The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1938-01-28

Said to be the first Independent
king Egypt has had since the days
of Cleopatra, King Farouk isn't
content with merely sitting on the
throne. He also wants to rule.
the senate, Farouk refusing to ap-
prove the Wafd majority's nominee.
A few days later he declined to
sign a bill authorizing expenditure
of funds for suppression of foreign
propaganda, demanding an account
ing for every cent.
Eventually Nahas was forced to
resign when his differences with F'a-
rouk failed to dissolve under arbi-
tration. In his place Farouk ap-
pointed Mahmoud Pasha, whose pri-
vate army-the Greenshirts-have
often clashed with Nahas' Blue
shirts. With so many 'shirts" fly
ing through Cairo, it was quite OBJ
vious that somebody was going to
lose one. A few days before his
forced resignation, Nahas had or
dered dissolution of the Green
shirts. Mahmoud, in turn, not only
abolished the Blueshirts but also all
other "shirts." Whether this wise
move will stop the rioting remains
to be seen.
Fascist Trends Apparent.
Great Britain is justified in be-
ing doubtful about Premier NAH
moud. Although he has given ev-
cry assurance that his new cabinet
embraces the policy of friendship
for Britain, there is too much Fas-
cist zeal in the patriotic slogans of
Mahmoud and his followers. Egyp-
tians are encouraged to despise ev-
erything foreign, to speak only in
Arabic, to buy only from Egyptians
and to keep as their motto some
thing like: "Allah, the Fatherland
and the King!" Still another Fascist
note, paridoxical though it may be,
is the Wafdist Blueshirts' determi-
nation to defend democracy with an
organization that is itself Fascist
on the surface.
Great Britain realizes that Egypt
is in the center of a political hot
bed. In Libya, along the Egyptian
frontier, Italy has placed highly
mechanical army units. Arabs
throughout the Near East are
aroused by England's policy in Pal
estine.
King Farouk's latest attempt to
drive the Wafdists from power was
an order dismissing the highly DEM
ocratic parliament for one month.
The order followed close upon the
heels of Nahas' dismissal as pre-
mier, but it's immediate end was
merely confusion. AS the chamber
speaker was about to read Farouk's
order, irate Nahas jumped to his
feet and began to protest. Police
were called, the lights turned out
and the parliamentarians stumbled
to the streets. Nahas could smile,
however, for he had won temporary
success. The dismissal order had
not been finished.
Election in Offing.
Scheduled almost at the same
time as the royal wedding is new
parliamentary election in which
King Farouk and Premier NAH
mould hope to see the Wafdists de-
feated. At present the Wafd has
1874 deputies out of the total of 232,
and "a senators out of 1872. If this
great majority is wiped out, Egypt's
democratic government may be on
the way to disaster.
Among plans already announced
by Premier Mahmoud is enlarge
ment of the army from II 900 to 50,-
600. Even $4,000 troops would be
an unimportant stumbling block to
any invader who might covet
Egypt. Therefore observers believe
the military expansion is for in
ternal defense of Farouk and the
palace government. Built swiftly,
it would be a loyal army, ready to
do the bidding of its king and pre-
mier. With such a force behind
them, Farouk and Mahmoud might
successfully eliminate the Wafdist
competition.
But perhaps the influence of his
beautiful young wife will help paci-
fly the boy king. Possessed with the
idealism of adolescence, Farouk is
possibly going through a period
when he wants to play with his
power, to be as strong as the pha-
raohs of old.
Western Newspaper Union.