fall back on.
NV own notion is that there is some such au-
fbority bat that il is not Nil. Gladstone. should
SOW further that though The Times has put Its idea
into palmer words than most people nave Vel uSeu
10 themselves it is only publishing little prema-
hat ha majority OF English people
will before long agree uoon. practical people,
these English They are nightly judged as willing
TO respord to any Legitimate demands, but IL they
have TO make large sacrifices in money and perhaps
in NEIL they will certainly ask cui bono They VIII
undoubtedly demand that English interests III
Rgypt shall rest Oh something more
stable than &" the shad0wy authority OF the Sultan
or the futile approval Of the Concert OF Europe,
Nor Is this mere oondhoders talk. The bondhold-
.rs have never made any Roadway as politicians.
They don't touch the popular imagination. Eng
land has far more at stake III Egypt than all the
bonds now extant Unified and Preference included.
But again | say that direct proposal 10 make
Egypt INTO a new India is one which people re-
Qulre to think over
Time indeed is Of the essence of this question. Not
long ago occurred a brief conversation which will
show If nothing else, how some of those IN Mr..
Gladstone's counsels have been peenng into the
future The dsy after the bombardment friend
said TO one of Her Majesty's Ministers
"Tbls is only another step toward the inevitable"
"What do YOU mean by the inevitablep retorted
tbe Minister mean All English occupation of
Egypt was the answer And after minutes re-
Aeeton. "You are quite right" said the Minister,
and the couyer Sation came 10 an cad.
The familiar processes of amateur Cabinet
making which have been going on incessantly ever
SINCE Mr. Brights retirement, came perforce 10 an