Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1898-10-29
THE FASHODA MATTER.

war between England and France
over the Fashoda. The newspaper
reports are all via English sources,
and this, coupled with the eager
ness of the newspapers to cater to
the popular craving for the exciting
and sensational by exaggerating the
truth, magnifying rumors and dis
cussing mere surmises, makes the
situation appear really worse than
il is. The fact is, England does
not want war; she never does, at
least ingle-handed. France, like
the other powers of Europe, armed
and prepared as they have been for
years for the inevitable general war
which must come sooner or later,
wants war and does not. The Fa-
shoda question, really small issue
at first, has, owing to the latest
claims of England, assumed an in
ternational Importance that may
provoke a general conflict. General
and widespread war has resulted
from smaller and less significant
issues.
When, several years ago, England
started southwark from Egypt, and
France from the west coast east
ward, to penetrate Africa, establish
ing posts of occupation, it was evil
dent that they must meet some day
and then come a crash for supre-
macy, just as happened at Fashoda.
The claims of either to sovereignty
over any part of the country are
equally void as matter of right
their claims are based solely on con-
quest, the question at issue being
only one of prior possession, or
rather, in the Fashoda matter, a
prior notice of claim and intent to
take possession.
France has quietly but rapidly
pushed her advance, beingly only
heard of when surprising England
by occupying some position unex-
pectedly. Only few months ago
she occupied FIVE posts in the "neu-
trail zone" west of the Nile. Eng
land protested, utterly oblivious of
the fact that she, too, was violating
neutrality by establishing military
posts in this same territory. Her
demand that France withdraw was
refused; Frances proposition that
both withdraw their troops and each
be allowed to trade in the neutral
zone" was declined by England, the
final result being a joint occupation
being unable to Gust the other
from neutral territory, they seem
to have tacitly agreed to divide
it up.
England continues her course
down the Nile, and France toward
The Nile. The English defeat the
Dervishes and capture Khartoum,
capital of the Soudan, at the juno
ion of the Nile rivers, just as the
French take possession of Fashoda,
On the Nile, several hundred miles
farther south. England's demand
,or the withdrawal of the French
vas refused. England based her
demand on her right over the entire
Soudan as part of Egypt, the claim
% which she had previously an
lounced and in the conquest of
which she is and has for years been
Frances reply seems to
1ave refuted England's first ground {
~ proving priority of notice and
of conquest of the sec '
ion in dispute by several years; /
hat the Fashoda country is not I
within the area of the Egyptian
Soudan, previously claimed by Eng {
and, then enters a claim to the
light to hold post on the banks of
he Nile and to use that stream and {
IS tributaries, the natural water c
way of the continent, as highway /
or international traffic and COM /
1erce. &