The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-11-30 00:00:00

,*tottrfrrible Obutler.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1878.
Tilt WINTER SESSION OF PARLIA.

MENT.

When the two Houses of the Legislature were
prorouged en the 16th of August last, after one
of the longest sessions of modern times, there
was no idea that in less than four months from
that time Parliament would have to be specially
summoned to provide the supplies for a war.
The British plenipotentiaries had but just re-
turned from the Congress at Berlin, bringing
witb thee, "peace with honour; " the Eastern
Q iestion was looked upon as, if not settled
lerneorarily, at least out of the way for some
• time to come, and with the signature of the
Tie ee it was hoped that trade would revive.
the welling prosperity of the country
. we ,turn with the re-establisment of confi-
deaee i the stability of our foreign relations.
No.niiee; was to be heard but a chorus of con-
grdtnletion at the roaing away of that war-cloud
which bad so long spread gloom and darkness
througei' tee land. One cloud passed away and
anotaer gathered. For several days before the
close of the sesSioü questions were put to
sai.eister,s in the House of Commons as to the
Iltate,:of our relations with Afghanistan, and the
ttficVllection of bygone disasters in, that country
Cau4ed grave anxiety- in thoughtful and reflec-
:tive minds. However, the session elosed, and
• several weeks passed away before this anxiety
was seen to be founded on a substantial basis
it was not until Saturday, the 21st of Septem.
..bar, that the armed mission sent by the Viceroy
seeef India to Cabul, with Sir Neville Chamberlain
• at its head, was turned back from the Khyber
Pas, and from that time war with Afghanistan
seems to have been regarded as a foregone con-
..clusion. It would never do to allow the pres-
tige of Great Britain to be impaired in the
. ,vision of two hundred millions of Hindoos, by
tAfl aCeont from an ignorant savage like the
Ameer of Afganistan. Time would be given to
the surly potentate for a reparation of his
• offence, and if no reparation was made, chastise-
ment would be inflicted upon him in the shape
of a declaration of war. The ; Ameer disre-
garded the ultimatum, war has followed, and
Parliament is to meet next week to receive al
the information which the Government is pre-
pared to lay before it with respect to the cause
of the hostilities, and the manner and means of
:Baying the expenses.
, •Athe„coeuihou sense of the people of England,
no less than the dictates of humanity, will call
into existence a deep and .unfeigned regret that
necessity for war should have arisen. It was
obvi,us, however, that-this was not a case for
the application of the principle of international
arbitration 'which has found much favour with
some puulic men during the past few years. It
did very well with the dispute over the Alabama
depredations, because the disputants were civil-
ized .oittOns, and went into the arbitration upon
th,: 'understanding that the decision was to be
binding. But it would have been useless to
, suggest arbitration to such a ruler as the Ameer
. of Cabul, living apart from civilization, and shut
• in ,from tee moving world by the fastnesses of
giant
mountains. Even if he could have
•4,1. ,
been Made to understand it, it is more than
• doubtfnl if he would have seen the force of car-
,
ryiee °et any award which went against him.
ee he brought to reason only through the
,use hose arguments with which his ex•
. perieuce ban breeel,•sut him acquainted—the
tho bayonet, the rifle bullet and the
• cA,ulua shot. • it is with such arguments as
h.that, unfortunately, the Govetnraent of
!nod. ia .too. often compelled to go to work.
. on!p:tipcutel, So. we have been told, misconstrue
cinl lie
int%) WPakness, and endeavour to
take, adYalllNage.,accerdine;
i-e .-. The Country has
s'• (7
to be kld. .he sworl , and an unavengal
.1l 0.1 by t!,e Ameer of Cabul to the ztccredited
of t:oo E!pl•ess .of India would
as the • people ..of England have been assured,
:luta_t mos.t iniericrae effect upon the
r an attempt ignorns a 4
ete d Populations which inake
up otu.ein..ditmutiny,2-11414.ct . "ere. might have been
lit tha
• et
anothemutiny,tty, 184, o t
• one. Ti:en-Aore, althoii.gh _in outt'em o
c., is
widest fields of our miesienary ehteepie„,, and
geiel amid eatnest wen are generation after
generation at work, Tweaching to the Itliudooe
• Up to them the
the gospel of peace, holding
. bright exam estroy life,
vie of Him who told the listener,
• 'that he came not into the world to d
'butto save, and who spoke of the cooling time
• wheo... natibmi should learn war no more, the
;atithorititi.d, at ',Calcutta had come to the con-
• ettasion that war WAS inevitable. That decision
;): -',hateq)e-en endorsed by the Government at home,
••••.• 4, 'aotf, the tunienninr, of Parliament for a winter
- •
•••i. t,4e resailt.
Yet, ow we said above, this war cannot but be
regretted. Let us, for the moment put aside
the sentimen,e; consideration that Great Britain
• 'oo very sea, conveying civil-
•• • throughout the earth, is
QUaupeatsti to 1164 au Uncouth Litt-
barian at a tine of the year when sTerytiaing