The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-18
L. m Trust I'm Himself and Controls
All Trade and Commerce of
His Country.
FIXES TARIFF AS HE LIKES
HAS AMAssED 4 GREAT FORTUNE.
But USES m FOR HIS PEOPLE.
Claims Direct Descent from Solomon
and shows Much of that Wor-
thy's Wisdom.

this country. your coal barons and your
steel kings. and ali the rest of them" said
the man who had just returned from big
game shooting in Africa. but if you want
TO find a real. genuine merchant prince you
must 90 to Abyssinia and introduce your
self TO Menelik-"
Menelik is the greatest of royal traders.
AS trust magnate he can give American
Industrial promoters cards and spades.
Throughout Abyssinia he is a whole trust
IN himself He controls not one industry or
one line Of trade. but every industry and
every line OF trade.
There is no autocrat on the face OF the
earth more despotic than he. and he isn't in
the king business for his health. He works
IL for all it is worth. He runs stores and
factories. buys the products of the natives
at his own price and sells his European i'm
ports to them for whatever he choose to
ask
There Is no nonsense about interstate
commerce or restraint of trade with Meme
Xix. He is the one great merchant for the
whole country. the buyer of all that goes
out and the seller of all that comes in.
Anybody can compete with the king, IL he
cares to try Menelik does not object. He
might send a file of soldiers and hale his
trade rivals of TO jail. if he chose. but he
prides himself On being civilized monarch.
and he has q better scheme than that.
He In the Tariff Commission as well
the lord high everything else in the coun-
try, 50 he can charge what customs dues
he likes the goods that his rivals i'm
port. and exempt his own goods from SINH
lar duties. If. tired of importing. they try
to become exporters, he puts them out Of
business with export duties. until they are
glad enough to sell their stuff to him for
whatever he cares to pay.
No other merchant on earth has such a
sure profit as this dusky potentats, and
naturally he In q millionaire many times
over. The dollars come rolling into him
all the time, but he 10 very liberal in spend
ing them fer the good OF his people.
Msnelik is probably the only monarch in
existence who Ii also a great merchant with
a personal monopoly OF the commerce of his
country. Most kings think trade deroga-
tory. but Meneiik holds different views.
though he has a pedigree as long and a
title as proud as any of them. He claims
lineal descent from King Solomon and the
Queen of sheba. and his royal title is "Con-
quering Lion Of the Tribe of Judah of Shoa
and Negus Nagasti CKing of Kings) of
Ethiopia" Imagine that title on the front
Of store,
FAIR TO HIS PEOPLE.
But though Menelik has such giants
power in matters OF commerce as in every
thing else IN his country, he does not use
IL as giant. When he buys goods from
hts people, or sells to them, he fixes fairly
IL
not to kill the goose that lays the golden
eggs. He knows that If he paid unreason-
ably low prices. the people would produce
little or nothing for export; and that if
he charged absurdly high prices, the con-
Stunning powers OF the population would ap-
proach the vanishing point in regard to
foreign imports.
1t seems strange that a king who won
his despotic power as an invincible war
rior should use IL as shrewd merchant
and IL Is the stranger because he is a
man who cares nothing for wealth or lux
ury. He lives as simply as he did in the
days OF his youth. when he owned nothing
save his horse and his spear. But Menelik
Is far-seeing. many-sided man.
=, After the Italian invasion of Ethiopia
you must never call il Abyssinia in the
country. for the Abyssinians loathe the
nams-most Of the natives succumbed to a
severe attack OF ''swelled head" They had
crushed the Italians. and they thought they
could easily do the same TO any other in
vaders. white. black or brown, at any
time.
But Msnelik did not catch the prevailing
epidemic He knew something of the
power or the white nations. and also of
their land hunger. He saw the slow. re-
sisslses advance of the English through the
Soudan. and the partition of many African
Kingdoms among the European powers
AT any moment" he reasoned to him.
self. II may have to face a far more seri-
Gus attack. / must have money to arm
my troops as the white men are armed.
must buy cannons and hundreds of thou
sands OF rifles. There is only one way to
get the money need. must take all the
trade and commerce of my country into
my own hands. and make all the profit
there In 10 be made. IL will not be toe
much for my needs. and it will be better
for my country than letting white men
make IL and take it away TO Europe with
them
SUITED HIS PURPOSE.
This was. confessedIy. his far-sighted
scheme. Some people may think II was
economically unsound but il seems 10 have
answered TO perfection. His people stand
ready to-day 10 meet an invasion ten times
more formidable than that of the Italians
and give the invaders very warm recep-
ton.
Europe knows all this, and as a result
Menelik, King of Kings of Ethiopia. is tho
only African monarch for whose alliance
European powers eagerly compete. and whc
treats with them on a footing of fearless
equality So proud is he that he will moi
permit the Russian. French and Italian
representatives at his capital TO fly their
national flags over their residences. The
only foreign flag that floats at Adds Adeba
Is the British. The British representative
hoisted II. as a matter Of course. and blunt
~ refused 10 haul il down when the Abys-
sinians demonstrated. Menelik recognized
In him kindred spirit. and told his offcials
20 let the flag stay. The other foreign en-.
voys asked permission. and were sternIy
refused.
Some foreign ENJOYS have been very un-
fortunate IN their dealings with Menelik
They made the mistake OF regarding him
nothing more than ignorant savage
who could be bamboozled and 1attered
into anything
IL Is the custom In Abyssinia for all for
eign missions to bring presents 10 the Ne
e,ss The French brought a lot OF Partisan