Evening star., 1915-01-31


An Amer;con American military
mission went to Egypt
AAsplTdtl0u. In 1869, mainly through
the Intervention of Gen. Sherman. COM
mander-in chief of the United States
Army. Thus in 1869 the creation of
the suitanate in Egypt was an Ameri-
can inspiration: in 1914 it became a
British realization
In 1859 khedive Ismail Pasha had at
tracted the attention of the world by
his prodigious efforts to reform Egypt
and the extraordinary fetes that in
ausurated the Suez canal-the joint
enterprise OF de Lesseps-and the khe-
dife won for the latter the soubriquct
of "lsmail the Magnificent"
Prince Gortschakoff directed the at
tention of the powers in 1860 to the re-
current massacre of Christians in Ar
fnenia and Syria, the responsibility for
which was laid at the door of the
sultan at Constantinople The genius
Tor progress that distinguished IsmaiI
khedive suggested 10 the American
general the possibility OF having
lsmaii. sultan of Egypt, take the place
OF the offending sultan at Constantin-
opie. Some such idea certainly was the
man manifested in 1869 in sending a
group of military men to Egypt, whose
hrst instructions were: prepare for
war and fight the Turk" The first
service. indeed, of this American mill
tary mission a reconnoissance
made with the object of defending
Cairo from the Turk approach ching from
the Suel canal. The defense construct
ed was Tel-el-kebir. a work commonly
attributed to Arab Pasha
Abbas declared in a recent appeal to
Egyptians from Constantinople to join
MN IN revolt against the British; For
thirty-two years a foreign power has
occupied our beloved land. At last the
hour of liberty for which we have
waited so impatiently has struck"
y
IT Abbas had made his appeal from
hhartum. rather than Constantinopie,
ten years earlier, there
Cromer'S might have been a chance
of success. Cromer's rule,
AseSAho. unlike that of Kitchener
had created real unrest and had i'm
posed upon Thewfick and Abbas many
hum1liatlons. The imposition of Sir"
Mustapha Pasha Fehm as sort of
spy upon Abbas, likewise the "Dens-
hiwl affair were unfortunate crca-
tons and provocations. Abbas, who
succeeded Thewfick in 1892, had reign
ed, without governing, twenty-three
years In this long interval there grew
hpace IN Egypt numerous national
| party. Bindas Zobair and Slatin Pasha
| could have made Khartum a base
whence the occupant might have been
driven from the Sudan and Egypt.
Iobair and Slatin Pasha were very un-
usual and powerful factors to restore
at khartum what Abbas calls the
status enjoyed prior to 1882
From this distance from Egypt il
looks as if Abbas had dallied with his
tate and that the hour of liberty
struck many times for him when 70
bair and Slatin were within call, but
Abbas heard not the call.
December II, 1914, there appeared in
the London press dispatches an official
note which stated that because of the
state of war resulting from the acts of
Turkey. Egypt was placed under the
protection of his majestys government.
The suzerainty of Turkey was thus at
an end and the government of his maj
esty would adopt all necessary means
for the defense of Egypt and for the
| interests. Sir Arthur Henry MacMahon
was appointed as EnEland'S high COM
missioner for Egypt.
When the sovereignty of Turkey dis-
appeared there was no longer a khe-
dive. 1t is an essential that protec-
torate should protect sovereign. Be
sides the new dignity of sultan would
permit the realization of d dream of
Egyptians themselves from Mahomet-
ali and from Ishmail as well. The SUBJ
stitution of the Sultan at Cairo for the
sultan at Constantinople as the khalif
OF Islam. was mortal thrust at the
Turkish power at Stamboul and at the
same time the ruin of Turkish power
in Asia.
Mahomet V, sultan at Constantinople,
is an excellent man, but totally in the
hands of Enver Pasha and the commit
tee of union and progress, whose COM
position is Wretched. The family of the
sultan does not descend at all from
the prophet and there is nothing to
prevent the religious chiefs from con-
ferring the khalifat either upon the
chief of Mecca or upon the Sultan of
Egypt.
Following the suppression of the
suzerainty of the Turk over Egypt
England proclaimed
Khedive Ahhos on the 18th of De-
cember the dethrone-
Uetnroned. ment of Khedive Alb
bas Hilmi. Abbas, it was charged, went
over completely to the Atstro-German
cause. From the commencement of the
war he intrigued against the English
in Egypt. In September. in collabora-
tion with German secret agents, he sue
ceeded in provoking IA movement of
diSa ffection among some important
Arab families in Egypt, proprietors of
vast domains, who were affiliated with
influential Bedouin bands. After the
aggression of the Turkish fleet Abbas
proclaimed his allegiance to Turkey
and expressed his intention of leading
an Ottoman army to Egypt.
The British government seized tins
incident and declared the dethronement
of Abbas. and thereupon addressed
Prince Hussein Hamel, Oldest living
son of khedive Ishmail. the following
note.