Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-17

cusSion OF colonial questions 10 say
things indeed which may not be said in
| parliament. Such an institution. 1t may
be remarked. would be OF great beneht
for those in this country Interested IN
| questions concerning the American colo
| MES. An institution in Washington with
| a branch in Manila is suggested.
The journal of the Royal Colonial Instl-
! tute for April contains an account of the
proceedings and the remarks of Mr.. Win
| ston Churchill. who presided. the subject
under discussion being Our East African
| Empire
| Mr. Colquhoun read a paper. which has
| manifestly escaped the attention of the
London Times correspondent, III which
| he said:
"1n 1887 the Sultan of Zanzibar granted
concession TO the British East African
| Association. an Anglo-lndian enterprise
| whose chairman and originator was Sir
| William Mackinnon of the British India
| Steam Navigation Company. If we inquire
! how and why we became the possessors
! of this great slice of Africa say first
the connection with India trade followed
| naturally across the Indian ocean via
! Zanzibar. fostered hv the trade winds
which blew from shore to shore. and the
| trade was being rapidly developed by
| steam navigation. This natural connec-
| ton. however. might not have led to
I direct occupation Of the mainland but for
the necessary corolary of our action in
/ suppressing the slave traffic and the am
bition of other European powers"
i
These ambitious powers were Egypt and
ltaly-Esypt which took the coast to the
Juba river in 1S75-76. and
Ambitious Italy which would have
p seized Kismayu in 1891.
| The writer should add that
he commanded the land forces of the
Egyptian expedition in 1879, and In the
capture of the fortified town of Kismayu
| he captured and liberated 400 slaves-a
! fact which elected the friendly interven-
ton Of Sir Bartle Frere in favor Of Egypt
and the recognition by England of Egypts
authority over the coast north of the Iuba
! to the SOcotias.
our empire in East Africa" said Mr..
Colquhoun, was burden assumed. there
| fore very largely from motives OF self
/ protection. 1t is strategic position OF
/ considerable Importance, commanding ac-
cess not merely to the great inland sea.
the Victoria Nyanza. and the lakes lying
north of 1T. but also to the headwaters OF
| the Nile
This should be sufficient to show that
the British foreign office is not the lnane
and aimless institution which the Times
correspondent would have his readers in
America believe.
From the health point Of view the coast.
according to the speaker. is only suitable
| for white planters, but not colonists. Nor
| is Uganda a white mans country. ganda
is tropical dependency pure and simple.
with few possibly healthy hill stations.
| In all else the European. as well as the
native. is victim to ticks. whose bites
/ engender fevers. and the deadly sleeping
sickness" which seems to have been born
of the British occupation.
To resume. Mr. Colquhoun declares that
/ Europeans cannot carry on sust stained
physical labor in the protectorates There
are in British East Africa 10000 Indians.
while Eurasians. Portuguese. Goanese
ara counted in the 800 as the white
population
"The native" he adds. will not leave
his home to work in any large numbers
/ or for any extended time.
Hindus and II is recognized that
| the Indian is necessary to
necessary. the exploitation of Africa,
on the coast and in the interior Gen.
Gordon and the writer were In absolute
accord on this fact, discussed a thousand
times
Mr. Colquhoun's paper was in substance
a plea for the colonization Of the pro-
| tectorates by Indians as the only means OF
| the exploitation of the vast possibilities
of British East Africa. and he cites Herr
| Dernburg. the German minister or the
|
| I'VE have here he says. "a cogent rea-
son against unrestricted white immigra-
ton into East Africa. and one which must
/ influence our whole policy in the develop
ment of that country. 1 can only point
out that historically and to a certain ex-
I tent economically this country Is an Off
/ shoot OF our Indian empire. A great por-
| ton of 1t will not be developed without In
dian help. We have no right to act dog
/ in-the-manger. The issue Of the great
/ SfruppIe which seems i'm minpnt-tle
| attempt by Asia to reverse. or at all
events to reform, the terms of her inter
! course with the west-it Is Impossible TO
| predict, but l feel very strongly that in
| the interests of those who will come after
us we should avoid prejudicing that issue
! by acts OF injustice or illiberality. My
| view of East Africa is that the conditions
oppose the ambitions of the white set
/ tiers for self-government. The lake and
| coast regions. which are extremely fertile.
| and can grow the best quality of Egyp-
! tian cotton and other raw mater ais. at
once spring into place in our imperial
| economy.
Mr. Churchill declared that the re-
| gion he had visited in British East Afri-
| ca and Uganda could 'nev-
| Travellers er support white popula-
| e.1.;.z tion that there is no ques-
ton Of white people living
| there and bringing up children and MAX
| ing a home for themselves
Mr. Churchill refers. doubtless to the
many crueltes committed by certain
travellers. and by the recent exposure of
others who under the mantle Of the Royal
Geographical Society have attempted to
attribute to themselves the discoveries of
| their predecessors.
Mr. Churchill speaks Of Uganda as
the jewel of the East African empire. and
a vast field for prospective cotton culture
| Mr. Smith NJ P. rdiculed the idea that
England could have added to the British
empire in fit of absent mindedness'
domain three times the area of Germany.
Mr. George S. Mackenzie. K. G. NJ. G.
IC. B.. eulogized Sir William Mackinnon as
| thu founder of the British East African
empire But for Sir William, Germany
would have acquired Uganda and the
whole Nile basin. Mr.. Mackenzie agreed
with Mr. Colquhoun and Mr.. Churchill
that East Africa is not suitable for the
white man. but for the Indian. AS In
/