The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-03-19
THE SOJDAN CAMPAIGN
or Farreaching Importance to
All Europe.
FRANCE aGalNST BRITAlN'S PLAN.
Declares the Condition Of AGalrs In the
Soudan Warrants No Such Movement.
England Trying to Regain Her Power
Among the Great Nations,


LONDON, March l6.-Your correspond.
ent is able to state, in connection with
the reopened Egyptian question that the
British government consulted and oh.
tanned the approval Of a majority of fol.
lowers before deciding on the advance
on Dongola.
This make the new Soudan campaign
Of far-reaching political importance in
its bearing upon Great Britains relat-
tions with the European powers.
The disclosure Of recent events of Great
Britain's compete and friendless isola-
ton in the community of nations has
given a shock and a feeling of uneasi.
ness to the responsible craftsmanship of
Great Britain has been frankly admit.
ted by British statesmen themselves
That England's diplomacy has been
busy with efforts TO make some inrOads
into the universal hostile array of ma.
tions has been generally understood.
When the terms of the settlement of
the dispute over the boundaries between
the possessions on the MekOng in mdO.
China of Great Britain and France was
made known the world expressed its
wonder at the substantial concessions
made by Great Britain, and the opinion
was generally held that Great Britain
sought to secure an entente with France
as a consideration for these concessions
Many commentators prOfCSsCd to sec
confirmation of this opinion in the sug.
gestion offered by the sultan a little
later to Lord Salisbury that England
should rGgularize the situation in Egypt
II was suggested that the sultan's sug-
gestion was inspired by Great Britain
itself in order to open up course for
the evacuation of Egypt, thus rcmOv
ing the principal cause of irritation be.
tween Great Britain apd France
The announcement of the new Sou.
dan campaign is clear and convincing
evidence that there is TO be no reap
proaChmcnt between Great Britain and
France. If further evidence were
needed of this, it was seen in the pro
longed visit on Friday to the foreign
Office of Baron de COurCCl. the French
ambassador IN London, and his subSe
quent departure in person for Paris TO
impart the result of his interview to
the French cabinet.
Confederation of Frances opposition
to the proposed SOudan campaign is
found in a d SpatCh from Cairo, naming
as the explicit grounds of her opposition
that no movement in the SOudan exists
warranting such campaign and that
the Khalifa Abdullahi, the successor of
the late Mahdi, MOhammod Ahmed and
military chief under him in the former
war, has lost all his authority and has
withdrawn his loyal udhGrcnts from the
Cassala districts.
The advance upon Dongola was de-
i 4
with a view to the favorable effect it,
would have toward replacing the conf.
dence of the English people in the gov.
ernment and blut1ing ont the enemies Of
Great Britain among the European ma.
tiOns.
1t was also done with a view to the
favorable effect 1t would have upon the
Italian situation in AbyssSinia, as was
stated by The Times, the organ Of the
British cabinet, in connection with it's
announcement of the SOudan campaign
Almost simultaneously with this an
nOunCement comes the news Of the visit
of Count GOluchowski, the Austro.
Hungarian prime minister, to Berlin,
and the statement that as q result. the
dreibund is TO remain intact and that
the German government irritable atti.
tested over the Transvaal episode. has
been Modified through the exertions of
Count Goluchowski.
The question of the hour in European
politics is whether Great Britain has
thrown in her fortunes with the drei.
bund as against France and Russia.
There is no doubt whatever that for
several months there has been some
sort of understanding between Great
Britain and Italy, probably of very in.
definite character, with respect to Joint
action in the SOudan.
There is reason to believe that the
plan for reCnnquering the SOudan is not
confined to Great Britain and Italy. II
has been often stated, and facts adduced
bears out the Statcmant, that the Congo
Free State is also in this understanding.
1t is perfectly true that the Belgian for.
elgn minister recently absolutely denied
any knowledge of such plan, but then
the Belgian &, vernn ent j. not represent.
ed in the Congo State.
Moreover for months past the British
public has been watching with interest
and curiosity, not unnixed with con.
Germ, the advance of a mysterious, but
strong, force of COngolese troops to the
reaches of the Upper Nile, on the cx-
treme' northeast border of the Soudan
and the Free State Nothing il exactly
known OF the intentions and objects Of
this force, but it is certain the state
officials of Belgium have been recently
sending great quantities of arms and
ammunition to Africa together with
many officers.