Morning journal and courier., 1882-07-13
Thursday Morning, July 1a, 1882.
THE DI IsCONTENTEn EGYPTIANs-

THE DI sCONTENTED EGYPTIANS When the Europeans took hold of the fin-
 ances of Egypt in the interest of the bond
 holders those finances were in a very
 bad way. The receivers, so to speak, quickly
 improved the credit of Egypt, but, in the
 words of recent historian the very success of the foreign administrators in extricatinp
 the country from the financial quisksand
 into which it had fallen, and in organizing the general administration of the govern
 ment hastened the period when native and religious prejudices would come to the sur face. Egyptians naturally ohafed to see the government of the country taken out of their hands, and all the important posts filled by aliens, especially as the foreign officials receive salaries which would be enormous in
 any country, but which are unheard of in Egypt.
 1t has been generally supposed that for elgn control was good thing for the con- mon people of Egypt. An English consul thus reported concerning the working of the plan "Ihe fellaheen, or native cultivators, though still subjected to conscription, were no longer taken in droves to swell a useless
 army, or employed upon useless work, al- though forced labor remained legal the land tax, though heavy, was collected with comparative fairness'' On the other hand Arabi Pasha recently said:
 The Fellaheen are ruined, but not by me or my party The real reason why they are In condition of penury is that they have never yet been able to get rid of the load of debt under which they were crushed by the regime of Ismai This has compelled then, to borrow and reborrow, and made them slaves of the Jewish and Syrian and Greek money lenders with whom they have always to renew their bonds at ever aupmentinp rates of interest. They have never been able to escape from their ruinous obligations to these blood sucking usurers, and the high salarled officials of the Control of course never deigned to give thought to the intol- erabie misery wkich the tillers of the soil I had thus to endure. On the contrary they told Europe that und,r their improved ad- mlnlstratlon these wretched people were hap
 py and even rich I declare this to be false. | say that, on the contrary, the Fellaheen Of Egypt owe to day. over seven millions of pounds sterling to the money lenders which they are too poor to pay, and it has been the principal part of my policy to deal with this fact and to put stop to the odious trade of the entire tribe of usurers, Greeks, Syrians. Jews and others. Instead of their enslavinp system intended to inaugurate a scheme for national bank which would have enabled the Fellaheen to get over their financial diff culties equitably and easily. For this have drawn down on my head the bitter enmity of the usurers and their hangers. on and adyo- cates. Their lies are believed by Maiet, Col
 win and the official European clique who get the English to believe them also The in- trlgues of the money lenders ramify all over Europe, and the result is that the present po- sltlon of Eg5 pt is desperate, because Europe
 Will not open it's ears to the truth about it.
 One thing is certain The foreign Control has benefited the Egyptians by causing the rate of interest to be largely reduced. But 1t IS not surprising that this and the other
 blessings which it is claimed the Control has conferred upon the Egyptians have not rec onciled them to being governed by foreign CTS. Of course the English do net see why they should object to being thus governed,
 but the English never able to see the beauties of ''home government" for any peo- pie whom they wish to govern