Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-11-21

Gen. Cotton Says that the Late War
was q War OF Greed and Iniquity.

Gen. R. E. Cotton, Of Washington, who for
ten years served as Bey in the army of the
khedive Of Egypt, lectured upon "Modern
Egypt and the Causes Leading to the Late War
with England" in Cooper Union. N. Y, last
Saturday evening. "Under Mohammed ALL"
he said, "the Egyptian. army was a splen-
did fighting body, but the Egyptian army
Of to-day Is sad affair. 1t is recruited
entirely by CONSUMPTION, and, as the
populace Of the cities of Alexandria and
Cairo are exempt from the press the fellah of
the rural district is forced to do unwilling mill
tary duty. The fellah is the most nOffensive
fellow in the world. He wants only to be let
alone to till the soil in his mud-hut village. He
is tall and straight and well-made; he is frugal
and will march further and uncomplanIf=y
upon less food than any soldier in the world
He Is drilled in French tactics and armed with
Remington's best arms. He is the best-lOOkng
soldier that | ever saw. and only lacks one re-
quisite. and that is he can't fight. doesn't want
to fight. and won't fight if he can help it. That
is the army that the British admiral and gene
raj are honored for humbling.
''ismail Pasha the former khedive who alb
Dictated in favor of the present Khedive was a
very extravagant potentate. He spent 500 900
the sea wall at Alexandria. Egypt's revenues
were insufficient to pay the bills. The usurer
whispered to Isrnai Borrow The usurer
wasn't Jew. He was an Englishman. He gem
eidiiS GO lSIlltll borrowed money upon
bonds, and he only got GO out of every hun
dred and had to pay fourteen per cent on the
whole t1O0. When the time came around to
pay up Isnail Pasha still had no funds. so he
paid the loan with new loan at still more
frightful interest and so third and fourth
time. But when easy. good-natured Ismail
sent out for Il fifth loan 1t fell flat. He sent for
set of French and English commissioners
The commissioners came like the plague
upon the Egyptians, The first thing
fn ynfn fbnvpc al 1,r;.,.
f30.oo0 year each. Then they took possession
of everything from the khedive down. Eng
lishncn were put into every office from the
highest TO the lowest. and natives were turned
cut without conjunction. Out of revenue of
$4,000 600 two-thirds went to pay coupons upon
bonds for the commissioners said: these
bonds must be paid if all Egypt starves' The
whole country was administered in the interest
OF the bOndhO!ders. In October, 1878. the cou-
pOns became due The government at the in
stance of the commissioners. backed up by the
bondhOiders, seized upon the whole of the cropOf
northern Egypt. giving nominal payment. and
III the spring 10000 persons died of starvation
in one dstrict-the richest of the Nile
fifty OF them. who had for ten years
served the khedive in reorganizng the
army. were dismissed. Next. $500 native Off
GERS. that had not been paid for over a year,
had to go without pay but they got up DEM
on>ration and effected a compromise, and got
part OF their pay. Stung past all bearing. the
people demanded convocation of a popular
Egyptian Legislature and promise of Keeping
the army together. and after a demonstration
by the army the khediVe was forced to Weld
But England stepped in and said no. Then
followed the riots of June. unprecedented and
spontaneous. There was no occasion for the
commandment. 1t was the greatest iniquty
ever perpetrated against the people The
whole war. on Encland's part, was conceived
in sin and carried out III iniquity. 1t was a war
OF the bOndhol(lers. 1t was war against
children.
Arab Pasha was a man of the people He
was fellah, educated at the military academy
and he won his distinction. He was no adj
Venturer or demagOgue. He could have sold
out for millions. He did not, and he is poor
man to-day. He never pilla"ed or plundered.
He took but S1,00O.0O0 from the treasury of
Cairo when he might have taken all. and he
applied it all 10 the subsistence of his troops
If England allows Arab Pasha to suffer an ig-
nomnous death she will have added another
black blotch to her escutcheon.'