The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-11

leave the garrison to fall into the hands
of the Mahdists. He could do nothing
against the latter without reinforcements.
The enemy closed in around him. His
position grew to be one of terrible danger.
Iress and public redoubled their outcries.
Still Gladstone wavered. At last, too
late, in October, 1854, an English expedl-
ton, under Sir Garnet Wolseley, was de-
spatched to Khartoum. Wolseley never
reached it. When almost within touch of
the town he learned that Just two days
previous it had been captured by the
Mahdists.
Gen. Gordon had fallen a victim to
treachery. Eye witnesses told how his
head had been stricken IRON. his shouI-
derS.
A CONSERVATIVE VICTORY.
The outcry in England redoubled. The
more bitter among the opponents of Glad
stone accused him of shameful ingrati-
tude and shamefuller cowardice On the
top wave of the political tempest that fol-
lowed Lord Salisbury and a conservative
ministry rode into power. But from be-
ing the attackers they now became the
attacked. The promised vengeance was
still delayed. Like the liberals, the con-
servativeS found themselves handicapped
by reason of home politics.
Lord Salisbury's first cabinet practical
ly accepted the situation created by It's
predecessor. Between midsummer day.
1885, when 1t came into power, and the
spring of 1895, when 1t reversed. the whole
policy in the Nile valley, It had been in
power some seven years at staccato In
tervals. During that titne 1t acquired no
part of the price of the unionist alliance
In a status quo policy save a retention OF
the recognized frontier at Wadi Halfa.
What fighting there was during those
eleven years was purely defensive The
state of the Egyptian finances, 1t was
claimed, precluded anything more.
HERBERT KITCHENER.
But there was a man even then In
Egypt who knew that economy was
wealth.
This was Sir Herbert, now Lord, Kitch-
ener He had been In the Soudan off
and on since 1883. He had risen to be
sirdar or commander in chief of the
Egyptian army in 1890. fe had created
six brigades of matchless infantry out Of
the unpromising material of Negro
Arabs, a naturally timorous race, all be-
lievins at the outset that they were no
match for the Mahdists. In a score Of
hard fought skirmishes these eighteen
thousand black troops, led by their in
domitable ro0nrander, had never known
defeat, though pitted against fanatics
who firmly believed that If killed in bat
tie they would go straight to paradise
Their pay, only fourteen shillings a
month and rations, seemed to them al
most incredible in it's munificence. They
had been taught to believe that to be
white Is never to know fear They had
seen many an English o1scer die by bull
let and by steel, but they had never seen
one OF the white race show fear They
had been trained to emulate this en-
ample. Their proudest boast was, 1--WE
are like the Englishmen; we are never
afraid
A CHANGE OF FRONT.
And then the time arrived when over In
england the unionist members of the
cabinet came to share the opinion of the
Tory members that it was impossible for
Egypt any longer to bear the strain of
the permanent presence of a brutal and
lrreconcilable horde of barbarianS always
menacing It's frontier. They grew to
recognize that Egypt had right to de-
mand from England, her protecting
power, her policeman, relief from this
ever present danger.
SO when the third government OF the
Marquis of Salisbury entered upon It's
hrst real session with a majority so large
as to leave it no excuse for failing to do
Its duty because of its consequences in
home politics, wcrd was given to do what
had long been waiting to be done.
ATTACK ON THE KHALIFA.
the stronghold of the Khalifa, the
| mahdi's successor, to avenge the outrages
committed by both. On the very Gay
when Queen Victoria passed the period
of the previous longest reign in British
history, on September g. 1885, news was
flashed over to the British capital from
Africa that Dongola had fallen. Once
more the Egyptian flag flew over the best
regions of the Nile, after an interval of
eleven years But this was only the be-
ginning. Two years later Kitchener Or
ganized his final irresistible advance
against the Khalifa, which resulted in the
latter's utter defeat, at Omdurman, in
September 1898, the subsequent capture
of Khartoum and added an African en-
pire to the British dominions.
It is true that the raising of the Union
Jack on the spot where Gordon fell did
not involve any immediate change in the
Egyptian situation. It is true that the
policy of governing Egypt by English
brains and Egyptian hands is still main
tained. 1t is true that annexation will
not Immediately follow. But notice has
been given to the world that the occu-
patton of Egypt and the Nile valley by
Great Britain Is permanent and that she
will no more evacuate that country than
the French will evacuate Tunis.
She had INDICATED her national self-re-
spect. She had avenged Gordon. She
had assured the security of Egypt.
Egypt alone" says Mr. Stevens
could by no miracle have saved herself
| from utter destruction by Mahdist In
| vasion We have saved her-and there