The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-12-26
N0M|NAlLY A MONARCHY.
BUT EGYPT HAS LONG BEEN VIR.
TUALLY UNDER BRITAIN.
Present Khedivc Regarded as An En-.
cOuraging Patron of Enterprise
Arising in London.
New York Times.

Great Britain's prepOnderant influence
in the country there has been for
years an augmenting party in Eng
land which believed that the Valley
Of the Nile should become a British
PrOtectOrate in order that the great
public works of the country, designed
and carried out chiefly by English
men, should be more secure. More
over, it was believed that the liberty
and prosperity of the natives, which
have gradually been expanded by the
influence of British official initiative,
would be better protected.
Nominally Egypt was monarchy.
whose ruler, the Khedive, was the
Vail, or Viceroy of the Sultan Of
Turkey, to whom the Khedive paid an
annual tribute of $3,461,750. 1t is
doubtful. however, if the Sultan has
ever been able to collect a penny,
and in 1878 the grant to Egypt of
the right Of negotiating treaties with
foreign powers and of maintaining
standing army Independent of that
Of Turkey made the country on pa
per, practically an independent nation.
On paper also the representative Of
Great Britain was designated merely
as "his Majesty's Agent and Consul
General in Egypt" The German rep
resentative. however, is a Minister
Plenipotentiary.
For all practical purposes, however,
Egypt since 1882 has been under the
direct control Of the British Foreign
Office, with the modest agent" ac-
tually performing the duties of a
British Viceroy. Prior to that date
and through a concession granted by
the Khedive Ismail, the French had
dug the Suez Canal and from 1879
to 1888 had, with the English, con-
trOlled the national finances and eXer-
cised considerable influence in the
administration of political affairs.
However successfully the canal might
be operated as a commercial enter
India was vital to Great Britain. She
acquired the majority of stock in a
manner which has never been for
given in Berlin.
Bismarck learned that the majority
Of stock owned by Ismail was for sale,
and quietly sent an agent to Cairo to
make the purchase. This was in the
summer Of 1874, and Disraeli was
premier Of England. He heard the
could not openly ask Parliament for
the credits to make the purchase
without showing his hand to Bismarck
and causing Ismail to put up his
price. Through a secret agent and
with the funds Of the Bank of Eng
land at his disposition he made the
purchase before Ismail had time to
consider Bismarck's offer. This epi-
sode has been used in the play
'Disraeli'' by Louis N. Parker.
In 1882 a rebellion against Khedive
Mohammed Tewfk began and Eng
land invited Italy and France to join
her in subduing it. Both declined, and
England put down the rebellion with
some aid from the loyal Egyptians
The first important result was a de-
cree issued by the reinstated Khedive
by which the Franco English control
OF the finances was abolished and a
British financial adviser appointed,
with ministerial powers.
From that time on British power in
Egypt has constantly increased, while
following the letter of the convention
Of London of 1885, which set the
status Of Egypt as an absolute mon
archy subject alone to the Sultan.
Constantly, too, the British agent and
consul general has, under the direc-
ton Of the British foreign office, in
creased the prestige Of his country in
the Valley of the Nile. Slave labor has
been abolished, the Assuan Dam built,
the Mahdi annihiliatcd, the consultive
legislative council turned into n rep
resentative legislature, the army re-
organized on the British standard,
with its chief, the Sirdar, always
British officer, and a British garrison.
All these and many other things
have been done, and form an interest
ing record of achievement in the
annual reports Of the succeeding
British agents for the last 80 years
And when, half a dozen years ago,
the Sultan claimed part of the Sinai
peninsula. east Of tie canal, it was
British and Egyptian troops which
fought side by side to preserve that
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