The Portland daily press., 1882-10-05
NE York Tribune j
Arahi's DAfanna

Arabl'S Defence.
The DEGREES issued by the Khedive for the
trial Of the Egyptian rebels embody English
ideas of fair play. Amnesty win be accorded
to all officers from captains downward except
those who took part in riots or joined the army
after the opening Of the campaign. The re-
naming officers are to be prosecuted by
special comm ission and tried by court martial
either at Cairo or Alexandria. In every case
publicity is to be allowed, and the privilege of
employing counsel 10 to be accorded The
prisoners win not be condemned by secret tri-
bunals nor denied the right of defending them
selves as best they can. Such travesties on
human justice al were witnessed in the pro-
ceedings against Midhat and his Turkish con-
federates will not be enacted in Egypt under
English tutelaga.
The nature Of the leading rebels defence
may be conjsctured from an ingenious plea
prepared at the Sultan's request by Sebib Eff
fendi. one of the Turkish officials who accom-
panied Dervish Pashr on his mission to G .iro.
Arab was represented in that publication as
defending his course on the ighest grounds of
National patriotism and religious duty. His
retrospect opened with the remonstrance which
he had made when colonel in the Khedi ye's
service against the employment of forei gners
in all departments Of the administration.
These officials frequently received high sala-
ries for nominal service, and their influence
was rapidly increasing. Arab and h is princi-
pal advisers, Ali Fehmi and Atol ,al-Mutael,
contended that the Khedive could dismiss this
swarm Of foreign officials without violating
any international obligations, and they were
arrested by the Minister of War for advocating
that course. No sooner were they imprisoned
than the War Office was surrounded by two
regiments, and their deliverance was speedily
erected. From that moment Arabi had the
confidence of the army and the sympathy of
the mass OF the people, whe looked upon him
not so much as the enemy of the foreigner as
the champion of homo rule. Not long after
ward his troops surrounded the Palace of Alb
bedin and demanded the convocation of a
Chamber of Notables and the substitution of a
National Ministry for one which merely exc
cuted the orders of foreign Controllers. These
constitutional changes were ordered by the
Khedive. The Cabinet was reconstructed and
Arab was invited to enter the War Office, and
the Chamber of Notables evinced disposition
to discuss the budget after the manner of Eu-
ropean Legislatures. Egypt was in fair way
OF being governed by and for the Egyptians
gives OF his rise as National leader His
downfall he attributes, with Oriental subtlety,
to the plots OF his insidious foes, the foreign
othcehollers. As Minister of War he dis
pa,ched certain Circassian officers to Soudan-
They refused to obey orders, and presented
remonstrance against their being employed in
service which was distasteful to them. 1t
was his duty to maintain military discipline,
and he had reason to suspect that they we're
plotting against his life. A court martial was
nnEltr lrT hNlA nw.1
exile in the Soudan. AT this stage the foreign
Controllers intervened on the plea that Arab
was becoming 100 powerful. Acting upon
their advice, the Khedive commuted their SEN
teDce to exile to Constantnople, disregarding
thereby the urgent appeals of the Ministry and
leading members OF the Chamber OF Notabes.
This incident was followed by attempts to con-
woke the Chambers and secure the revocation
OF the sentence until the Khedive, abandoned
Dy MS Ministers and his army, was forced to
subordinate himself to the wishes Of the for
eigR Controllers. When the Turkish commits
sioners arrived, Arab declared that his objects
were the maintenance of the Sultan's rights
and the authority of the Khedive, and the pre-
vention al abuses on the part of foreign Office
holders. A reconciliation between the Khe-
diately effected if the presence of the French
and English fleets had not excited the popula-
tion Of Alexandra.
As Arab pleads his own case, foreign inter-
vention arose from an occurrence of no interna-
tional signifcance whatever. The Controllers
bad used their political influence to subvert
the judgment Of q court martial designed to re-
store discipline in the army, and when breach
had been made in the relations of the Ministry
to the Khedive, naval demonstration was
planned as direct menace OF coercion. This
will be unique defence before court organ
lied for the prosecution Of military rebels. At
the same time Arab disclaims responsibility
Tor the lamentable occurrences at Alexandria.
Hh not only took measures to restore order af-
ter the massacre, bat arrested the guilty ones
and organized tribunal for their trial. He
charges that while the Ministry were striving
TO dispel the apprehensions of foreigners and
he himself was avowing his Willingness to sub
nit to his sovereign and the Viceroy, the
Frenc1 and English Consuls refused to be rep
resented at the trial of the rioters, did nothing
to prevent the emigration of Europeans, and
persisted in keeping the Egyptian question
open. When Alexandra was again quiet and
the discipline Of the army was restored, Admi-
raj Seymour wilfully assumed menacing att-
tude and declined to accept positive evidence
that the land forces were not making military
preparations. Arab justifies his own conduct
in replying to the guns of the fleet by declar-
ing that he was acting in self-dt fence and in
accordance with the Khedive's wishes He
avows that he was ready at any stage of the
campaign to submit to his sovereign, the Sui
tan, all the questions which had arisen between
himself and the Viceroy, and to abide Loyalty
by his decision.
This will be Arabi's plea, II the lines marked
cut by him before the battle of Tel-el Kebir be
followed at the tribunal in Cairo The same
course of argument has been already urged
without success before the English public by a
small group of Radicals and publicists. The
verdict Of that tribunal has been that enthusi-
asts like Mr.. Blunt have been i" posed upon
by the specious reasoning of military adven-
turer whose power was grounded upon the per-
soLal loyalty of group of officers ystemati-
cally bribed by promotions and increased pay.
1t is not likely that the same plea will affect
the decisions of military court organized by
the Khedives officials Defeat and failure in
variably carry conviction to the Oriental mind.
Arabi's plea will be heard with indifference
and contempt.