The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-04-21
Copyright, 1910, Newspaper En-
terprise Association.


on the edge of revolution. When
lit will break nobody can say; but
conditions are such that it might
come any time.
/ felt it in the air the day
landed in Alexandria. ! fell into
the hands of an evil pirate who
called himself guide, and was
driven about the city under his
helpful chaperonage.
1.-The English" growled Mo-
manned Alec. Eyes. There are
too many of them"
He made a gesture like murder.
"Soon they will CO." he said.
1t was only a straw, but 1t was
more valuable to me as an indica-
|tion of popular sentiment than an
Interview with the prime minister.
And, speaking of prime minis
tiers, the representative Of British
authority in Egypt now Is Sir Ed
win Gorst, a man who Is general
ly conceded to be timid and over
cautious. During the Cromer re-
gime things we're run with the
same strong hand that pushed the
British forces south to Khartoum
and fought the Mahdi's forcest at
Kerreri. Cromer is now back in
England, and colonial affairs in
Egypt and the Sudan are ambling
along under loose rein.
Whether one believes that
Egypt should be self-governfng
under a constitution, or should
submit indefinitely to the benevo-
lent incubus of England's army
of occupation, there can be no
dispute as to the evils of a weak
administration. And that the
present one is very weak will be
seen in the striking fact that
Col. Roosevelt was begged to elm
mate from his speech at the Egyp-
tian university all mention of the
assassination of Butros Pashaw
late minister of finance.
eff speak at ALL" Roosevelt
replied, 81 shall denounce assas-
sination."
And he did. And in his fare
well message Sir Edwin Gorst
thanked him for his words.
But the immediate conse-
quences were amazing. Indigna-
ton meetings were held by the
nationalists, the native press
teemed with criticism, and final
ly there was the demonstration in
front of Shepherds hotel when
several hundred young men in rec
tarboushes marched by, chanting
like a college crowd the Arabic
equivalent for Down with the
hypocrites." "Hurrah for the
constitution"
1t was not exactly an alarming
demonstration. They were evi.
IDENTIFY students and were, on the
whole, a well dressed, Intelligent
looking crowd. But in their wake
were a motley array of Arabs
and natives ready for anything
that might happens pictur.
lesquely villainous looking Jack
of-cutthroats as ever graced the
deck of a pirate ship.
Roosevelt promised not to tall
politics, foreign or domestic.
And I haven't" he says. "Thor
shalt not kill is not talking poll.
tics. Or IL 1t is. I shall have te
add reservation to my PROMISE
One paragraph especially in tia
colonel's speech was seized up6I
by the radicals as cause for or
Tense. II was that n which lis
said that paper constitution
would not by itself insure any PEG.
pie a constitutional government
that ability for self-governmeli
must come gradually with educ4-
ton and training. Although en-.
lpressed in terms of a generaliza
tion, and so obviously true as II
seem to the American mind quite
bromide, this was material t.
provoke riot In Egypt. Here
said the native press, was
thrust at liberty. How couli
such words come from the en-
president of a republic? Was 4
any wonder that the American
senate had determined to dror
this Roosevelt from the pension
list? A traitor to free govern
ment ought to be dropped
The last allusion apparently
had its origin in the belief thai
all ex-officials go out of office on