New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-12-14
Tn ANGLO-AFGHAN DISPUTE

IN ENGLAND.
IvroM TIE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE tribune
LoNDox, Nov. 29.-Havng launched his thuh-
derbolt, Lord Beaconsfed has no further OOlecuoh
70 letting the lower world know, not "hy ne
launched if but what the state Of affairs was which
ex,sted when he made up his mind for war. lhe
Altman papers, promised last Summer " IL few
days.U were issued yesterday They make blg
enough blue book to Justify Lord Beaconshed's re-
mark that they were yOluminous, but not blg
enough 10 explain why it should take three months
20 get them into print. Whether the book contains
all the papers essential to an accurate knowledge
of all the relations between the India Government
and Shero Ali, has yet to be seen. 1t contains
enough, however TO prove that Lord CranDrooks
summary, published last week, was what the Duke
Of Argyll has publicly called it, very partial and
very misleading.
The questions at issue in India are grave enough,
no doubt, and fully deserve the careful analysis
they are getting. But perhaps the state OF things
in England Is graycr still You may or may not
care 10 follow the controversy between successive
Viceroys on the one part and the Amer on the
other. You surely must care for the very Singular
change which has come over English political man
ners within the last twelyemOnth; of which the
dispatch of Lord CraubroOk and the answer OF
the Duke Of Argyll present the latest phase
There was a time, not so very long ago. when
Engishmen took just PRIDE i'll the tone OF their
public life. They were divided into two great
parties bnt both those parties were led by English
men and the controversies between them were
carried on ID accordance with the political tTadi-
tons of the country; with strong convictions on
each side but without personal anlmOity
with iTrcConCllable divcTgences OF OPINION buI
with mutual confidence IN the sincerity
the good faith. and the tuhfulnesS OF
Ir.- l,.ltv oh nj
the state of things as it is to-dayH Lord Cranbrook
has always been reckoned one of the most honora-
BILE men in his party. Under what influence has he
been led to put his name 10 a dispatch which the
Duke of Argyll denOunCos III such terms as ! have
quoted
The Dukes letter. indeed, goes much further. If
you refer to Lord CTanbrOoks manifesto, you VIII
find that one of its main probably the main
obiect-was to persuade England that the RESPONSE
bty for the present war belongs not to the present
Government, but TO the last Government. To
establish this he alleged that in 1873, while Mr..
Gladstone was still Iupower and Lord NoHhhrook
Yicorov of Iudla Shcre Ali. alarmedby the advance
Of Russia in Central ASIA, applied for a guarantee
against Russian encrOachmCnt; that Lord Nor..-
brook was willing to give the guarantee required,
but that Mr.. GladstOue's Governments, not sharing
his apprehension of Russia m,cposod and pre-
vented Lord Northbrook from concluding the de-
sired treaty From that period, says Lord Cram
brook dates Shero Ais distuS- of the English Gov
eminent; then II was that he made up his mind t.
throw himself into The arms Of Russia; and there
was the starting point of the trouble which has
driven tins Government into war.
Now the Duke of Argyll was Secretary of State
for India at that time, and knows, if any man
knows what really took place. He gives very
different account OF the events of 1878. IL IS true,
no saws that Shcre Ali asked for a guarantee, bat
not against Russia only or manly. lie asked for an
offensive and defensive treaty with England
against malice domestic not les, than foreign levy.
file required to be supported against internal lnsuI-
rection, to be paid an annual subsidy, and to be
able to call on British troops when wanted. He
asked nothing less than that The resources of India
should be placed AT his disposal for any quarrel he
might choose to pick with any Of his ueighbors. lie
had made the same demands III 1869, when Lord
Mayo lord BeacOnsHelds appointed was NiceIoy
and they had been rejected whcnhe renewed theInlu
1873. Lord NOrthbrOok pointed ont to what extent
they were inadmssbe, but profcssed his rcadI-
ness to grant everything that could IL reason be
granted. On condition that the Amer would act on
English advice IN all his foreign relations, Lord
Northbrook proposed to assure him that England
would help him with money, arms, and, in case OF
necessity, with troops.
Here is the critical point: Lord Craubrook as
serts that the Home Government consulted by
Lord NOrthbrOok refused this guaIante not shar-
ing the Ameer's apprehensOns about Russia. In
fact. they did not refuse it, but granted it, They
approved Lord Northbrook's proposal in words
which the Duke of Argyll defines as a correct az
stract of the assurance which the Niceroy had rr-
uuestcd leave to give "Thls assurance" says the
Duke " developed at great length, was IN consr-
ouence given to the Minister of the Amccr Oh tue
Both of July. We promised, on the conditions
which had been indicated by Lord Northbrook,
that We would help the Amer against invasion
with arms. with money, or, II necessary with
troops"
I have made my epitome of this dispute very
brief. The Dukes letter Is more than two columns
in length and is full of interest all through. But
the main point can hardly be stated too briefly So
that it is stated clearly. If have made it at all
Ineligible, no reader will be surprised to find
the Duke Of Argyll saying that he has read
Lord CranbrOOks account with much surprise and
with some indignation; and that to him it
seems to be carefully and not unskfully drawn,
40 as to suppress the most important facts and to
mt misleading construction upon those which are
supplied. pointed out In my last letter that LORD
CranbrOOk's narrative of the causes winch brought
on this war was strangely different from Lord
Iyttons recital Of the grievances by which he jus
tilted it, and that It was inconsistent with Lord
Beaconselds solemn declaration that the object Of
hostilities TO gain scientific frontier for India
There u.s. perhaps the less reason for wonder that
proves to be in glazing contradiction with the re-
corded facts and the dispatches on file.
II this performance Of Lord Cranbrook stood
alone, it would be bad enough but 1t does not
stand alone. II only one more incident in the
history of a very brief period crowded with similar
occurrences. Since this year began we have seen
men OF the very highest distinction enduring, with
out bushes, contradictions not less direct and
ME thnr this llst HHhich haa heen alnimLs-