Imperial Valley press., 1927-06-20
BY j. w. r. MASON, =,
Written for the United Prsssn)e

(Written for the United PressrC
The Egyptian government is try.
! ing to establish its full sovereignty
as an independent state by demand.
! ing that Great Britain relinquish
i control over the Egyptian army. The
, British authorities, responsible for
maintaining the integrity of the
Suez Canal are reluctant to part
with their military rights in Egypt,
and unless the Sucz issue can be set
tied satisfactorily to the British,
there is slight possibility of the pre-
ent Egyptian agitation meeting
with success.
The British fleet, if necessary,
will prevent the Egyptians from
taking any action detrimental to
England s hold on the Suez water
way, which is the only route from
the Mediterranean to India and the
British possessions in the Far East.
Zaghlul Pasha, the leader of the
Egyptian radicals, who has recently
been released from prison, where he
was banished for his fiery propa
ganda methods, has inspired his ma
tionalist followers to resume their
antiBritish agitation. Zaghlul $
influence is the most powerful i'll
Egypt, and his control over the eX-
listing government is due to the be.
lief that he may eventually make
himself the Mussolifii of Egypt with
a "a 70 lob b. u
mics.
Demands Surrender
Zaghlul especially seeks to have
the British surrender their military
authority at Cairo, for once that is
done the Egyptian army, under res
tricted native command, could be
used as a political machine, creating
dictatorship for the supreme po-
litical or military official in con
troll.
To what extent the Egyptian peo
pie would profit from such an ac-
eomplishment is problematical.
There is deep suspicion of all for
eigners at Cairo which is carried to
an extreme or resentment, harmful
to the Egyptians themselves. Only
recently. the Egyptian government
refused to accept a gift from John
d. Rockefeller, to create nation.
al museum FIND. unless the gov
ernment could control the money for
its own purposes. The offer of the
gift was then withdrawn, and the
government suffered in popularity
when it was realized that large
source of wealth had been lost to
the Egyptian people. Corruption is
rife everywhere in Egyptian natiy'
quarters. This condition would not
react against Egyptian control of
the Egyptian army if the Egyp-
tians were not at the same time so
strongly antiforeign. Mahomctauism
is the religion of the country. and
there is long Inheritance of anti
Christian feeling.
Canal Vital Necessity
Great Britain cannot forcgo CON
troll of the Suez Canal. In the
event Of war. involving the British
Empire, the Suez Canal would cor.
respond in Importance to the Pana-
ma Canal r, war in which the
United States might be engaged.
Egypt s. anti-foreign feeling might
easily take the form of. n move
ment against the Suez Canal if the
Cairo authorities had absolute con
troll over the local mi'itary equip
ment.
That is the reason why Great
Britain has held fast to her military
position in Egypt. Before the World
War. Egypt recognized the sover-
igntv of Turkey. After the out
break of the war, in which Turkey
was involy ed. the British declared a
protectorate over Egypt, as a nea'
sure of military stratcg.-. BY this
means, not only WIS the security Of
the Suez Canal assured, but Flank
attacks against Turkey wera carried
out. W'nen the war was over. the
Egyptians demanded that the pro
tectorate be abolished. Turkey had
been defeated in the conflict, but
the Egyptians had not participated
in the war, being, in fact, withheld
- 80 % =