The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-27
THE GAME OF THE CENTURIES.

There are more people in Soudan, into
which country the English Egyptian
army IS now marching for conquest
and to conquer. than there are people
on the North American continent, Yet
how few appreciate the fact. 1t is a
vast region Of total area of 1900, 900
square miles, yet how little the world
knows Of it. A population of nearly
one hundred millions, heard Of and
known TO the civilized world only as a
| tribe might be known. II is a country
made up Of many provinces. Of one re
] ligiOn, stretching four thousand miles
east and west from the Red Sea TO the
Atlantic ocean, including the great
Sahara desert, and watered by all the
! Niles. by the Nigre and many other
/ rivers. But it IS Eastern SOudan. COM
! prising Ddrfur, KOrGOnfan, Senaar,
! Taxa and the countries on the White
! Nile and its southwestern tributaries
over which Egypt had political control
until the Mahdi overthrow it. that Is
the object of the British movement
In other words, Lord Sallsbury's ap-
prent aim is the reconquest Of the pro
vinces that threw off the Egyptian yoke
and submitted to the government of the
Mahdi.
The chief town Of the Egyptian Sou
dan is Khartoum. the scene Of Colonel
GordOn's death, and on doubt, the ultl-
mate objective point Of the Anglo
Egyptian expedition now being organ
lied. 1t is obvious that if religious
fanaticism can be aroused and a holy
war be proclaimed throughout the
whole Of the Soudan such forces might
be brought into the field as would
threaten to oyerwhelm the invaders
Assuming, however, that the war
would only embrace the Eastern Sou
dan, it would, nevertheless, be attend
ed with immense difficulties-difficu
ties of climate and desert waters. of
transportation and supplies, as we'll as
impediments created at every step by
a warlike and fanaticaI population. 1t
Is evident that Lord Salisbury'S govern !
ment does not intend to encounter such !
obstcles S these, in front, without MAX |
ing sure that it shall not be open to an |
attack IN the rear. The foreign ad- |
vices seem TO indicate that il has. in |
fact, provided such security, by enlist |
ing the support of the triple alliance |
But If France and Russia should upon |
any pretext interpOse, that support |
might prove inadequate or unavailing. |
And war once begun is ever subject to !
the chapter of accidents. In the COM
pick relations Of modern nations, with
their rival schemes, tealousies, hopes
and fears, 1t is impossible to conjecture.
when once war Is declared, end it's
passions unlOosed, what parties may be
drawn into It, and what its final out
come may be.
II. however, England should not be
by France or Russia, and
shall be successful in her war In the
Soudan, thus planting herself, or those
subject to her, In the very heart of the
country, 1t IS obvious that Africa Will
everywhere, by the inevitable march
Of events, fall under European control
The various settlements that have been
made on the coasts and in the interior
will ultimately be connected by rail-
roads and telegraphs. and English, Ger
man and French influence and domina-
ton viii everywhere assert themselves.
Africa has become as much an object
IF colonization in the nineteenth cen
Jury as America was in the seven
tenth. And in half a century the
Africa Of the present will be unknown
save in legend and in story.