Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-07-14

which Eogland must have the sym
pathy and approval Of all who IN
derstand its cause. Arab P4sha is
emphaticaily a sham reformer. His
pretense that he represents the Egyptian
people is transparent imposture. The
Egyptian people The fellaheen, that is to
ay-unfortunstelY have no representation.
For centuries they have been hewers Of
wood and drawers OF water. Arab Pasha
really represents the old plundering Pashas
who want to drive out the English and
French for no other reason than because
they hope to regain the control of the rev.
enues, and to be able to restore the oppres-
sion which they practiced upon the fellah-
cen previous to the establishment OF the
European control. The interest of the
Egyptian people, which is, of course, good
government, is represented by England in
this war Arab is the enemy of his own
people. He is daring adventurer, who
seeks to establish himself as tyrant ruler
of Egypt. He has been encouraged to
persevere in his course by the expectation
that England and France, and perhaps
other powers, would quarrel over the inter
ventiOn question, and prevent one another
from doing anything.
He finds now that this is a delusion,
and that England at least has determined
that he shall be put down. Nothing re-
mains for him now but desultory guerrilla
warfare, supposing, what is doubtful, that
he can keep any force together. At the
latest accounts he was marching upon
Cairo. He cannot expect to hold that city
against an English army, but he may de-
liver it up to plumber, and cause the few
Europeans remaining there to be murdered.
At the approach OF an English force he
must retreat into the desert, where he may
elude pursuit for some time, and, with the
aid Of the Bedouins, make raids upon the
British. But his present course is calcu.
lated to precipitate the occupation of Egypt
by the foreigners he has been trying to
Danish. 1t is possible that at this juncture
France may decide to join England in the
land operations. Whether she does or not,
however, England must proceed to inaugu-
rate land operations. She will probably
send 10000 men to Egypt, and half OF
them may be Indian troops. Arab Pasha,
when confronted with these latter, will
lose whatever advantage he possesses as
against European soldiers. The native In
dian troops will find themselves thoroughly
at home in the desert. The climate will
not exhaust them. They will be able to
pursue the Arabs into their businesses, and
their employment will shorten the cam
pIign.
The longer it takes to dispense Arab
Pasha's forces, however, the more probable
will an armed permanent occupation Of
Egypt by England become, and this occu.
patton may very easily drift into annexa-
ton. France is in no position to protest
against such measure, moreover, for her
own recent policy in Tunis must close her
mouth. No other power has sufficient in.
teress in the matter to interfere seriously
Germany is likely to side with England on
the question. Russia will hardly go to
war to maintain the Porte. And the Porte
can do nothing but protest. Protest, how
ever, will avail her little, and she too has
put herself in bad position by refusing to
send troops into Egypt when expressly
requested to do SO by England. If, there
fore, France should still hang back, and
decline to become the active ally of Eng
land in conducting the necessary land op.
erations in Egypt, the strong probability
is that when the war is over, and the re-
suits are to be formulated, England will
occupy a commanding position, and will
make her own terms for the disposition OF
Egypt. A great deal has been said of late
years as to the possibility of religious
war for the restoration of Islam, but there
have been many opportunities for rising CT
the kind, and they have not been taken
advantage of. At brief intervals false
prophets arise in the Soudan, and some Of
them have carried the crescent far and
wide among the thick native populations of
Africa. But their career is usually
short. They fall under the assassin s
knife, or in some skirmish, and we hear no
more of them. They do not communicate
their enthusiasm to the Arabian people,
who are the most bigoted followers of
Mohammed.
1t is therefore not probable that Arab
Pasha can restore himself by any such
means. He has reached the elimination
Of his career. He has few thousand fol-
lowers, called by courtesy an army, but it
is very doubtful whether he can get them
to face European troops, and even if they
do they are certain to be defeated at the
first encounter. Nor can the desert subsist
an army. 1t is impracticable for him to
retire there for any length Of time. In
such case his army would melt away in a
few days, and he would find himself left
alone with the Bsdouins, who of course
could not afford him any substantial aid.
His stubbornness and persistence can only
more effectually Illustrate his own projects,
in fact. Law and order in Egypt must and
will be restored, and no guerrilla chief
can be allowed to ruin that fertile coun.
try. We do not know as yet whether
Arab has made any attack upon the Suez
Canal. Perhaps he may refrain from at.
empts in that direction, lest he should
bring all Europe upon him. Ii, how
ever, he concludes that his defeat
is certain, he may destroy the
canal out of mere malignity. Now that
the English fleet has done its work,
the army ought to be brought into play
without any loss Of time. Indeed it seems
an error of judgment not TO have had a
land expedition at hand ready for use so
soon as the forts were silenced. Had that
been done not only Alexandria but Cairo
would have been saved from piilage and
fire, and many hundred lives of Europeans
would have been preserved. The work on
shore, however, has to be done, and no
doubt will be done, whether slowly or
quickly, and it may be regarded as GER
tain that thenceforth the possession of the
Suez Canal, at least, will be taken alto
gether out of the hands of the Egyptian au-
thorities, while it is possible that when the
war is ended the land of the Pharaohs