The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-15
Rnaala and India

on"OVersy on International questions. When
P'Omacy was conducted secretly by officql
enons only, there was, as a, present risk of
prior; but governments aud their agents had
ne great advantage of expressing an undi yided
Eiii Newspapers aud pamphlets while they
nsy often throw light on the subject of debate,
upply information with indiscriminate lberal-
" TO both parties alike. The veiled menaces
pf fore'gn Secretary or OF an Ambassador
produce bat little effect when the supposed
orenns OF public opinion have admitted the
mpossi6i.itY or Inu,ility OF resistance. In the
confiet OF judgment foreign statesmen naturally
tccept ihe statements and arguments which
nt their Own ponoy best. The Emperor
clcholAs at the begun ng Of 1858 might have
tOuhu many wholesome warnings in tue English
pieesi oot choosing 70 believe, on the authority
oi one or two Journals. AT the influence of
Mr. Coodeu aud Mr.. Bright was supreme
IN England, he PLUNGED hts country into dis
as,rous war: The ADVISORS OF hts successors
VIII probably place siolilar Interpretation on
esger ana exaggerated professions of indaer-
shce 10 Russian victories ~ Turkestan. Osten-
latlous denereDce TO the United States has led
nfst 10 the uniucky Alabama Treaty, and then,
ny iortut ate censequeDce. TO the refusal of
the Amer can Senate TO Ta,Ify the result of Mr.
heverdy Johnsons sDcce sful negotiations. An
obviously inslncere aheCtati0n OF confidence In
Russia will tend n, the tame manner TO eucou-
rage presumplion, and possibly 10 facilitate
aggression. liis niehly probable that Sir John
/ tanning DIS system OF non Intervention against
the prevalent opinion OF ADglp.lDdau poliu-
clans; but while stent tnsctiOn may sometimes
be tmpo Ing, loud pro essions o neutrality aud
OF peaceful intentions are generally undlgntded
and often impTudent Declarations that the
vicinity OF Rnssia 10 the Indian frontier
4 ie not alarming are so obviously untrue that
they suggest an opposite Interpretation. The
4 fabulous ostrich never thrust It's head into the
sand until II was In imminent danger from it's
/ pursuPrs. IL Is absurd to suppose that Russian
fr Nj no haf frap
prosecuting their designs by iul.ome assurances
OF perfect reliance on their friendly moderation.
u the time has not yet come for counteractiug
their possible projects II would be expediept TO
say as little as possible when nothing Is to be
done. IL IL Is true that SIR John Lawrence at
last resolved on subsidlziug the Afghan Gov
i ernmept, he condded the reasons of his cha uge
or mooihcatton OF bis policy only TO his official
advisers and superiors. Loud disclaimers of
anxiety convert subsequent precautions into
admissions OF the existence ofdanger.
II is perfectly true that the approach of
Russian forces 10 the Indus aud the Hlmalayah
has hitherto furnished no legitimate c luse Of
oftnse. 1t would have been incalculaby more
convenient 10 the English Government that a
barrier should be interposed between two rival
empires; but 1t can scarcely be pretended that
England or India has vested interest in the
barbarism of Central Asia. The civilization
which 10 didused by Russian soldiers may not
be OF high order. but the mos fagrant abuses
OF Russian administra ion might be benedcially y
substituted for the social and political system
Of Turkestau. tf Mr.. Vanlbery, who is assuredly
not q partisan of Russia, may be trusted. the
Inhabitants OF Bohhara are morally
on the earth. Tue semi brutal African
savages OF Speke and Baker may be equally
vicious in their propehsitiee, but they are faI
iEf, rior in capacity to the race which formerly
produced the copquerors Of India, OF China.
and OF Eastern Europe. The comparatively
pure religion of Mahomet has coniortned itself,
like other creeds, to the DISPOSITION of its pro.
fessors; and its precepts of charity and pety
offer no imped,ment, 10 Bokhara and the neigh
boring regions, to ferocious cruelty and aban j.
doned prodigacy. In such country even an
orthodox Cossack, accustomed to be the instru-
meDt OF regular government NAV perhaps be
q beDe6oent missionary; nor would the Indian
Government which has prudently abstained
from attempting the reformation OF Central
Asia, be justified IN protesting against the
accomplishment OF the task by formidable
rival. When it has suited the policy of Russia
to be on good terms with EDeland, assura aces
have been repeatedly given that the frontier o.
the empire would not be further advanced in 6
southeasteIly direction; but excuses or pre'exts
for extension of territory are never wanting In
the neighborhood OF warlke and unsettled
tribes. A commander on the border sends {
flying column to exact satisfaction for the plum
der of a travelling merchant; and soon after
wards he finds 1t necessary to erect fort tha
he may secure supplies and reIniorcements io
his de,achmeDts. After a time the tort Is be
sieged or threatened and II must be protected
by the acquisition of the adjacent district; auC
finally general war ends In the annexation o
two or three provinces to the territory of th'
copqueror. One OF the many processes b.
which the Indian Empire attained IL
present dimensions was exactly similar
In each special quarrel the Amser o
the Khan is as likely to be in thu
wrong as the Russian commander. In the con
quered districts, roads made for military pur
pofes serve commercial wants. and Russian
and native traders acquire certain amount o
security for life and property. Although th
patriotic and religious sentiments which some
times survive all other virtues are shocked b,
the triumph of the foreign inddel, the creates
happiness of the greatest mum oer OF inha bitant
may possibly be promoted by trans erence fron
Indigenous misrue to Russian uniformity an
order. Circumstances might render II expe
dent to cooperate even with Turkestal
c1ieftain, but no sympathy can be felt for tn
murderers of Stoddart and Conolly.
The possible collision between England AM
Russia in Central Asia win be analogous to
civil litigation rather than 20 a criminal prose
dution, as 1t will result, not from the inflchol
or suffeIance of wrong, bat from conflict Q
Interests. A native government OF unite
Ibdla, disposing even OF half the resource
Which are at the command OF the VicerOJ
fnight regard with indifference any force whlc
Eonld thre aten its northern frontier. The vic
fity of European power is only dangerou
because 1t might encourage disaheehon 10 a
sJlien government. The Russian generals hay
taken a part in the late civil dtstur Dances
SNfghanisian, where Russian agents had bee
busy more than a quarter OF a century age
IN of Persia that the Russian Govern
ment could hope 10 acquire q ioouug J
AfTehauistan; and It was 10 obyiate this con
paratiyely remote danger that Lord AUCKLAND
unfortunate war was undertaken, ana tht
~ Herat has been protected by diplomacy ana o
~ Ties have placed Herat almost between Russia
and Persian territories, and comparauVei
short distance separates the Russian outpost
N from the Valley Of the Indus. The more eas