Oregon union. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1897-1899, 1899-01-13
CLOUDS OVER AFRICA
Tension Between England
and France Increased.
THUNDERER'S FIERY LANGUAGE
Cromer's Plain Words at Khartoum-
Rhodes Plans a Cape Town
Cairo Railroad.

London, Jan. 10.-All events seem
to work together in European politics
to increase the tension between Great
Britain and France. The past week
has brought Madagascar and Egypt for
ward as irritants just when the mutual
,irritability was subsiding. Even the
most conservative observers begin to
take a pessimist1c view of the relations
between the two powers. This in
cludes those who up to the present have
considered the belligerency to be due to
upersensitiveness upon the part of
France and to the unnecessary gruff-
ness upon the part of Great Britain in
insisting on what she considers to be
her rights.
The past "a hours brought the pub
lication of Madagascar blue book, which
was followed by leading editorial in
the Times denouncing France in Ian
guage SO fiery for that conservative
newspaper that Frenchmen are reading
the two together and are constituting
them as parts of deliberate policy in
spired by one mind. That mind, in
the theory of the man in the streets,
is Joseph Cham berlain, the secretary
of state for colonies. Other papers
may storm and scold and not be no.
ticed, but when the Times becomes
abusive. foreigners interpret it as being
the voice of the government. In the
present instance, some Englishmen
will place the same construction upon
its utterances. recalling how the Times
led the "no SURF ender" cry over the
Fashoda incident, under evident in
spiration.
One fact is certain, public opinion
in Great Britain will not sanction the
government to swerve an inch to avoid
war with France, thinking that if it
must come this is the best time to have
it out.
Many people give Importance to the
issuing of the Madagascar blue book
almost simultaneously with the quiet
but unmistakable announcement at
Khsrtoum by the British agent there,
Visaount Gromer, IN his leln1llff1luu =
shiekns. shat Great BritaiE has set her
seal upon Egypt. If there was doubt
in the minds of her European rivals
that Great Britain intended to fore.
close the mortgage upon which she has
expended so much labor and blood to
secure, it must have been set at rest by
the utterances of Lord Cromer, in
which the word "protectorate" was
written in large letters, though the
governments mouthpiece carefully alb
stained from using that incendiary
word. A more definite notice that
Great Britain's tenure of Egypt is per-
manent could not be asked.
In the meantime an enterprise of the
utmost moment in the furtherance of
Great Britain's domination in Africa is
about to be consummated. Cecil
Rhodes, the ex-premier and alleged in
stigator of the Jameson laid, and the
so-called Napoleon of South Africa"
is going to England to arrange for
pushing forward the Cape TownCairo
railroad, SO long the dearest dream Of
imperialists. A definite proposition
will be presented by Mr.. Rhodes to
London capitalists for an extension of
the railroad from Buluwayo to Lake
Tanganika. He does not pretend it
will be paying investment from the
start. Its importance for some years
will be political instead OF commercial.
and he hopes to persuade the British
government to smooth the way by
guaranteeing 81 per cent interest on
the bonds to cover the cost of construc-
ton. But one barrier stands in the
way, in the form of the Congo conven-
tion, guaranteeing neutrality of the
part of the continent about Lake Tang
anyika, which even the autocrat of
Rhodesia will find hard to force. Here
Germany has the veto on Great Brit
aims advance. which she cannot be
expected to waive without, an indem-
nifty.