The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1878-12-14
The Afghan War.

The Philadelphia Ledger gives the origin Of
the British attack upon Afghanistan, as fol-
lows Lord Beaconsfeld, speaking for the
Queen in her address to Parliament, on the
Afghan war, says 1.-THE hostility towards
my Indian Government manifested by the
Ameer of Afghanistan, and the manner in
which he repulsed my friendly mission, left
me no alternative but to make peremptory
demands for redress. This demand having
been disregarded, have directed an crpedi-
ton to be sent into his territory In these
sentences we have italicised the three words
''hostihty," friendly and "expedition;" as
the text upon which to present a somewhat
clearer and fairer view of the case. What is
described as the ''hostility'' of the Ameer is
the natural repulsion of Shere Ali against
having anything to do with troublesome
and aggressive neighbor that has been max
ing mischief in his dominions for full forty
years, and especially against him personally
and against his father, Dost Mahommed.
The friendly mission was to compel the
Amer to agree to receive into his official
household the agents of this troublesome and
aggressive neighbor, of whose ugly disposition
he had had such long and bitter experience;
and the expedition" is an army to make war
upon him because he would not submit to
such offensive intrusion.
As to the hostility it is necessary to go
back to 1889, when Dost Mahommed, the
father of Shere Ali was Ameer of Afghanis-
tan. The then British Indian Government
tried to force him into an alliance, and when
he declined, the Indian Government set up a
rival to the throne, made sanguinary war
upon Dost Mahommed, drove him out, made
him prisoner, and enthroned a rival in his
stead. This success did not last long, how
ever, and ended in most sorrowful disaster to
the British forces in 1912. This experience
was not likely to be lost on Dost Mahommed's
son Shere Ali, the present Ameer. Since
the latter has come to the throne, he has had
personally many reasons to distrust and dis
like his British Indian neighbors, and to de-
sire to have as little as possible to do with
their friendly advances. In the winter OF
1864-5 Shere Ali's brothers had got up re-
volt, and one of his brothers, Aim, was allow
ed from the friendly shelter of the British
India, to stir up the frontier tribes against him
This is admitted by one of the most pro-
nounced organs of the present Ministry as a
valid reason for Ameer's repugnance to the
British Indian Government-the more en-
phatically, because in one of the battles
resulting from this "friendly'' intrigue, the
favorite son and designated heir of Shere Ali
was killed, causing him the most poignant
family grief. This revolt brought in its train
four years of cruel warfare, which the British
Indian Government might have prevented, but
which it fomented instead. Speaking of this,
"Blackwood's Magazine" the Ministerial
organ already referred to, says the British
Indian Government of that day, 1865-'6S,
earned, by its conduct twards Shere Ali, "the
bitter luminosity of the Prince" These are
the words of the ablest champion of the pres
ent expedition" and of Lord Beaconsheld's
policy in the East. Throughout all of Shere
Ali's troubles, for which his British Indian
''friendly'' neighbors were more or less re-
sponsible, they were always ready to take
sides with his enemies when that policy prom
ised to promote their wishes. Upon this
the Blackwood Beaconsfeld writer asks gently:
"Can we blame the Afghans for having been
insensible to the merits of this line of policy? y
Hardly-and yet it is Shere Ais repugnance
to any more intimate Association with neigh
bors who deal with him in this false way that
Lord Beaconsfeld, speaking for the Queen,
denominates the Ameer's "hostility'' to her
Indian Government?
There is more of the same sort in the story
of Shere Ais experience in the British In
dian policy towards him personally, and as
against his country and people, but what has
been cited will suffice. she had so often"
says the Blackwood Tory writer, "seen us
exchange fair words with his enemies, that
he was not likely to be deceived as to the
real cause of our altered professions,
This is Frank enough, considering that 1T
comes from Lord Beaconsfeld's ablest and
best informed literary champion; and 1T fully
justifes what Shere Ali said of his trouble
some neighbors at Herat in 1867 :-"They
keep their friendship for the strongest, and
they change with the change of fortune. L
will not waste precious time in entertaining
false hopes from the English, and will seek
for the alliance of other powers"
In his recent letter, Shere Ali, while yield
ing to the pressre of the army now invading
his territory, so far as to consent to "a small
temporary mission" to Cabul criticises the
''friendly'' expressions of the Indian Govern
ment, and alludes to its interference in behalf
of Yakoob Khan. This interference is one
of the several matters referred to above, but
not specially mentioned, and In order to un
derstand it, it is necessary to recall the tact
that Yakoob Khan, who is a son of Shere
Ali, and an accomplished soldier, revolted
against his father in 1870, and that the Indian
Government showed its friendship, on tina,
OCCASION by sympathizing with the rebel sont
instead of helping the father to put down the
revolt.
The brig William Mallory, 329 tons bur-
then, with a cargo of bone ash and horns,
from Buenos Ayres for New York, went
ashore at Cape Hatteras before daylight Tues
day, and has bilged. Her crew were saved.
At Portsmouth, N. H., on Tuesday, the
customs collector seized several cases of
choice liquors on board the U. S. steamship
Guard. Some of the cases were directed to
prominent naval officers.
The trial of Mrs. Dodson and the young
men, Vincent and Newcomb, at New Castle,