The San Francisco call., 1896-03-29
Military Authorities Openly
-. Against the Project in
.. the Soudan.
ATTITUDE TOWARD GERMANY
Great Britain Probably Backed in the
Invasion of the Deserts of
Africa.
Icopyright, 1895, by the New York Tim...l

to believe that there must be some secret
bargain somewhere BY which England is
not to be made an utter fool OF IN her for
eign adventures, but it grows increasingly
hard to preserve this sanguine mood. The
more people turn over the Soudan busi-
ness in their minds the less they like 1t.
We hear now that Lord Cromer had actu-
ally protested against II, and that deter
mined effort is to be made next week TO
compel the Ministry to cease shutting on
this point and tell the exact truth.
1t is leaking out, too, that the principal
military authorities here are openly
against the project, and that only Sirdar
Kitchener and his staff. who sniff promo
tior. in the desert air, really like the thing.
The older men in the service clubs are now
al talking about the great risks TO health
and life, the probable big disaster and
the possibility OF holding the Soudan even
after. it has been conquered, and even if
the fighting experts all took hopeful,
eager view, the English would still feel
that they stood TO lose more than they
could gain by the enterprise.
They might be reconciled in a reluctant
fashion to the enterprise If II could be
shown that sufficient provision had been
made to secure their European flank in
case their African front became crumpled
up. OF this, however, there is not the
faintest sign. The German official papers
continue to abuse England and all things
English and declare that Germany has
joined Austria and Italy in the matter OF
releasing the Egyptian funds merely TO
please these allies, and holds herself quite
:c LOTT rod
and even join England's opponents if it
seems 10 be 10 German interests to do SO.
These statements might be ignored as
mere ill-tempered "blague" if they were
addressed to British hearers alone, but
these German editors go TO the lengths Of
scolding and bullying the Austrian press
for its pro-English leanings, and Berlin
has not talked in this rude tone to Vienna
before since the triple alliance was
founded.
There Is an uneasy feeling, moreover. as
the Transyaal trouble. which seemed to be
smoothing gitself over, is going TO burst forth
again worse than ever. No great appre-
hension would be felt about this prospect,
perhaps, if the English felt sure that a
free hand would be left TO them IN South
Africa TO meet whatever difficulties arose.
but if new disturbances occur there it is
practically certain that they will involve
European complications. For instance,
believe the truth is that England holds
the conditional consent of the King of
Portugal to sell Delagoa Bay and the
whole triangular block of UmhIenga land
lying west and south of Limpopo, which
would draw a complete British girdle
nervous about how his own Cortes and Ger
many will take the announcement of the
bargain. If this Delagoa Bay bargain
comes off it is inevitable that Germany
will make an immediate row.
If any one of dozen things happens in
which Krueger displays his inability or
uuwillingness to Withstand the tremen-
dous anti English pressure of his burghers
and their German and Dutch hackers it is
hard to see how England can assert her
self without at once falling afoul OF Ger
many, even IN the far East, where Russia
is now openly taking over Port Arthur and
putting into active operation all sorts of
projects of expansion which the English
have always sworn they would resist to the
death. 1t is a fact that Germany is Russia
ally on the Pacific coast, which compels
the British to sit quiet and eat all their
brave words.
At the two points on the map, then,
where English interests are the most
important and most gravely menaced
Germany is the enemy. At both points a
crisis is imminent and either may plunge
England 1to the most arduous and serious
difficulties.
This is plain enough to everybody, yet
to everybody's amazement this most
anxious moment is chosen for a fantastic
meaningless campaign in the heart OF the
desert, which. even if successful, can only
achieve results which nobody wants or
values, and which at the very outset
estrauges and angers England's next-door
neighbor.
As was said at the start people try to
force themselves to believe that Lord Sails
bury has something up his sleeve, and
that Germany has really been put under
bonds to see England through this dark
sea of troubles on which she Is EN- mbarking.
That would be distastefui no doubt, for
the Germans are at savage popular dis
count just now in British minds, but at
least would render the situation inteliigi-
BILE: but weeks go on and bring nothing but
indications that no such defensive bargain
has been struck, and people grow aghast
at the posi- bility that England is to be
caught in another Khartoum tragedy, this
time with enemies on both sides instead
of one.
The public suspense has not found voice
yet simply because the mystery is SO hope
less and gratuitous that it seems inCon-
ceiyabie that an explanation should not
be forthcoming day by day, but it is in
creasing in volume and in intensity and
the roar will burst out soon.
A French ministerial collapse at such
juncture in international politics would
be unusually exciting. 1t is not so clear
as might be wished that this will not come
lext week in the remaining struggle over
TIE budget, but | am inclined to the belief
/ at the Bourgeois Cabinet weathered its
worst storms in the narrow straits OF the
ln,ome-tax divisions Thursday. 1t had