Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-10-26
cnrAr BRITAIN AND FRANCE.

The Fashoda dispute is etill TO the FORE
in both Great Britain and France. FIX
| element runs high on both sides OF the
| channel the issue Is the absorbing topic
| OF discussion by the press Of both coun-
| tries. and both nations continue their
war preparations.
The British Blue-Book In which Lord
Salisbury defined Great Britain's posi-
ton anent the question was followed
by the French Yellow-Book, giving
Frances side and claims. and now the
latter has brought forth supplement 10
the British Premler's original declaration.
A brief history OF the complication, as
we understand IL, is this: The Nile Valley.
including Fashoda, was under Egyptian
sway at the time OF the Khalifas rebel
lion Great Britain, as the protector OF
Egypt, claims that In breaking the Deryish
power at Omdurman she re-established
the Khedive's authority over all OF
Egypts Soudan and Upper Nile posses
slons AS far back as 1895 as IL antici-
patng that France would hold that pos
session OF the territory by the Khaifa
would vitiate Egypts title, the Rosebery
government. through Sir Edward Grey, an
nounced In Parliament that II France oc-
cupied any part Of the Nile Valley. in
Guiding the Bahr-el-Ghazal country, the
movement would be considered an un-
friendly act. France, 1T appears, assumed
Just the attitude this declaration was in
tended to forestall. She contends that
Egypt's title lapsed years ago; that Mar
chand took Fashoda from the Dervishes
by conquest, and that he is established
there by the same right that the British
are established at KhartOum. She also
throws an anchor to the windward by ar
guing that If Fashoda belongs to any
Power other than France, it belongs to
Turkey, as the suzerain of Egypt, but
upon the British.
The injection OF the matter of the Sui |
tans suzerainty into the dispute is re-
garded by some as an effort on the part
of France 10 open up the whole question |
of British occupation of Egypt by APP
preaching It along the line of least resist |
ance. But be that as it may, the Yellow |
Book ends with suggestion which would |
seem to indicate that France recognizes |
that she is probably standing upon very |
untenable ground, and is seeking TO leave |
herself a loophole. Despite the rigor of |
her contentious, she proposes TO negotiate |
or exchange Fashoda for something else.
Lord Salisbury's supplement to the Fa-
shoda BlueBook is an answer to this
but the British press is much
divided as TO whether the answer is firm
enough. The Conservative papers con-
strue 1t as consenting merely to consider
some concession that will save Frances
dignity, but the opposition papers are
trying TO make capital out of it by lnsin-
uating that it goes much further. n'hese
latter are making common cause with the
British masses, who demand French eyac-
uation of Fashoda as condition prece-
dent to negotiations; and that condition
France has so far shown no signs of com
plying with.
On its face, therefore, the situation
would seem decidedly ugly. Salisbury, in
any concession he may make, will have
to do some skilful steering in order TO
retain the confidence Of the British public
and save his party, and France will have
to be equally adroit in shifting her posi-
ton. None the less, diplomacy has
smoothed over ugly places and averted
war when the parties at difference were
nearer to war than are France and Great
and we shall be vastly surprised
II 1t does not score a triumph for peace
in this instance.