The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-18
BLACK THUNDER CLOUDS
Are Overhanging the Political
Horizon of Europe.
The CRETAN SITUATION
England Will Be Given a Free Hand in
Avenging the Massacre OF Her Sold
iers-Gave the Sultan a Fright.
The Egyptian Situation.
1s9S bv Associated Press

fus, Cretan and Egyptian questions
| difficult at present to forecast the out
| come in either case.
| An indication of the activity in the
official world is found in the fact that
the Marquis of Salisbury, who went for
a quiet holiday to take the waters of
| Centreville, has had a special telegraph
| office established at his hotel this week
| in order to deal with the mass of Off
| cial kilograms pouring in and out. 1t
| is understood that the British premier
| has ordered that the most stringent
| measures be taken at Gambia, where
| British troops were recently fired upon
| by Mussulmans, the execution of which
| only awaits the arrival of sufficient
| reinforcements of her majesty's SOL
| diers, who now number 1000 there.
while another battalion is on its way
! to Gambia from Egypt.
| The most recent adVices tend to show
| that the powers are disposed to give
| Great Britain a free hand to obtain
| reparation for the massacre of Christ
| ians and the insults to British arms.
| Admiral Noel the British naval COM
| mander of Cretan waters, has arranged
| with the other admirals for the imme-
| date withdrawal of the military con-
| tingents. The British squadron now
| lying before Gambia is powerful enough
| 20 raze that place in few hours. The
| Turkish authorities at Gambia are play
| ing their old game of surrendering a
| number of nobodies as the ringleaders
| of the massacres, while a number of
| beys who are known to be the real in
| stigators of the trouble are still at
| liberty and are likely to remain so until
| considerable further pressure is
| brought to bear upon the Turks. AS
| ii is, the prompt action of the British
| admiral gave the sultan a bad fright.
| He sent his foreign minister to arouse
| the ambassadors from their beds at
| o'clock in the morning in an endeavor
| to persuade them to put a bride upon
| Admiral Noel. but he received cold
| comfort from the representatives of
| the powers. The British charge daft
| faires replied to the Turkish represen-
tations in the strongest terms. He
said the Mussulmans were "unprO-
voked murderers of British sailors"
and that the British government took
the most serious view of the matter.
Meanwhile the situation at Gambia is
critical. Thousands of the most noto-
rious bashi bazouks have now left the
town and fortified themselves just in
side the military Gordon, while outside
a body of Christian insurgents is gath
ering The chances of bloody fighting
hinges upon the Turkish government
and Edhem Pasha, the Turkish gov
ernor, who has asked for instructions
after having been notified by Admiral
Noel that the Mussulman population
must be disarmed. The British admiral
is apparently determined to enforce the
disarmament of the bashi bazouks,
whether il is agreeable to the sultan or
not.
The absence of news from Fashoda,
the important place about 400 miles
south of Khartoum which is reported
to have been occupied by a French
force, has put the British upon tenter-
hooks, but they have implicit faith in
the British commander, General Sir
Herbert Kitchener. and have cheerfully
assumed that the British and Egyptian
flags are already flying there, whether
Major Marchand, the French command
er. is there or not.
The British newspapers have taken
most uncompromising attitude in re-
gard to Fashoda. Each daily is issuing
warnings to France telling ber to stand
off or trouble will follow and there is no
doubt the Marquis of Salisbury will
have the nation behind him, even IL
General Kitchener has to oust Major
Marchand from Fashoda by force of
arms.
The Spectator says: IF we go to
Fashoda, and quietly take possession.
France will not order us out. If she
does and we naturally refuse to go. she
won't attack us. Nothing else, how
ever, will serve her turn, as after the
matter is settled locally we must win
If, then, the French remain at Fashoda,
We do not see any reason to be greatly
alarmed The most they can do is to
make the occupation of the ground a
good bargain. The Bahr el Ghazal. a
river branching into the Nile a little
way south of Fashoda, and its affiuents
might be conceded to her on certain
terms"
The French newspapers, which first
took the matter quietly. are now in
dulS1ng in truculent articles. They de-
clare that If Major Marchand is really
at Fashoda, he will stay there. The
idea that Fashoda is within the Egypt
ian sphere is pooh-poohed. Otherwise,
il is asked, what right has Great Brit
ain to Uganda, which belonged to the
former Egyptian equatorial province.
The Echo de Paris says: The sir
dar's forces dare not fire upon Major
Marchand, for France is behind him.
England must now consent to a Euro
pean conference unless she wants war"
The Soleil adopts the "perfidious Al
bion" line of argument. and thinks the
report of Major Marchand's arrival at
Fashoda is a British trick to prepare
public opinion for an immediate ad-
vance upon Fashoda before the French
arrive there.
The interesting statement is made that
the whole cost of the Nile campaign since
1856 has been only coo 1913. 600 000) in |
Guiding 81 100000 spent upon the Soudan
railroads. of which 500 miles have been
constructed during that time.
General Kitchener has decided TO de- /
stroy the tomb of the mahdi al Omdur- |
man. which was so prominent a mark for |
the British artillery during the lombard |
ment This step will be taken in order |
to prevent Omdurman from becoming a |
second Mecca
How the United States will administer /
its new possessions. and how large these |
possessions will be. continues to be the /
subject Of considerable speculation in the 4
European newspapers. David Christie 4
writes. The republic has taken 1