The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1882-07-20
rnr rAsrrnS QUESTION

TftE EASTERN uUESftON
Much has been written since The COM 4
OF the Egyptian trouble as TO Il
IA origin and the facts surrounding II, but u
here seems to be great Ignorance and u
OF views thereon, together q
with general desire to know all about H. r
What the exact relation between Egypt
and Turkey, who and what the khedive,
pashas, etc, and what Is the real origin oil ,
the difficulty Mt present existing IRE ques-
tons about which there seems to be wiae (
difference Of opinion and very htt' %
nositiye information, although q gene raj
dosiro exists for news. In the first
place, Egypt is a dependency oil Tur-
tey, not direct province or portion
Of the empire, as Asia Minor or Palestine,
but tributary state, under the general
control of the sultan and RI led by khe-
dive. This last Office is he .reditary, but the
superior sovereignty of the sultan is admit
ted. Egypt pays tribute to the porte and is
bound to furnish q contingent of soldiers
amounting to ten or twenty thousand men
to Turkey in case of war. Some thirteen
years ago, in 1869, the Suez canal was open
ed by DeLesseps, Egypt holding large
amounts of stock therein. In>lo15 she sold
to Great Britain 177,0C0 shares OF
canal stock for $2O,OOOOOo and the
condition of the finances being hope
! lessly, involved they were placed
| in the management Of European commits
sioners to secure the obligations Egypt had
assumed with reference to this canal stock.
Ere long it was announced that the khe-
dive had accepted the European system OF
constitutional government, and reformed
administration was created. but summary
dismissed in 1879 by the same khedive, Is
MAIL. The European powers interterred
and IsMAIL was deposed and the present
ruler, TEwFIK, was made viceroy of Egypt.
The governors of Egypt have been known
as pashas, which term indeed signihes
rulers and is applied to provincial govern
ors and military commanders. There
are three grades of pasha, answer
ing to our word general and its grades
or ranks. The khedive is the old
hereditary title Of Egyptian rulers and
IsMA1L PAsHA obtained permission from the
sultan to assume it in 1866. The national
debt of the country is nearly $5OO,OOO,Ooo,
spent principally in recent improvements,
and the khedive's personal indebtedness
three or four years ago amounted to over
$40, OOO, 600. One of the cabinet officers OF
TEwFIK was ARABI BEY, minister of war
| The real cause of this trouble with the khe-
dive briefly, as detailed by Cairo cores
dent, was TEwFIK's refusal to confirm upon
fifty officers the sentence ola court-martial
banishing them for an alleged conspiracy
against ARABI. The minister was en-
ragged, misunderstanding increased,
and ARABI was asked t.2> re-
sign, which ,hs.>"did: A great
howl was raised,oy the army for his rein
statemeat, as the cunning minister had led
the ,,eople to believe that he was deposed
Through European influence and demands,
working upon the national sentiment to re-
gain power-the complications thus spring
ing directly from ARABS ambition. The
pressure was so great, and excitement ran
SO high, the khedive was compelled to reap
point the popular minister, who then began
to lord it over both the khedive and Euro
peans, until the idea, encouraged by ARAB,
took possession of the country that they
would throw of the European control en-
tirely and manage their own finances and
affairs. Then came the dreadful mas
sacre of Alexandra, month since, when
the most frightful scenes were enacted, and
the gauntlet thrown down to Europe. AT
once TO protect their capital and their sub
iects, England and France sent down their
ships of war with the results so far with
which all are familiar. This is briefly the
origin of the trouble and the various facts
surrounding it. All, so far as the army and
Egyptian population nre concerned, is in
the hands OF ARABr BEY, but what the
final outcome may be it is hard yet to
determine. In contest with q Euro
pean power, and particularly England,
Egypt could not long, Of course, hold out,
but by fleeing TO the deserts her armies
might prolong the difficulty indefinitely.
Then the season of the year is very disas-
trous TO Europeans, and thousands of the
invaders would certainly perish. The
chief danger is the cutting OF the canal. 1t
is l26 miles long, some 50 feet wide and 20
feet deep, aud it is extremely difficult in
peace to keep the.sands Of the desert from
destroying It, and TO cut it any
where would be but triiling work,
and would occasion great loss OF
time and money TO repair. The powers
have at last spoken, however, and the
Turks will probably, If no other inter
national implications arise, soon disperse
the Egyptian forces and restore order.
While the hatred against the Europeans
will be bitter for some time, their power
and influence in the east will undoubtedly
be greatly enhanced and the ultimate re-
suits will be infinitely better for both Eu-
rope and the east. This is the eastern
question as briefly as we can put it.