The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1896-05-14
The OfhCial Paper Of San Juan County
THURSDAY, MAY l4th, 1926.
TWO ENGLISHNES.


displeased with the announcement OF
the colonial secretary that no commit
tee of inquiry into the affairs OF the
Chartered South Africa Company will
be approved by the ministry until after
the trial of DIR. Jameson, which VIII
not be resumed until the eleventh OF
June, and that in the meantime Cecil
Rhodes will retain his position us one
Of the directors Of the company and CO.
administrator OF its territory. 1t Is not
difficult to understand why the "com-
mon people" of England should feel in-
censed at the manifest disposition of
the ministry to shield the high officials
of the Chartered company who counte-
nanced and encouraged, if they did not
actually institute, the despicable con-
spiracy to overthrow a friendly gov
eminent. And yet if the Jameson raid
had been successful there is not much
doubt that English public opinion
would have been practically unanimous
in support Of the outrage.
Cecil Rhodes has been referred to as
the "Warren Hastings of Africa" The
comparison is not altogether without
warrant, and yet there is comparatively
little similarity in the careers of the
two men. At the age of eighteen years
Hastings was sent to Bengal in the en-
ploy of the East India Company in the
minor capacity of a "writer", or clerk.
He was an orphan, poor and without
high political or social connections.
When he landed at Calcutta the affairs
of the East India Company were in a
bad condition. Throughout the entire
south of the great peninsular French
influence predominated. The company
was little more than trading corpora
ton, with little power to resist French
encroacbments or the eXactions of the
native princes. The star of Clive's
great military genius was rising but he
had not then been entrusted with the
power which enabled him 10 overthrow
the French and firmly establish the
foundations of the British Empire in
India. No man, not even Give, ever
learned to understand the native char
acter so we'll as Hastings, and no man
ever connected in any way with the
conduct of British Colonial affairs has
ever developed such q wonderful capac-
ity for organization and administration.
BY sheer merit he rose from his obscure
clerkship to be the first Governor Gen
eral of India. He made the first at
tempt to open trade route with Thib
CT and instituted the first survey of
Bengal and of the eastern seas; He in
duced the learned men of Bengal to
give to European scholars the key to
the treasures of Sanscrit. 1t was under
his auspices that the Royal Asiatic So
ciety was established. He founded the
college for Mahometan education at
Calcutta and it is to him that Calcutta
is chiefly indebted for its importance as
the greatest commercial city of Asia.
After an almost continuous residence
OF more than third of u century i'm In
dia, honored and respected by all class
es, he resigned his post and returned
to England, where he became the vic
tim of the malevolence of former associ-
ates in office, who secured his impeach-
ment before the House of Lords for
"high crimes and misdemeanors". His
trial in some respects the most remark
able in history, covered a period of
seven years and resulted in his conf
plete vindication, though it left him
poor in purse and pensioner on the
bounty of the great company whose
vast wealth and power was 80 largely
the result of his wonderful ability, f.
deity and zeal.
Cecil Rhodes has had:a very differ
ent career. The younger son of an
English gentleman of some means, en-
joying the advantages of collegiate
education and the support ofinfuential
friends, he went to South Africa in
search of fortune and found it. After
acquiring vast wealth in the diamond
mines of Kimberley he turned his at
tention to politics as a diversion rather
than rs profession, and after holding
one or two minor Offices became pre-
mier OF Cape Colony in 1890. But
while he has demonstrated some admir-
able qualities of leadership and has pur-
sued policy which has been both pro-
gressive and aggressive, there is little
III his career to indicate that he would
have achieved great prominence in
politics independent of his wealth aud
prominent social and business counec-
tions, and certainly he has done no
such great work for the British empire
tn Africa as Warren Hastings did i'm
India more than century ago. And
whatever there is of honor in his career
Ia overshadowed by his connection
with tie trescherous conspiracy to
overthrow the peaceful and friendly
government of the South African Re
public.