The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-04
rho suez Canal.

Great pressure Is being brought to
bear upon the khedive by the ESyp-
tian nationaiists to induce him to with.
| hold his consent to the prolongation of
the Suez Canal concession, which ex-
pres In 1868. Unless the extension Is
granted. the canal will at that time
become the exclusive property of the
! Egyptian government. and. quite aside
| from the huge revenue which Its pos
session would bring into the Egyptian
treasury, the ownership of this great
international waterway would endow
| the Egyptian government with an inn
| portance and power which it would
| not otherwise possess. But no foreign
country. certainly none of those who
make the chief use of the canal. can
| contemplate with equanimity the pos
] sibtlity OF It's passing from the con-
| troll of the company into that of an
/ independent nationalist Egyptian gov
eminent.
| Sooner or later the khediv!ate Will
be compelled to grant Constitution
/ to the Egyptian people. The Suez Ca
nal Company. the foreign powers. and.
above all, the ship-owners using the
/ canal, realize that IL any prolonga-
ton of the concession is to be OBJ
| tained 1t must be secured before the
grant of the Constitution. since after
wards it would be beyond their reach;
and as the Egyptian Treasury Is just
| largely in consequence OF the cost Of
the Soudan administration, 1t Is hoped
| and expected that the Khediye. prompts
ed by England. will accept the very
made for the prolongation or the con-
lcession to the canal company for an
other $50 years.
Near 14,0o0.0oo tons Of British ship
ping alone passed through the canal
last year. and the traffic Is increasing
l all the time. To place 1t at the sole
mercy of a nationalist Egyptian gov
ernment which would be disposed to
of adding to its revenue. to favor one
1 foreign nation at the expense of an
other for political purposes, rendering
i the canal a subject Of international
! intrigue and discord. besides neglect
/ ing to bestow upon this great water
/ way the constant care and attention
needed to keep It in working order. is
i an eventnality alarming to contem-
plate, and which, II realized, could only
pc described as an economic calamity
for all the maritime powers OF the
Y world.
4 Rumors of War.
4 Warm the more or less remote future
I between Great Britain and Germany is
to such degree subject of popular
I discussion and of apprehension that 1t
i may be interesting and timely to cal
attention to the fact that England and
! Germany have never yet had occasion
to fight one another through all the
q centuries of their history. England has
4 fought the Dutch and the French. thA
4 Spanish, the Portuguese. the Austrians
the Italians. the Russians and the
4 Turks, as well as the Danes and the
Norwegians, but never the Prussians
And Prussia, In the same way. has
4 crossed swords with almost every ma
i tionality In Europe save the English
| While the English ana Prussians have
never fought, the latter however have
met the Scotch in sanguinaIy conflict
and Aytounin his poem, 1.-THE Island OF
4 the Scots" has placed on. lasting re-
Scotchmen. who had taken service nm
!, der France. stormed an islet on the
Rhine. off the Alsace shore, and swop,
1.-The force of Prussians holding itEintc
the water with .scotlands broad clay.
lmores."
Copyright, la10ssby the Brentwood
3gs5 COmpany.)