The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-03-26
TO PREVENT OPEN RUPTURE.
FRANCE WILL PROCEED eau
T1OUSLY IN ENGLAND'S EGYPT
IAN MOVE.
BERTHELOT COMMENTS UNFAVORADLY
On the Scheme in the French Chamber
of Deputies-Opposed to EXpending
the Egyptian Surplus for Any
Such Move.

Paris, March 19.-Egypt has continued
TO be the chief topic Of discussion all day
in the Hobbies of the chamber of deputies
and the statement made by the minister
of foreign affairs, NJ. Berthclot, adds
abundant fresh matter for discussion.
The general feeling is that NJ. Berthe
lots language was moderate and cautious
and il has served to dispcl the anxiety
of the moderate politicians who were con-
sumed with fear that France was rushing
10 an open rupture with Great Britain
and the dreibund as Il result of the semi
official announcement of the remoh-
STRANGE which had been conveyed by VI.
Bertheot to the British ambassador, the
Marquis of Dufferin.
Az the situation adjusts itself and the
intention of the different parties to the
European balance begins to emerge, II
becomes more and more evident nat
France it not prepared to take any eX-
IRENE measures to avert the Nile cam
paign. not that she likes it any better
than when il was first brOached-lt would
he hard to find II Frenchman who sees
in the proposed campaign anything but
plan of aggression on the part or Great
Britain. They all deny that there is
any need for it as II measure of protection
of Egyptian interests against the der
wishes They protest that Frances IN
terest in the welfare Of Egypt is equal
TO or greater than Great Britain's or the
other powers. 1t is pointedly argued
that n large majority of all the Egyptian
fund holders are French citizens, ana
that if Egyptian interests were really
threatened by the dervlshes, France
would have ms much interest IN protect
ing them as Great Britain. She also, 1t
il argued, has n greater interest in the
prevention of the dissipation of the
Egyptian surplus in needless expense than
has Great Britain. The only purposes
which any one in France will consent to
see in the British plan are, first, an eX,
cuse for prolonging indefinitely the hated
occupation of Egypt by the British troops
and. second, II re-occupation of the Sou
dan with the intention of barring the
future designs of France for n prosperous
colonial expansion on the Upper Nile.
NJ. Berthelot referred today to the
dangers which would result from arous-
ing religious fanaticism, not only, IN
Egypt, but which, in the language of the
minister of foreign affairs, might even
other European Nations.
A precipitation of n holy war among the
fanatical Mosem hordes of Khalifa Alb
,inllah would be viewed with consterna-
tion in France. The growth of Frances
sphere of influence east of Lake Tohad,
in Central, Africa, has extended over
pretty much all the Mahometan states OF
Baghuir, Wady and Darfur, ana on her
colonial policy. which is devoted to main
tnining cordially of relations, depends
the success of her future plans, which
ayowedly includes an extension of IN
luence to the Nile basin itself. French
men believe the British purpose in the
Nile campaign is to place bar to the
success of these French colonial plans;
The precipitation of II holy war would
threaten not only French interests, bur,
as Nj. Bcrthclot limited today, German
interests in the Cameroons as well.
There is the kcenest disappointment
felt here At Gcrmany's asserting TO
Great Britain's proposal to eXpend the
Egyption surplus on the Nile expedition.
The German and French colonial pro-
iects in Central Africa have been con
Quoted in most friendly terms and have
submitted in common to the grumbllhg
disapproval of Great Britain.
The France-German agreements ac-
cord France the right to acquire terri
tory westward of her possessions. Rca-
soning from past accord with Germany
in Central Africa. French statesmen
seem to have entertained hope that
Germany would decline to acquicsce in Il
British project to thwart French plans
on the IIpper Nile. But thep romise of
aid to Italy, Gcrmany's hard pressed
ally. that would eXtricate her from her
unpleasant predicament in Abyssinia
seems to have been an induccment that
Germany could not bring herself to de-
cline. Nevertheless, France is not pre-
pared to 20 to extreme measures IN OBJ
structing the Nile expedition. French
statesmen are alert to the fact that the
Egyptian project is not without its OPP
ponents among Englishmen themselves.
They are well aware that a large body
of influential English statesmen regard
the Nile expedition simply as price paid
"a heavy price, they think for accord
with the dreibund-an effort by Lord
Salisbury to extricate Great Britain from
her position of isolation among the
powers of the world and n willingness to
assume some unpleasant responsibility
for succeeding in this. France will rely
more upon the development of English
sentiment against the project than upon
any overt act to prevent it.
There is a skepticism felt and expressed
here about Frances power to prevent
the expenditure of the Egyptian budget
under the present circumstances. The
value of the argument advanced by Nj.
Berthclot in his address to the chamber
today, that the unanimity of approval of
the guaranteeing powers is required to
authorize the withdrawal of Egyptian
funds, is doubted even among French
men. 1t is asserted that unanimity is