The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-10-04
THE AFGHANISTAN FURRY.


From the Chicago Tribune.l
1t is evidently time to get out the
maps of Asia, more especially those of
1 Afghanistan and India, which promise
to be the theater of the next war; The
receive or listen to the English embas-
sy has raised the ire of the British lion
to that extent that the noble animal is
lashing his TANKS with tempestuous fury
as he regards the Ameer, and roaring
with equal fury as he scowls at the bear
behind the Ameer, complacently suck
ing his paws.
The record of Afghanistan's acquaint-
ance with England is one of disaster to
the latter. In 1909, in consequence of
Napoleon's intrigues in Persia, Gen.
Elphinstone was sent as an envoy to the
Shah Shuja, then in power. Thirty
years later, fearing the advances of Rus
STA, the English sought to restore the
Shah Shuja, then refugee in India, to
power. The Afghan Government OPP
posed it, and Elphinstone marched an
army into Cabul and installed Shah
Shuja by force, and left 5000 men, be-
side the Shah's own forces, to defend
him. In 1S41 revolt broke out, ac-
companied by fearful massacre. For
year disaster followed disaster. The
principal officers of the army were MUIR
dered, and, in 1912, when the British
made convention to evacuate the
country, it was only little handful of
what had been a powerful army that
marched back into India, and the i'll
fated garrison had no sooner gone than
Shah Shuja was assassinated. To
avenge these disasters an army was fit
ted out in India which destroyed the
citadel of Cabul, recovered some of the
English prisoners, and, in December,
1912, evacuated Afghanistan. Since
that time the English have not been in
there, but the Russians have, and their
envoy is now in Cabul, and their army,
under Gen. Kaufman, on its borders.
Hence the futile attempt of the English
mission to warn the Ameer against any
Russian alliance.
The destruction of Elphinstone's army
in 1910 produced such fright in En-
gland that the public sentiment has not
been favorable to any more invasions of
that country. The Russians. however,
are now within 800 miles of India with
force of some $4,000 men, and the
Ameer has spurned every offer of En-
glish friendship and all their promises
to guarantee his independence. He has
in fact trusted to the Russians for pro-
lection, and we may naturally expect
that, under such circumstances, public
sentiment will change in England, and
that they will rely upon better officers,
better armies, and stronger and better
troops to escape the fate that overlook
Elphinstone. A dispatch intimates that
the English Government has ordered
the massing of an army of 10000 men
on the frontier near Peshawur. 1t is
corroborative of this that the London
Times of Sept. 10 says: 1.-The Cabinet
has not only acquainted Ameer Shere
Ali with its intention to dispatch an
embassy to Cabul, but is preparing to
back up that embassy, if the current
rumor may be believed, by an army
which, at the commencement of the
cold season--that is, in six weeks time
would reach Hassan Abdul, between
Rawul Pindee and Attock'-these To-
calities being in the immediate vicinity
of Peshawur. in the extreme northwest
ern corner of India, and at the English
end of the Khyber pass, the gateway
into Afghanistan from that direction,
and only $50 miles distant from Cabul
It is significant fact that the Russian
force is about the same distance away
from Cabul in the opposite direction.
The English force is stated by the Times
to consist of three infantry divisions
and as many brigades of cavalry, or
about 1900 men. In discussing the
strategy of the situation, the Times
takes the ground that strong combined
division can overthrow any force that
can be brought against it, and that, as
the great difficulty will be the guarding
of communications and the supply of
provisions, which must be brought up
by conveys, each invading column
should consist of but two compact
brigades of thoroughly disciplined
troops, armed with breech-loaders and
supported by the proper proportion of
cavalry and artillery. It concludes that
to enter Afghanistan will require three
columns, of about Ia, 600 men each, and
about $4,000 reserves on the frontier
or a total of $4,000 men.
From such details as these it will be
seen that the English evidently contem-
plate war with Afghanistan as near
event. 1t will be marvellous if the war
is confined within the narrow limits of
Cabul. 1t will be strange if the Ameer
has deliberately defied England, in the
face of an armed force on her borders,
upon his own motion, and without the
promise of protection from Russia. 1t
will be equally strange if there are not
this winter fierce mutters in London and
st. Petersburg, suggestive interroga-
tories between the Premiers as to the
meaning of this and that, and general
clearing up of the stage preparatory to
the first scene in the great drama OF
Asiatic supremacy.
A Disguised Tramp.