The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-12
ENGLAND IN AFRICA.

1t seems but a day since public at
tention was centered on Cuba. 1t has
| shifted to China. to Luzon, to the
Soudan, to Venezuela, to Canada and
to the Transvaal since then.
The history of Africa has been writ
ten in blood by British hands. 1t is
a story of British greed and pluck; of
! had fighting and land grabbing; Of
I Anglo-Sax perseverance and the ar
rogant assumption of Imperialism that
other people are not entitled to self
government.
Last winter there was a clash be-
tween Kitchener and Marchand. 1t
was settled between England and
France by division of spoils-by each
granting to the other territory which
neither possessed. That France got
the worst of the bargain goes without
saying. That England's hunger was
not satisfied is evidenced by her pres
ent attempt to devour the Dutch re-
public.
A glance at the map of Africa will
show that France holds the most ter
ritory but the most of it is land that
England wouldn't have. The French
flag flies over 100000 square miles,
while Englands control covers only
/ .. 000. 900. But England makes up in
quality her lack in quantity. And
England's area is contantly growing
while that of France is not.
The African continent may be di-
vided into three parts for colonial
comparison. %. A great low area in
the north; (2) an immense table land
extending from the Sahara desert south
ward through the continent; CD the
mountainous region along the coast,
the passageway to this table land. The
first. Desert of Sahara, is for France;
the second. the meat of the continent,
is for England; the third-a sort of
rind-belongs for the most part to
Portugal and Germany.
Another thing that England has
looked after with that rare foresight
which induces her to insist upon re-
tanning control of the chief Alaskan
waterway in the vicinity of Dyea, is
the possession of the principal rivers,
lakes and. harbors of Africa. The only
nrSI-cldSSf HUI SHSiiSif
control is Delagoa bay, and on this the
British lion has fixed a gaze which
means that he will not be denied.
France has the Upper Niger Leopold
of Belgium holds a part of the Congo
river. England holds the rest Of the
navigable waterways. English gun
boats patrol the lakes. The Congo Free
State and Germany jointly hold Lake
Tanganyika- But Lake Nyassa-the
lakes of the Zambese-the lakes of the
Upper Nile and Lake Tchad-are con-
trolled by the government at London.
The fertile valley of the Nile and the
great river itself are in the hands OF
the British government. which also
has the rich country of the Uganda and
the surrounding provinces of British
East Africa, Cape Colony, with its
farming lands and its ranches, and
the richest part of that Golconda of the
world, the diamond and gold fields of
South Africa, except those around
Pretoria, and the British army is
wading through blood to get them.
Great Britain's object may be OWNED
by a study of the map 1t reveals a |
purpose in the present war not appar-
ent. on the surface and not mentioned |
by British statesmen in discussion OF |
its object. 1t indicates that powerful !
influence, generally denied. of Cecil |
Rhodes upon the government party OF |
Great Britain;' an influence that John |
Morley alluded to in his recent de- |
nunciation of the spirit of conquest |
behind the conflict There is direct |
line from Cairo to Cape Town which |
may be drawn through British terri |
tory, with but one break-a narrow |
strip of $40 miles taken by an English
man acting under the Belgian flag.
Had England stood behind Stanley the |
Union Jack might now be waving