EGYPTIAN AFFAIRS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 390, 16 May 1910, Page 5

EGYPTIAN AFFAIRS

MURDERER OF THE PREMIER CON DEMNED TO DEATH.

CAIRO EXCITED.

By Cable—Press Association—Copyright,

Received May 15, 5-5 p.m. Cairo, May 15

At the trial of Wardani for the assassination of the Egyptian Premier, his counsel persisted in an irrelevant discourse upon politics. After the Judges had rebuked counsel the Court was closed and the trial continued behind closed doors. Cairo is excited, and elaborate military and police precautions have teen taken to suppress possible disturbances.

MR. ROOSEVELT'S BOLD SPEECH. SOLEMN WARNING TO NATIONALISTS. APPEAL TO " ALL DECENT " MEN. London, April 1.

The result of Mr. Roosevelt's rapid but masterly grasp of the situation in Egypt was revealed on Monday in a powerful address at the Egyptian versity, Cairo. The occasion also brought out the fearless nature of the man. Whatever he believes it a duty to say he will say without heed of people's feelings and regardless of hostile criticism. When it was known that he intended to refer to the murder of the Premier, Boutros Pasha, determined efforts were made t* dissuade him. The fact is that the great majority of those who resent the British occupation approved the murder and look upon the assassin Wardani as a patriot.

INTERFERENCE REFUSED.

Prince Fouad (uncle of the Khedive), who is president of the university—which is not really a university in our sense of the word, but rather a mere institution for lectures—was greatly perturbed lest Mr. Roosevelt should' intend to act the part of Balaam and instead a blessing call down a curse. It is reported that he even went to Sir Eldon Gorst, the British Agent, to ask him to interfere, which was, of course, out of the question. The address was at first expected to be unpolitical and academic. Instead of that Mr. Roosevelt dealt boldly with the burning topics of the day. The hall was crowded, most of the wellknown people in Cairo being present. The speaker began with compliments, and then showed his knowledge of the East by insisting on the .necessity for the strictest financial integrity in the management of the country. This was loudly cheered by all.

THE YOUNG EGYPT PARTY.

Next he touched on the tendency of young Egyptians who go to study in Europe to bring back the bad habits and vices of the West. "Character," he said, ''is far more important than intellect. Clean living, courage, manliness, self-re-liance and self-respect are infinitely more valuable than mental subtlety.'' This was also applauded in all parts of the hall. But when the ex-President went on to draw an analogy between individual and nation, emphasising the point that one can no more really educate a man by a. curriculum of studies than one could make a nation fit for self-govern-ment by giving it a paper Constitution, then one section of the audience applauded more vigorously than ever, while the other section sat frowning and glum. Then he 'proceeded to illustrate the uselessness of paper Constitution when peoples were not ready for self-govern-ment by the history of North and South America. Some commonwealths flourished, and others under nominally the same conditions sank into anarchy and corruption. The essential quality of an independent nation was not haste in grasping after power, but steady development of the love of justice, fair play, self-re-liance, and moderation.

This crushing answer to those who claim that Egypt is able to stand alone flnd govern itself on the modern representative system filled the 'Nationalists present with rage. But the most impressive passage of the address 'was yet to come.

SOLEMN WARNING,

Deepening 'his voice and speaking in a tone of solemn emotion, Mr. Roosevelt expressed the horror of all civilised people at the assassination of Boutros Pasha. He was equally -severe on all who encouraged or condoned such an act.

This was naturally unploasin? t.r the Young Egypt Paa'ty. The Nationalist newspapers advocated murder when they defended the "removal" of Sir Curzon Wyllie. Both they and the Nationalist speakers have united to excuse Wardam's crime ever since it was committed.

There is no question but that Mr. Roosevelt has grasped the situation its broad outlines. Such incidents as the insults offered to the Financial Adviser in the report of the Committee of the General Assembly on the Suez Canal project and the circulation among members of the Assembly of a seditious pamphlet in which native officers of the Army threaten a military revolt are only two instances of the spirit abroad. But naturally the Assembly, which failed to take notice of the murder of the Premier until a 'private member proposed a vote of condolence and has just adopted a motion demanding self-go-vernment for which, according to Mr. Roosevelt, Egypt is not ready, will resent the address. The .Nationalists will all say that "England is at the bottom of this." PINNACLE OF INFAMY. Mr. Roosevelt said that substantial education, whether of an individual or of a people, was only to lie obtained by a process, not by an act. X" man was educated by a curriculum. Wore, then, the people ready. Mr. Roosevelt asked, for self-government by the ifift of a paper Constitution? Self-sovprnmoht

was not a matter of a decade or two, but of generations. Xobodv could eive .self-government any more than they could srivo an individual self-help. All good men of every nation w!iu*e respect was worth bavin,'; had been inexpressibly shocked bv the recent murder of the Premier, Bout.ro.! Pa«ba. which 'Was even more a calamity for lvo-nt than it was a wroncr to an individual. The tvpe of man that turned out the ias=,ißsin was a, tvne alien to srood fiti/enship, producing bad soldiers in time of war and worse citizens in time of peace. Such a man stood on a pinnacle of evil and infamy. °nd those who anolo-

gise.d for or condoned his act, either by word or deed, directly or indirectly, whether before the deed or after it, occupied the same bad eminence. Whether an assassin was a Moslem or a Christian or of no creed at all, whether his crime was ■political or industrial, its abhorrence in the eyes of all decent men was in the long run equally damaging to the cause to which the assassin professed to be devoted.

In conclusion, Mr. Roosevelt said he earnestly hoped tnat those responsible for the beginnings of the university would frown on every form of wrongdoing and would stand with linnness and courage for the immutable principles of justice and merciful dealing between man and mian, without which there could be no growth towards a really line and high civilisation.