Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-11-15
THE BRITISH RULE.
lave a Knack of Getting Int
Power in Other Lands,
Notable Instances of Such Reigns IN
semisavage Countries-Despotic
Control Exercised by Self
Made Kings.


lishmen seem to have the faculty OF
ingratiating themselves with still,
other nations and practically running
them. The most conspicuous of these
Britons just now is Sir Robert Hart
who controls the customs service OF
China. His name and the story OF
his rise and achievements have beer
in the newspapers so much recently
that it is all familiar to the public.
says the New York Press. In his po
sition Sir Robert has nothing to dc
with England, yet he has contrved
to do a good turn to his native land
many times. One time when Russia
wanted to advance China loan and
thus get China in her power, Sir Rob-
ert checkmated the game of adam
zad, the Bear That Walks Life a
Man"
Corea. the peninsular country that
iuts out of China, has been managed
for years by McLeavy Brown, who
holds immense power in the land. He
is a private Briton, like Sir Robert
Hart, and has the customs, finances
government and practically the ma.
ton in his hands. He rescued the
country from bankruptcy, showed the
king how to reform the army. swept
away official swindlers and leeches and
made a happy and prosperous nation
of a country that had been in bad
state.
For a case of despotic power welded
by a Briton, there is an instance near.
er home. John Finlayson, who died
n short time ago, ruled a large part
of Morocco and was by a long way
the most useful ruler the country ever
had. He was a Scotchman, and had
knowledge of the Moors and the
Arabic language that was unequaled
by any man who ever lived-eXcept,
perhaps, the traveller Burton.
He was originally a mining expert
and he opened and worked some tin
mines in the back country for the
benefit of the sultan. He became q
close friend of the monarch, who made
him practically ruling viceroy, who
did the work and took the credit, leav.
ing the sultan to amuse himself with.
out the anxiety of governing.
Finlayson remodcled the army, re.
formed the revenues, and soon Mo.
rocco began to flourish. He did what
no sultan had ever been able to do
kert the wild tribes of the interior
in something approaching order,
Piracy and robbery he weeded out
to a large extent, but it vas impossi,
bic to stop them altogether. He paid
increased the nations revenues from
$75O,OOO to So 2,5OOOOO.
lie lived the life of an Arab chief
but kept to the Christian religion. He
was obliged, however, to conform to
the ceremonies of Mohammedanism
for he was too tactful to excite preju-
dice. The nation at large really
thought him an Arab by birth. He
was always travelling about the coun-
try with his suite, turning up uneX
pectedly. He held the chief post OF
justice, and was feared and esteemed
as no native subject ever was. When
some of his unruly subjects raided
Spanish territory and nearly caused
war, he pulled his adopted nation
through the fix and paid small in.
demnity. Once every year he visited
his native town of Aberdeen for a
week. Morocco misses him sorely,
now that he is gone, and the coun.
try's prosperity is not what it was,
He died of fever caught in the Tetuan
swamps and his funeral was honored
even more than a sultan's. Morocco
did not know he was the son of a
Scotch tailor, but so he was, and a
great man into the bargain. He re.
mained subject of Victoria up to
his death.
Kipling's famous story, "The Man
Who Would Be King" is founded on
fact. An eX-civil servant, Cowper, who
had come to grief in his profession,
obtained the powers of monarch in
Kafristan. This is wild and dan.
gerous country at the back of AT.
ghanistan, north of India, and, as a
rule, it is certain death for any Eu.
ropean who is found there. The
Kafris are one of the cruelest and
most turbulent races on earth. Yet
this man, who went there without fol.
lowers or money, was actually in
stalled as king for short time. He
was master of the Kafri language and
manners. and managed to get himself
accepted as a sort of god.
While he was king he did the thing
thoroughly and governed well; also
surrounded himself with money
horses and servants. His reign, which
was popular while it lasted, gained for
him the reverence of the people, for
they believed him to be a genuine
deity, and worshiped at temple he
had erected to himself. He estab.
lished the beginning of great horse
trade with Afghanistan, which has
fiourished ever since, and the coun.
try certainly prospered under his rule
He held the throne only a year, for
rival chief aroused faction against
him and had him murdered.