The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1908-04-04
EHGLAND's DESIGNS
Little Belgium Fears That In
satiable Greed Which
Made Egypt a British Satrapy
in the Face of Pledges.

are two sides to the question of his
rule over the Congo, one Of which is
being pressed most cunningly upon the
president and people Of the United
States. This country is being urged
to takes sides with England in an at
tempt to wrest from Belgium the con-
troll of that vast African empire. Since
we will in the course of events have no
part in the administration, the plum
will naturally and inevitably fall into
the lap OF our over seas partner just
as Egypt has already done. The fol-
lowing translation from an article in
the Vingtieme Steele of Brussels pre-
sents the Belgian side of the case in
tho shape of direct appeal to the
American people to keep out Of an en-
tangling alliance the end of which il
not in plain sight.
1t must be acknowledged that the
latest London farce has been we'll
played. Two or three of the "supes'
'"SesA W SNSl GhIllS ltldS 1lOly ludL
England loves and chcrishes Belgium
and the Belgians. while the actors
who fill the principal roles deliver
with telling effect their lines intended
to prepare European public opinion for
an English grab at the Congo
Monday evening in the House of
0p1c
but very cautiously YOU may be sure
the plan of the conspirators He
spoke of the Observation-Disclosures OF
the Congo. In the mouth of Lord Gro
mer, former "viceroy" of Egypt, this
word can have only one meaning-thc
Egyptian meaning. Everybody knows
that Egypt does not belong to England.
Egypt has been ernationalized" To
all intents and purposes it is English.
The English are the masters of Egypt
and the wealth of Egypt serves only
to enrich the English.
The khedive was merely puppet in
the strong hand of Lord Cromer. Lee
gally, however, Egypt is international,
and it is this legal fiction that has
opened the way for English occupation
and English exploitation.
1t is marvellous that England should
be able to lay hands on the Congo un-
der the pretense that the Congo is the
common property of all the Powers
Lord Cromer Understands perfectly
how to do that sleight- of hand trick.
He is in the business. He served his
apprenticeship and won his spurs in
Egypt. A victory like this might win
back for hint SOME of the prestige
which. in spite of his merits and sery-
ices, he finally lost when he took to
imprisoning and hanging Egyptian
peasants for trying to prevent English
officers from shooting their pigeons.
Our readers remember that affair.
Under the dominion of Lord Cromer
the Egyptian peasants who dared to
defend their persons and their goods
against the caprices Of the English Of
ficcrs ran the risk of the prison or the
halter. Lord Cromer is, therefore, spe-
cially qualified to condemn the crimes
OF the Congo state.
You have only to cast your eye on
the map of Africa to see the motive of
the English campaign against the
Congo. or rather to see wherein lies
Englands interest in the abolition of
the Independent Congo State. We
intended to write an article about it
today, but We find the article already
made to hand, and all we have to do
is to reproduce it, Our Liberal con-
temporary of Antwerp, the "Iatin,"
after recalling the fact that the Eng
fish government illuminated the
Beers before assassinating them,
writes as follows:
1.-The Congo State occupies the very
center of the Cape to- Cairo route. The
hour Of it's death has therefore struck
england began by ann1hllatlng the
Transvaal and the Orange Free State
which she found across her path on
emerging from the boundaries of her
Cape Colony and Natal. Then, fur
Their along, were Portuguese claims,
which she swept aside. Now, still fur
Their along. it is the Congo State that
blocks the way-that State which had
the impudence to form itself in Central
Africa. at the very moment when Eng
land was restoring order in the Sou
dan. ostensibly for tho weak Egyptian
government, but in reality for the purs
pose of clearing the way for the rail.
road.
IF it had not been for the Berlin
Congress. which was called on the in
itiative of Germany. England would
have appropriated the territory Of the
International African Association with
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