The Elk Mountain pilot., 1899-04-25
FAME A TICKLE JADE.
POPULARITY OF KITCHNER IS
WANING.
Criticise His Campaign-Anairs In the
Soudnn In Such Shape That No I'm
portant Results Are Possible Soon
He Is Irish.
London Letter.)

Uondon letter.
1t is impossible to deny that Lord
Kitchener is rapidly losing much of
that popularity which caused him to be
so extensively lionized when last in
England. Scarcely week passes with
out some new point being raised
against him. and it must be confessed
that in the majority of instances he
has found himself, so far as it is posi-
BILE to see, in the wrong. Several years
ago the English government, with a
great flourish of trumpets, abolished
throughout Egypt the iniquitous cor
wee, or forced labor system, by means
of which peasants and artisans were
torn from their homes and forced to
labor on public works for months, some
times years together. without pay, and
receiving nothing but their nourish-
ment. The Suez canal was construct
ed almost entirely by means of labor
of this character, thousands of the Fc-
laheen perishing under the whip of the
taskmaster. Indeed. whenever any
question has arisen as to the nature OF
the reforms instituted by the English
in Egypt the abolition of forced labor
has always been cited as the most i'm
portant It would seem, however. that
it has been revived by Lord Kitchen
er, for the latter is building the extern
sion of the Soudan railroad, as well as
rebuilding Khartoum, and fortifying
the various points in the Soudan, by
means of forced labor. The forcing of
the labor is done in a slightly different
fashion-namely, by means of military
conscription.
The civil governors and provincial
authorities of Lower Egypt are called
upon to furnish certain quota of men
for military service, and it is Impress
ed upon them that artisans and me-
chanics are the men of whom the army
stands in principal need. These men
are torn from their families and from
their homes, where they have been
making from 16 to 20 piastres day at
their respective trades, are sent up the
Nile thousands of miles away for
term of several years, and when they
reach their destination are set to work
at their trades for the benefit of the
government, receiving as sole remun-
Grafton their military pay of one pias-
tire and rations. OF late the demand OF
Lord Kitchener for recruits of this
kind is more excessive than ever be-
fore, and the natives are gradually be-
coming convinced that England's much
vaunted abolition of the corvee labor
was merely sham. and that 1t con-
tinues under another name. The true
reason why there is to be no advance
against the khalifa until next autumn
Is because of the 5000 Egyptian troops
that Lord Kitchener has now under
his command at Khartoum, who are
the only ones available for a march
upon the khalifa. Close upon 1000 are
entirely fresh and unframed recruits,
who have never been under fire before,
nearly all of the Egyptians and black
regiments that were present at the
battles of the Atbara and of Omdur-
man having since that time completed
their term of service and been muster
ed out of the army. In addition to this
the condition of the Nile and the abso-
lutte impossibility by reason of clima-
tic conditions of employing EnglSh
troops until autumn renders any move
against the khalifa impracticable. This
is most unfortunate, for every day that
passes without his being attacked and
crushed by Lord Kitchener tends to
increase his power and prestige among
the nations of the Soudan, who natur-
ally ascribe his immunity to fear on
the part of the English and to his al
legged supernatural powers.
No little comment has been excited
by the fact that when Lord Kitchener
encountered the khalifa he will be
without one of his former chief officers
and principal lieutenants by his side.
Archibald Hunter, Gen. Rundle, Col.
Macdonald, Gen. Hallampart and the
English chief of the Egyptian cavalry
have all left him, and accepted en-
ployment in England and in India.
Col. Sir Reginald Wingate has ceased
to be the chief of the intelligence
department and, as chief of staff. is
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