The Republican journal., 1919-11-20
LIGHTING IN THE HEDJAZ.

as large as Maine and has about a, 900, 900
inhabitants. Two thirds of the fighting
force of the country is on the war path
in the Hedjaz, under the leadership of
Ebin Sooud At the present time this is
none of our business. If, however, we
accept the covenant of the league of ma
tions without dotting an i or crossings t,
the Hedjaz will be one of our own folks
in the beatified family of nations. 1t
may become our duty to send some SOL
diers to assist in driving Mr.. Sooud and
his followers out of the Hedjaz, to send
part of our navy to blockade Arabia in
order to prevent food and clothing from
entering the country till these nomads
settle down to stealing from each other
instead of plundering other people. This
will take long time because Arabia is
tropical country and the people can feed
their babies with camel's milk and live
themselves on vegetable diet for anoth
er hundred years just as comfortably as
they have done during the last century.
As for clothing we have never heard that
Arabia ever imported any considerable
quantity of turbans or breech clouts, and
if the united fleets of the league should
succeed in entirely stopping importations
we think the average Arab would not
feel greatly Inconvenience if he were
not able to obtain either of those scanty
concessions to civilization. 1t might
happen that the Supreme Council would
honor ~ the United States by giving US
mandatory power in this precinct Of our
new democracy. We do not think this
will occur for the single and sufficient
reason that England, herself, wants
free hand in the Hediaz and intends to
play the principal role in disciplining
Arabia
There are about 200 900, 600 Moham-
medans in the world and at least two
thirds Of them are in countries already
dominated by England, or in others which
she intends to dominate in the not dis
tant future She will rule these coun-
tries by force if necessary but prefers to
do so by craft. As rule the Moham-
medans are an ignorant people and usu-
allv follow the behest of their so-called
intellectuals with strict obedience and
an absolute faith, The calphs and sher-
ifs are their temporal and spiritual rulers.
There is a cahphate in Persia which is
practically under the control of England.
There is an Ottoman caliphate in Turkey
in which country England has little in
fuence She therefore desires that the
Ottoman caliIhate shall be taken away
from Turkey and established in Mecca
which is the principal city in the He'd
jaz Mecca is d Holy City to every Mo-
hammedan because it was the birthplace
of Mahomet Towards it every true fol-
lower bows when he hears the MueZn's
call TO prayer Here 100000 pilgrims
flock annually and it is sacred obliga-
ton tc every MChammedan to visit Mecca
at least once in his lifetime, to offer
prayers in the Mosque kl-Haram, and to
kiss the sacred black stone of the kaaba
dignitary in Macca, and is believed to be
a direct descendant Of Mahomet through
his daughter, Fatima, and is sometimes
called the Grand Shereef Hussein's
ambition to rule the faithful, and Eng
lands desire to enlarge and strengthen
herself in southern Asia and in Egypt
explains why Hussein and England are
working together to transfer the Otto
; man calipnate from Turkey to Mecca.
After this has been accomplished, after
Hedjaz is a mem ber of the league of ma
tions and protected by it, with an Eng
Ishman already appointed as permanent
secretariat of the league, with a Perms-
nent Court of International justice al
ready named at the instance of England,
and with the United States acting as
mandatory power in Constantinople, as
hlandly proposed, England can await her
opportunity to finish the acquisition of
Arabia which she had in mind 80 years
ago when she took possession of Alden,
the largest city Of that country, and for
titled It's excellent harbor and made it an
English naval station. Ebin Sooud has
said that Hussein is British hireling,
scoundrel and traitor. Whether this is
true or false we do not know, but the
Arabian tribes believe it to be true and
are, as we have stated, on the war path.
W hat we have said may not be very in
teresting but it leads up to this question;
Will it be wise, safe or sane for the
U uited States to be entangled with
European Asiatic and African intrigues?