The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1885-02-15
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY Is, 1885.
A Timely Inquiry.

Tho suOlOlned communication relates 10
moral question of kind that is continually
and very properly raised in regard to political
and military affairs:
en: Would you please inform me. and doubt
many thousand others of your readers what right Eng
land has to send to invade the territory Of
there 10 rebellion within that country, does not
servo the Government OF England . terrible lesson
namely to stay q. home and mind its own bnsinesst
What right has England to ssud her mon to invade
Egypt and bo murdered there-if indeed their killing can
b called murdcrf srupxSr OF STORY.
Our correspondent is evidently disposed to
test every public question by the standard OF
moral right and wrong; and yet this standard
cannot DO too vigorously and narrowly en-
forced in matters OF this nature.
In the FIRST place, England has an immense
interest In the Suez Canal and In the safety
Of transit through 1t. She 10 also bound to
protect the thousands OF her subjects who
are established in Egypt In commerce or In
the pursuit Of health or study. Moreover.
her people long ago loaned to the ruler OF
Egypt vast sum Of money, and when his
extravaganza and bad management had
brought the treasury OF that country into
. condition Of bankruptcy. England. and
France with her, interviewed to look after
the payment Of this debt Next followed the
Sebellion Of ARABI Pasha. who under
took to expel tho ruling family
from Egypt and all foreigners with
them. England invited France to join
her in sending troops to put down
ARAB1's uprising. France declined, and
England alone sent feet and an army
for that purpose; aud ever since then she
has had to maintain military forco In the
country to preserve the Government sho had
thus saved from destruction. In pursuit of
this end she first sent GORDON to the Soudan
and has now sent WOhsELEY there with his
forces. These operations from the beginning
until now have been conducted by tho British
Government with q great deal OF vacilla-
ton aud uncertainty; but their essence Is
precisely as we have stated.
Now, our correspondent holds that all this
was contrary to the moral law, and that Eng
land should have stayed at home and minded
her own business, leaving the Egyptians
to mind theirs, But this was quite
impossible; and had 1t been attempted we
think 1t would have left England and civil
lied countries generally in far worse condl-
tion than that they are now in. The British
residents in Egypt would have been muir
dered. or expelled with great cruelty and
suffering; the Suea Canal would have
passed under tho control Of adventures
whose great purpose seems to be the revival
OF aggressive Islamism and the reconstruc-
ton on fanatical basis Of the Mohamme-
dan part Of the world. The Turkish empire,
which has been so carefully maintained
out OF regard to tho equilibrium and the
peace OF Europe would have been assailed
from within by the forces Of religious frenzy
and furious barbarism; and the struggle
which Is now 30 difficult, and to outsiders 80
intensely interesting, would have beon
thousand fold more bloody and dangerous
The war and the fighting, which we SO much
deplore. would not have been avoided, and
they would have been far more expensive
moro deadly, and more uncertain than they
are now.
Toa certain limited and Illogical extent the
present Government OF England has at
tempted to follow the course indicated by
our correspondent and the disasters which
have been experienced have been due chiefly
to It's feebleness and inadeQuacy. Had they
met the hordes Of tho Mahdi with vigor and
determination months ago. they would have
put them down with much less bloodshed
than will now be requisite. Put down they
must be In the interests u humanity There
can be no truce between tho defenders of
civilization and the fanatcal savagcs OF Gem
trial Africa. bent upon ovcrrunning the world
with fire and sword under the lead Of this
modern MAHoMRr.