The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-12-30
KING MENEL1K OF ABYss1N1A.

OI.
KING MENELIK OF ABYSSINIA.
That powerful monarch, King Men
elk of Abyssinia, is reported to be
sending strong force to conquer the
province of Tigre, which belongs to
Italy. If he goes on the war path,
England's jig in Africa is up. By the
terms of a treaty between England
and Italy, either nation is bound to
help the other in the event of war with
the natives. Menelik has a trained
army of 100000 men. Within the last
two years he has imported into the
country, of which he is absolute ruler,
100000 French rifles, with several
thousand Remingtons, Winchesters
and Martins, rs well as rapid fire
guns and ammunition, 5000 revolvers,
$4,000 blades for lances and 100000
cartridges. Like Paul Kruger, he has
been anticipating trouble with Eng
land, whose forces have been contigu-
GUS to his territory, and now when
England is checkmated by the Beers
on the Modder and Tugela rivers, his
opportunity has come.
King Ienelik is well armed and
equipped, and it is supposed he is
urged by France and Russia to go to
war at this time in order to embarrass
England in the war with the Dutch
republics. He claims dominion ex-
tending to the White Nile, near FASH
oda, and war with Italy might quick
ly extend to threaten the English pos
sessions, for England will not consent
to have him control one side of that
| river.
King Menelik is Christian and a
Roman Catholic at that. He it was
who defeated the Italian army few
years ago. He slew 1900 of King
Humbert's soldiers, took 5000 prison
ers and allowed only 1000 of them to
escape. The Italians dread him and
have no desire to meet him again in
battle array. One whipping is enough
to last them for lifetime. The
doughty monarch knows what brig
ands and murderers the English have
been in the Soudan. He is constant
reader Of French newspapers which
speak unfavorably of everything Brit
ish at home and abroad. He makes
no secret of his enmity toward Eng
land, which twice attempted to de-
stroy the independence of Abyssinia,
but utterly failed. Therefore Meme
Xix is likely to be glad of embracing
the present opportunity to drive the
English out of the dark continent for
ever.
Such a grand opportunity may not
be presented to him again for a long
time. He is idolized by his subjects,
| who think him the greatest potentate
on earth. He claims a noble descent
back to King Solomon and the Queen
of Sheba Should he meet the British
army on the Nile, the probability is he
would annihilate it. Kitchener, the
so-called hero of Khartoum, would find
him warrior worthy of his steel. He
is infinitely the superior of the Mahdi.
His forces will not fight with spears
like the dervishes, but with modern
implements of warfare. If he goes to
war he will not cease until he takes
the Soudan from the British and
makes it part of the great African
empire which he has been thinking of
establishing for years.
1t is said that Menelik will not visit
the Paris exposition next year, as he
promised to do before the outbreak of
the Anglo-Boer war. That is signifi-
cant fact which alarms John Bull. We
hope that the news from London con-
corning the dusky monarch is true.
BY an uprising at this time he would
materially assist the. burghers of
South Africa in their struggle against
CRIMINAL aggression" land bring back
Kitchener to lead the Anglo-Egyptian
forces against the Abyssinians. From
present indications England will have
her. strength put to the test during
1000, and she will need the aid of all
her colonists in Canada and Australia
to save her from destruction.