The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-03-03

natural assertion by hitherto oppressed
people Of their ri int to . voice in the
government and administration of their
own country. Ismail Pasha, unscrupu-
lous despot and squanderer - he was.
did push Egypt further on the path d
progress than any other Moslem land.
With the material progress brought about
by the introduction Of machinery and the
construction of important public works
there was also . marked moral progress.
Constant intercourse with Europeans
could not fail to influence the mind OF
the Egyptians more or less, and there
gradually grew up feeling that all wa
moi as it should be. and considerable
amount, of grumbling and discomfort
manifested itself, which, however, found
no vent until after the downfall of Ismail
Pasha. When Ismail Pasha, finding
that the generous persons who had adj
vanced him money expected their inter-
est, and began to complain of his meth
DDS Of administering the country, he
asked some of the European governments
to supply him with competent persons to
assist him in the work of administering
the various departments of state. These
administrators, who in turn were sue
ceeded by a host of commissioners, d.
rectors-general and comptrollers, and
most of whom were absolutely ignorant
of the language Of the country, dismissed
from the various departments they con-
trolled the old-established Arab and
Coptic clerks, who, though perhaps
venal, obstructive and scheming, were
in many cases capable. These na-
tive officials were replaced by their
only possible successors-a crowd
of Syrian Christians. speaking Arabic
and French, or Italian. The dismissed
officials, many of whom were men of
considerable influence, and in many cases
considerable land owners. left Cairo and
Alexandria, and settled in the villages.
The Syrians imported into the admins
trations lost no time in asserting them
selves, and endeavoring in all possible
ways to discredit the Egyptians by great
activity and by making themselves al
most indispensable to their European
patrons. Their chief competitors were
the Copts, who, on account of their apti-
tude for accounts, we're not easily dis
placed. Still, continuous misrepresenta-
ton did its work, and every one who has
lived in Egypt is familiar with the depre-
ciating shake of the head when the fitness
of Copt for q vacant post is being dis
cussed. The result of this great Syrian
influx was that rapidly they occupied all
the subordinate posts in the departments,
and the Egyptians found themselves
ousted from nearly all the positions of
trust and Importance in the country.
This state of things went on for some
time, and the natural result followed.
The young Egyptians who found them
selves debarred from advancement in the
service because they were Egyptians, the
officials, the sheiks, and other
personages, who not unfrequent-
ly found themselves treated with rude
ness and disrespect by the young Euro
pean employees of the cadastre, domains
and Daira Sanieh, joined together, and
formed themselves into what was at first
known as the young Egypt party, but
which to-day has just claims to the more
dignified title of the National party. The
National party once having been formed.
after much interchanging of ideas and
serious discussion, decided on a pro-
gramme. which may be said to embrace
the following articles: l. Independence
of Egypt from Turkey. 2. The forma-
ton Of Chamber of Representatives to
be elected by the people. 8. The direct
of the, country with or
without the control. 4. The dismissal
Of the highly paid foreign officials, whose
presence is unnecessary If the control be
effective. 5. The employment of Egyp-
tians in all departments where foreigners
are not absolutely necessary. The pro-
gramme, as originally drawn up nearly
two years ago. was reasonable one, but
it was just one of those programmes
which require strong measures to
push them through. If it be acknowl-
edged that the programme was reason
able, it is difficult to see how anything
could have been done without calling
into play force capable of making itself
felt. The army was naturally the force
most easily utilized, and had proved its
own power, having been utilized by
Ismail Pasha to rid himself of his two
foreign ministers, Messrs. Wilson and
Blignieres. Under Colonel Ahmet Bey
Arab, who, by his character for integ-
rity, his eloquence, and force of charac-
ter, had gained the confidence of both
the National party and the soldiers, the
army, after showing their power in q
of small ways, overthrow the
Riaz ministry. ..
The demonstrations of February and
October have startled many people, and
3 great deal of nonsense has been writ
ten; but it is greatly to be doubted if in
any other country but Egypt what really
to a great rev olution could have
been effected without bloodshed, and it
speaks volumes for the prog
ress of nation when such q revolution
ian be carried through quietly and rea-
The whole programme was
we'll thought out and executed; no ex-
,esses have been committed nor are anv
likely to be. No greater mistake can be
made than to accept the assertion that
he movement is confined to the towns
If CairQ and Alexandra. I have had
during the last eighteen months
o visit many Of the villages, and 1 may
'ay with absolute certainty that all the |
eading men, the shieks, the mudirs Cif |
not Turks), the various muffettishes-
N fact. all the people who influence the |