Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-03-04
HER NEW PRlYCIPALITY.


of recent political Incidents. the most
striking and the one most likely to
draw sharp line Of cleavage between
the british political parties. IN the cree.
ton pf q huge principally on the ruins
81 the MahdiHt empire.
The territory which General Lord
Kitchener. by his victory at Omdurinan
and by subsequent military operations.
may be said to have reclaimed. nc-
tunlly or proHpectiycly. for civilization
stretches from the He'd Sea 10 the west
ern border ~ bnrf0ur. and from Wndy
linlfu, which atill remains the south
oin outpost ~ Egypt. To- tho source Of
the Nile. This tract comprisca an area
~ upward of 100000 square miles. and
before the waste 81 life resulting from
the warn ana mlfrulc of the Mhhdi and
his successor. Khalifa Abdullnh. was
computed to contain more than ii.00O
900 Inhabitants. Under wise ana
ilrm government witch should give en-
Couragcment 10 agriculture. II could be-
made To support population OF 5o,0Oo-
Two modes N administration were. In
the lirut instance, suggested. each ~
which was, ultimately. discarded. The
tfat ~ these was recurrence Ia the
system which had been followed
throughout tho Eastern Soudnn up 10
the advent ~ Muhdlam. q system which
placed the country under governor
general. rrslding at khartoum who
was not only appointed by the l<hedive.
hut inceHHnntly received instructions
from the ithudyo'H ministers. Under
this system, the Inhabitants OF vast
region, while nnmlnnlly controlled hy
vlccruy dwelling among them and sup
posed t0 be- more or less acquainted
with local conditions, wcrr really gov
rrnci from Cairo, some two thousand
mites away, whore the wishes. ideas
ana circumstances ~ the SuudnneHe
were imporfrCtly undoutood, and
whence orders nnd decisions could only
he secured nt the cost ~ interminnolc
delay The other proposed solution ~
the problem was that tho status of the
Eastern Roudun should be assimilnted
90 that ~ a British crown colony and
thnt the country should be- admins
tered by officials directly responsible TO
the colonial office IN the british me-
tfupolis. This alternative plan had
many advocates. and II would be- I'M
doubleday better Tor the Snudnncse 90
hn governed from London than from
'airu, Notwithstanding the greater dis
ianct ~ tho former city on the map.
Atter mature consideration ~ the sub
io,t. however, IN the course OF which
due H. Il was raid 20 the concurrent
Views or General Lord Kitchener. the
ronqucrur ~ the khnlifn. ANA OF Lord
tho Salisbury cabinet decided Co inati-
tutc iu the soudan an entirely new
scheme of government tho PRINCIPAL
features ~ which were defined In
proclamation lately issued Co the In
hnhitanu ~ the recovered territory
The cardinal feature of the plan 81 the
declaration that tho whole rrgiun south
~ Wady ilalfu IL, hereafter To be-
governed neither from Cairo nor from
London. but exclusively from khur.
tpum, General Lord kituhsuN the
governor. " o. De- Invested with powers
absolutely hutocrntic, with which
neither the kLediye's ministers nor
tho members OF the british cabinet are.
In any wise 10 Interfere He is nu-
thofizcd a. establish d benevolent deH.
potlsm, the only form ~ government
which the Souduncsc can comprehend.
or Tor which, Lt their present stage
~ political evolution, they are suited.
They are Molnmmednns 10 a man and
u Fundamental constituent OF the or
ghnic law proclaimed "a them IL the
Truulse that no attempt shall ever be-
made IA medal, with any of the reguln-
tinnH, religious or social, that are pre-.
strlhrd hy Islam. slavery alone will
Do forbidden. Ho fas as tho open slave
inrrket IN concerned, but tho slave
trade o. an inHtlluiion which was rather
tolerated than rnjllncd by MuhHnmei
Th' pledge OF COURSE implies, ana the
implication has been Acknowledged by
Gonernl Lord Kitchener. that the
practice NJ polygniny viii be permit
TED. ana that neither Catholic nor Prot
rst,nt missionaries win be- suffered 60
enter the country. II ~ well known
that Gordon, when governor general of
the S0uIan, expressed the conviction
that mo European rule could be- made
acceptable 10 the Mohammedans, 80
long M the traditional plurality of
wives was prohibited, Under the gov
eminent which In now 10 be- founded.
Muhnmmedanism II not merely TOLERATE
ed, but Is, practically, made the reli-
giOn of the state, since the propagation
OF other oreeds Ia forbidden.