The Progress., 1898-09-17
THE COMING STRUGGLE
MAKES GENERAL DISARMAMENT PRaC
TICALLY IMPOSSIBLE
The Assassination of the Empress Of
Austria May Cause Grave Troubles.
France and England May Soon Come
to a Crash.

oiooAAS Ill " universal peace, WIN the
nations joining in approval of the
| czar's proposition of disarmament, Eu.
rope has not been for years SO close to
the verge of general hostilities.
War, discord, death and crime seem
to have suddenly burst forth in all
parts Of the globe. The assassination
os the empress of Austria is liable to
have far-reaching effect, while the sit
uatlons in Crete and Africa have as
sumed such critical aspects that ain
manner of gloomy predictions are
! n ade.
Taking up Austria's case first, the
old emperor, Francis Joseph is
hrokendown man; his son was muir.
dered in a criminal intrigue, and his
country is fast going to pieces. Now
his wife, charming, lovely woman, is
assassinated without reason. Several
times the emperor has been on the
point Of Indicating, and this last blow
may be his end.
Everywhere it has been said for
years that he would be the last en-
peror Of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
for at his death, or retirement, the fed.
GRAFTON would surely dissolve.
What international complications
such ACKNOWLEDGMENT may cause no
one can foretell. It undoubtedly,
sooner or later, would bring bloody
strife between two Or more greedy.
avarlcious powers, as we'll as interna-
tional discord between various small
countries forming the empire, which
have never affiliated.
Little Crete nearly involved Europe
in hostilities last year, and now again
is burning like an incendiary's torch.
The admiral of the powers sent an
ultimatum to the Turkish governor,
giving but a few hours for the disarm.
ament of everybody on the island, in
Guiding even the Turkish regulars.
What may result from this is beyond
even the most diplomatic guessing. 1t
is simply case of hoping for the best
and fearing the worst
The most serious situation has aud-
denly developed in Africa, where the
British and Egyptian troops have won
such tremendous victory over the
Dervishes.
Even while the full details of the
battle are not get in, comes the news
of more critical outlook than before
the fall of Omdurman. It is nothing
less than the possibility of conflict
between England and France in the
heart of Africa.
The war correspondents had just
time to wire home that the news had
reached Khartoum Of the presence Of
Major Marchand of the French army
with 1000 troops at Fashoda, when
Gen. Kitchener ordered every CORE.
spondent back to Cairo Immediately.
Some begged to be allowed to plunge
into Central Africa at their own risk.
Others tried in every way to obtain
permission to remain in some connec.
tion or means of communication.
But the Sirdar was obdurate. All the
correspondents were herdedtogether
on q steamer and started back to
Cairo. None will be allowed to es.
cape until the city is reached, nor to
send any news Of the impending com.
plications. 'Il-i atU w.
What happens in Central Africa fol
the next two or three weeks will be
unknown, save such information as the
Sirdar chooses to send to the British
government. The situation is exactly
the same as in America at the time Of
the French and Indian wars. England
seeks to extend her chain of posts and
colonies north and south through the
entire length Of Africa, from Cairo Ito
Capetown. France is extending her
lines east and west across Africa, from
the Congo to the east coast, just as
she, tried to close in on the English
posts in America.
Warnings have already been ex-
changed between the two govern
ments, and it looks now as if the VIC
torious Sirdar intended to advance be-
yond Khartoum and wipe out the
French.
Fashoda is about 400 miles up the
Nile from Khartoum, just such STRAIT
egical point as was old Fort Du-
quesne. English gunboats have al
ready started up the river, ostensibly
pursuing the Khalifa. Major March
and's troops are practically all natives,
we'll armed Under some French Off
GERS they advanced up the Congo and
have now reached the Nile.
Then there is quarreling over the
Dunder in China, and all this. with
the Spanish war just over, is Europe's
answer to the proposition of universal