The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-08
THE CAUSE OF THE WAR.
Pounds, Shillings and Pence at the Root Of
the Bloody Struggle.

Pounds, Shillings and Pence at the Root Of
the Bloody Struggle.
The origin of the present Egyptian campaign
dates from the reign of Ismail Pasha, shrewd
and unscrupulous intriguer, who succeeded Said
Pasha in 1868, and accumulated fortune from
the expectation of cotton during our civil war.
This money he lavished on Turkish officials
till he soon found himself favorite with the
Sultan and endowed with almost regal power.
He had been educated in Paris, and his ambition
was to Europeanize Egypt and make Cairo the
Paris of the East TO accomplish this purpose
he borrowed money by the million at the most
exorbitant rates of interest. This money was
not devoted to national purposes, but was ex-
pended in Oriental display, i'll bribing favorite
friends of the Sultan in Constantinople, in
covering Egypt with palaces, and stocking ha-
relns. The fellaheen, or native population, were
robbed to pay the interest on these debts, from
which they derived no benefit and which they
had no share in contracting and, when the
money could not be raised, the Khedives tax
gatherers used to surround the villages. catch
the inhabitants, and ply the bastinado till the
taxes were paid.
AT last things camo TO such pass that Ismail
could borrow no more money, and the fellaheen
could pay no more taxes In the interest of the
bondholders. mostly English and French Ismail
made Khedive. TO secure payment on the bonds,
joint or dual control was established over
Egyptian finances by England and France. Sir
Rivers Wilson, the English representative, dis
missed from public employment all tho
native Egyptian officials, and flooded the
country with a swarm Of hungry En-
gish officials, who knew nothing about
Egypt save that it owed them exorbitant SAL
aries. A spirit of diaffection soon manifested
ITSELF and national party was formed, headed
by Arab Pasha, an officer Of the army A tEawI
occurred in the streets of Alexandria which was
magnifed by the English press into wholesale
massacre, and measures were taken by the En-
glish government to suppress the Egyptian ma
tlonal party, now in incipient rebellion against
the Khediye who was only a puppet in the
hands of his English and French masters.
France refused TO cooperate with England in
suppressng the rebellion, and the latter re-
solved to act alone Admiral Seymour bonn
barded Alexandria, and Wolseley, passing
through the Suez canal met the Egyptian army
at Tel ell Keber, defeated it and captured Arab
Pasha who was banished to Ceylon.
Meantime the Arabs of the Soudan--an i'm
mense tract of country comprising kordofan,
Nubia proper, Senaar and Toka on the east. and
some Nile districts further south---under the
leadership of Ell Mahdi, the false prophet had
risen in rebellion against Egyptian rule, and
held tho Egyptian garrisons prisoners. The
Soudan region had bcen gradually annexed since
1921, but was never reduced TO complete subiec-
tion. 1t was the center of the great African
slave trade, which had always been monopolized
by the Arabs. and which was partially broken
up by Sir Samuel Baker and Gen. Gordon, in
the service of the khedivc, some years before
England having undertaken to restore order in
Egypt now found herself coInpsied TO hberase