Bisbee daily review., 1914-09-26
AFRICA A PRlzE OF WAR

AFRICA A PRIZE OF WAR
 The war has been carried into Africa The Belgian Congo has been invaded by German troops. There is the first direct move in the accomplishment of a pur pose that probably lies the European struggle he mastery of the worlds richest continent.
 After all Is said and done perhaps Africa is the greatest prize of war. Certainly it may prove to be- if Germany wins.
 For Africa is the continent of the future. The Afri can possessions protecorates Of the nations at war are three times as large as their European territory Of the whole vast area of nearly 12OOOOOO square miles the only parts possessing self government and entitled to be termed nations are insignificant Abyss aud Liberia All the rest is rarceled among the powers by way of colonial insurance against the time when crowded Europe shall need room and markets and nations shall be nourshed by great foreign empires
 In the scramble of the last few decades the powers lave seized Africa by millions of square miles Sparse inhabited for the part by uuwarlike negroes, t was easy prey Beyond the fertile civilized Medi- terrauean coast and British South Africa its resources are scarcely touched and hardly guessed at Egypt is known from of old as one of the worlds granaries The total trade French Algeria exceeded s283OOOOOO m 1912 South Africa in 1910 exported S155OOOOOO in gold and diamonds Belgium has been getting sl5oOOOo a year the Congo chiefly in rubber. and the Ger man colonies are sending s25oooooO pro- duce annually. These but inc beginnings of trade destined to grow incidentally.
 Now Germany seeks to appropriate the 9OOOOo square miles Of Religion Congo with it's l5OO0OOO native reputation and 5000 whites It should not be difficult There are 1000 native soldiers quol ifv .under a 1audfuI of Beeian officers
 That conquest eoald be but the beginning of a cam pspn of territorial ezpansion at the expense of Ger manys enemies The Belgian Congo lies between m' French Congo on the west and German East Africa the east Just west ol the French Congo is German Kamerun. With the two Congoes absorbed she woul, have the richest part Africa in compact body reach ing across the continent irom the Gulf Guinet th Indian Ocean. With British East Africa annexed ther would be a region almost comparable in extent and rich ness to continental United States though with m climate Of Brazil.
 Just south of the Congo is Portuguese West Afric and Portugal as an English ally would be considere fair prey That would bind Germanys new acquisition to her own Southwest Africa which runs like vedg alongside British South Africa. down almost to Cap Town
 Then. there is MoIerascar the great island in tn Indian Ocean held by France There are rich and h iorc Algeria and T1nia at Che north. to be seized France is conquered There is Egypt a Turkish po session under British svagrainty with the German through friendly Turke, already stirring up the M hammedan natives to revolt And by the way of SC uement of Gemanys rrudge against Italy. there TriDou a fruitfaI field for a similar "holy war" to T cound to Germsnys benefit As for Morocco. let spa beware,
 Like the great struggle for the worlds trade, ihis turns on the supremacy Of the sea If Germany defeated by land and sen. she win probably lose h own African colonies for partition among the allies she wins by land she may stll lose in the coloni game If she defeats the allies by land and sea- not ing is more certain than that Germany will seize co trol of nearly an this immense continent
 With such prize in her hands, she would app 10 the purpose of colonial development the san strength patience determination and thoroughness tn have given her the mastery in science and industr and have made her in single generation wort competitor of England in foreign trade. There mig then arise south of thc Sahara Desert between ( tropics of cancer and capricorn empire richer th any ever possessed by Rome Spain or England