New-York tribune., 1921-11-27

had been around to Chelsea
to interview tho Sim Fein
delegates during one Of the
BLACKLIST phases Of tho Irish conference.
On his return he took walk over to
the offsse window for little air to
clesr his mind Of the fog of formulas
in which he had been involved. OPP
posite the Tribune building was large
poster on boarding. It read: Egypt
demands her complete independence" :"
This poster, with its menacing
legend in the heart of the English cap
ital, was not, as one might reasonably
suppose, directed st the British gov
ernmeut. It was directed at the Egypt
ian delegation now in London, which,
while the Irish conference has been
proceeding under the limelight Of pub
licity, has in the obscurity of the For
e;gn Office been engaged in negetia-
tons for an Anglo Egyptian settle
ment.
How this curious situation arose IS
= long story, but the Egyptian ques-
ton itself, compared with the Irish,
presents a relatively simple issue.
Egypt has no Ulstex. The people form
a single nation. In this fat land, as
uniform and as Industrious as Holland,
iives one race with one language and
one religion--for the tiny Coptic
minority makes no political conplica-
ton. 1t is easy for England to grant
70 Egypt what It is so hard for her
TO yield to Ircland--the name and form
of independence. For, according to all
the legal and diplomatic fictions, Egypt
up to 1914 was a province not OF the
British but of the Ottoman Empire.
Now since the war the Ottoman En-
pire has gone; but the British p-otec-
torate in Egypt-and the British army
Of occupation--remain
Lord Palmerston Aptly
Expressed British Policy
Lord Palmerston in 1857 wrote these
words, which aptly sum up British
policy in Egypt then and since: I'VE
do not want Egypt, or wish it for our
selves. any more than rational map
wish an estate In the north OF Eng
and and residence in the south
would have wished to possess the inns
on the north road. All he could want
would have been that the inns should
be we'll kept, always accessible and
furnish him when he came with
mutton chops and post horses" The
reference, of course, is to the route
TO India, now more vulnerable than
eyer through the Suez Canal.
Negotiations as to the status OF
raypt date back to the Nationalist out
breaks Of 1919 in support Of the claim.
to independence. Toward the close Of
that year the mission of inquiry under
I.ord Miner was sent to Egypt. 1t re-
NAMED there till the spring of last
year, but it was not very successful,
as it was boycotted by leading
Egyptians. Later the mission resumed
It's inquiries in London, where it con-
terred with members Of a Nationalist
deputation headed by Zaghlul Pasha.
The issue OF its report was deferred,
in the hope that agreement would be
reached, but this was found impossi-
Die, and in February last the mission
issued q unanimous report In the
following month the British govern
ment sent q communication to the
Sultan of Egypt in which it expressed
The view that the status of a protec-
torate was not a satisfactory relation
between Egypt and Great Britain 1t
expressed desire to confer with a
delegation nominated by the Sultan,
with the object ot substituting for
the protect torate relationship which,
while securing the special interests of
Britain, should meet the legitimate
aspirations Of the Egyptian people.
1t is this delegation, nominated by
the Sultan of Egypt, which is conduct.
ing the present negotiations in Lon
don. 1t was against this delegation
that the poster referred to above was
directed. More extreme Egyptian Ma
tionalists claim that it does not rep
resent the real views sand feelings oi
the mass of Egyptians, that it is q
hand-picked body more or less under
British influence and not competent te
make terms in the name of the
Egyptian people.
ZaghluI Pasha,, who has been de
scribed as the de Valera Of Egypt, ii
not member of the delegation, in th'
selection of which he and his following
had no voice. But to what extent th'
delegation is unrepresentative is a mat
ter OF divided opinion. Major Harry
Barnes, who, with other members o.
Parliament, recently went to Egypt t.
gather independent information as tt
the state Of political affairs in th'
country, declares that the two con
clusions which the party reached wer,
that Egypt wanted independence ant
that the voice of Egypt was zaghlu
Pashs; the unofficial negotiations were
transferred by Earl Curzon to Adj,
Pasha, the head Of the present dele
gution.
Barnes Says ZaghIul Pasha
Cannot BE Ignored
1T is as ii" said Major Barnes. ssi,
the Irish problem some member of tn
Cabinet had commenced negotiation
with MIR. de Valera and then the gov
ernment had officially transferred then
~ lord M;3dfa%oc <t..An- . A,