Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-07-28
THE CAUSES OF THE WAR IN EGYPT.

wants.
THE CASES OF THE WAR IN EGYPT.
70 the many persons who had not kept
track Of the course of events in Egypt pre-
vious to the recent bombardment of Alexan-
dra, doubtless the sudden outbreak of hostili-
ties there has been and still is a profoundly
mysterious transaction. For such review
of the transactions which have led up TO the
existing situation will have interest and
value. To begin with 1t should be remem-
bcrcd that the Khedive's family and the gov
erning Pacbas of Egypt are Turks and that
the population are Arabs and Furthermore
that the Arabs feel themselves superior to
the Turks in education and civilization. In
February, 1880, the then minister Of war of
Egypt, Turk, made number of promo
tons in the army, advancing Turks to
higher grades, to the exclusion of
Arabs, and at the same time he dis
missed Numerous Arabs from his min
istry and replaced them by Turks. This
brought ont firm remonstraucc from Arab
Bey, who was then a colonel in the Egyptian
army and his associate colonies. They
asked that promotion br made according to
grade aud that the Arabs should receive
their share of the positions and emoluments
of the military administration. The remon-
STRANGE was treated by the ministry as an
act of INSTRUMENTATION, and Arab was ordered
to report to the Minister Of War for dsci-
pline. Before leaving his regiment he told his
men that il he didn't return soon they might
know that he was being tried for having
circulated and presented this ramonstrance.
He did not return, and his regiment went
armed to the ministry broke open the doors,
drove out the minister of war, overturned
the tables of the court, beat and assaulted
the officers constituting it, and bore Arab
back in triumph to his quarters. This WAS
the frs, overt act on the part of the military Or
of Arab, and the Government instead of pun
ishing the offenders compromised with Arab,
dismissed the minister of war, and in time
Arab became his successor, ard the acknowl.
party, whose avo~ed purpose was to throw
off the do nlnation of the European powers,
and particularly of Great Britain and France,
in Egyptian affairs, and ultimately TO secure
the independence of Egypt,and its admission
into the family of nations. In pursuance of
this purpose, Arabi's parlisans In the army
brought charges against the principal Turk
ISL military officers of conspiring against the
interests of Egypt and the accused were SEN
fenced By coults-martial TO dismissal and
Punishment. The Khedive. acting un-
der the advice OF the foreign repre-
scntatives, whose Governments were plcdg-
ed to maintain the Turkish supremacy,
disapproved OF these sentences. Thereupon
the colonies of the army. supported by Arab
demanded the revocation of the edct Of dis.
approval, under threats of deposition and
even assassination. The Khedive refused,
dismissed Arab from his office as Minister Of
War, and assumed command In person OF
the army but finding himself unable to en-.
force obedience or preserve order, he REIN
stated Arab. In the meantime the counsels
of the European powers were divided. France
had early invited England to join in a con-
vention guaranteeing the authority of the
Khedive, which England at fret assented to,
and then withdrew from. France had then
proposed a conference of the powers to ma
ture measures to the same end, which, after
much discussion, was agreed to, and actual.
ly convened in Constantinople. The avowed
policy of the powers was to invite the Sultan
to intervene to sustain the Khedive, with
the understanding that in so doing he would
be backed by the united forces of Europe to
any extent necessary. But this apparent
complete programme was baked by the re-
| fusal of the Sultan to enter the conference.
and his declaration that he would assume the
responsibility for order in Egypt. His atti
tude, however, was unsatisfactory in face
of the massacre Of the Europeans in Alexan
lacked either the will or the power to carry
out his pledges. So the conference finally
determined that the Sultan should b,
invited to send sufficient force into Egyp
to secure order, or. If he neglected to do so
a combined European force should occup.
the country. AT the moment that this ulti
matum was to be delivered to the Sultan
Admiral Seymour, in command of the Bri,
ish fleet, placarded the walls of Alexandra
with notice that he would open fire on tn
forts within twenty -four hours. The forcg
consuls, with one or two exceptions. an
nearly all the foreign residents, withdrew
the shipping in the barbor the various wa
vessels of France, Germany, Italy, an
others steamed out of the harbor an
Great Britain practically took the Egyptia
question into her own hands. This nc
changes essentially the whole situation
The assumption that the chief aim of Eng
land was to maintain the authority and II
tegrity of Turkey vanishes like the smoke G
her guns She declares In effect that what
ever Europe may DO or leave undone, sh
proposes TO hold the highway TO India
firmly within her own control. Her No x
move will be to attempt the occupation O
Egypt In force with On English army.
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