New-York tribune., 1878-10-15
THE COMING AFGHAN WAR.
STRONG OPPOSITION ARISING.

PORTED CABINET DIssFNsIOSs.
TFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBuSR.l
LONDON, Oct 3.-Two important letters have APP
pcared this weck-ono from Nj. Fawcctt, tho other
from Lord LauTcnce-bOth on the Afghan question:
and both hostile to the policy of Lord LytOn. Both
the writer's are great authorities on India. Pro-
fessor Fawcett has made Indian finance and govern
ment study. and is one of half dozen men in
fhe House of Commons who have mastered n sub
ject which most of the members of that b9dy regard
as too remote and too vast for their handling. lou
know what his reputation is OF general questions OF
economy and finance 1t is on the financial SIDE
that he has assaied Lord Lytt0n and his war
against Alghanstan. He puts the question when
comes straightest home like Lord BacOns essays,to
Mems Busnesse and Bosomes" WHO'S to pay for this
wari BE reminds his cOnntrymen that the former
war in Afghanisyan cost el3 GOO, 900 sterling-S6o,-
000, 600 -waged as it was with force now deemed
insufficient. There is no doubt that the coming
war will cost as much it will probably cost much
more. Is India to be made 10 bear tnat burden
Her financial condition is summed I'D by Mr.. Faw-
cett in pregnant sentence:
Stationary revenue; steadily increasing ex-
penditure; perpetual deficits which have to be
made good by constant borrowing; all available
sources of fresh taxation so completely exhausted
thpt i'm order during the present year to obtain an
additional revenue Of E1,50O,0O0 t$T,5OO,OOO). 1t
has been doomed necessary to levy license-taz o1
= pence III the pound on Incomes Of only shillnGS
tS1l week, and to impose on the fanne-stricFep
people of Bombay sud Madras an increase OF forty
per cent in the salt duty"
No wonder that successive GOvernOr-Generals
should have declared that to impose additional Taxa
tion that country will produce the most serious
discomfort, and give rise TO political danger. the
magnitude of which can scarcely be exaggerated.
4 of tIq Yl III
dition of the country. you have only to turn to
Mr.. Hyndlnan's article in the current numbcr
of The NiRebaB Century, entitled, The Bank
Iuptcy of India' published day or two alter
Mr. Fawcets letter The title itself tells the story,
and its figures are appalling 1t is common % speak
OF India as q rich country, hut Mr. Fawcctt ru"ely
dispels the illusion. " The people Of that country
arc so indescrIbably poor compared with the people
of England that the only article OF general oonsup-
ton which can be taxed is salt which has already
been taxed to the uttcTmost so poor that whereas
au income tax of siXpence in the pound would yield
El2 900, 600 in England, it would scarcely produce
el 200, 600 in India"
Spite of this ghastly dcstituhon there - reason 10
think that the English Government have oontem-
plated putting the fresh burden Of war tax on
the people Of India. They have been asked to say
whether they mean it, but although their organs
are sdumb on this question. Mr.. lawcrtt
now points out that the law forbids it,
| unless with the consent Of Parliament
q formality winch Lord BcacOnsfeld has fallen INTO
| The habit of dispensing with. The Government ni
India Act prohibits the charging uDon the revenues
Of India the expenses Of any military operations be-
yobd the frontier. except for preventing OF rcpeng
acruaI inyasion-Or under other sudden aud urgent
necessity such ts manfestly does not exist ~ this
| case.
Moreover there is a far stronger reason than the
poverty OF the people against taxing India Tor tbs
| war Ii is not an Indian war. We axe told every
day by the Ministerial press that this new policy
concerns not India bur the Empire Of Great Britain
Il Is TO prevent or forcstall the aggressions of
Russia. To quote another writer who be-
leves in the policy: The Afghan war has
been brought upon India by Imperial policy; it
will be waged in pursuance of Imperial require
| ments and TO ward off m Imperial danger; aud by
every consideration OF justice 1t ought to be pald
for out Of the Imperial treasury There's no more
reason for making India bear the cost OF such war
than there would have been for making Maryland
and Pennsylvania bear the cost OF puttniS down
the Rebellion because the war happened 20 he on or
near their frontiers.
But the alternative /. to make England pay, and
TO make England pay means additional taxation.
or deficit in the next Budget (which is likely
enough as things stand or both and that lmperiis
the political supremacy Of the present Government.
Nothing contributes 80 surely and rapidly TO ihe
overthrow Of an administration IN England rs the
suspicion of financial unsoundness. Nothing eyas-
perates the mddle.cllss Bnton 80 much as fresh
taxes or heavier taxes. The extrayagant expendi-
ture of this year has not been vet felt.
It has been met by borrowing, by spreading charges
over two or three years by all sorts of devices for
putting off the evil day. But the country shows
signs of alarm. and popular as the Afghan war
NAV be- 1t will be far less popular when the cost Of
il comes TO be known. With general election IN
prospect next year. and impossible to postpone be-
yond 1850, it endangers and may probably destroy
the majority of which this Administration
still boasts in the country but which
many signs show to be steadily diminishing.
Hence the great temptation TO saddle the whole
bill on India; or if not the whole. part OF 1t. The
manifest Injustice OF it may weigh little with
Prime Minister who power slipping from his
grasp, OF with Parliamentary majority who dread
10 face their constituents Here at any rate would
be the keynote of Liberal policy were Parliament
in session. The Government could be forced to
choose between the Odium OF imposing India
burden which does not belong to her. and which
might bring about another insurrecton, or the
odium of a home budget with a heavy balance on
the wrong side. and heavy taxes in addition.
Lord Laurence's letter deals not with finance but
with the political side Of tho question, and 1t is
most damaging letter. II there be any living man
TO whom the English people look to as an authority
in India, il is Lord Laurence. He has spent most
of his life there passed through all grades of the
India service, ending as sGOyemor-General from 1858
TO 1868. Though not a soldier, his services
in suppressng the mutiny of 1857 were such as to
earn him the title Of Savior of India. On ques-
ton of Indian policy of what Is necessary for the
defence of India, no mans opinion is worth 50 much