New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-06-18

April ~ was decisive, ana the laSJ III tuo Ch"'H
| of natural fOrtresscs from Jellalabad to the
| Bolan Pass has been occupied. Enough ana 10
spare of che muIdcTers who attacked the
Embassy at the Capital have been hangedj the
prestige of the British arms has been restored !;
and the supremacy of the invaders has been
acknowledged throughout Eastern Atgbanlst IN
To remain is improbable and fOolhardy while
to retreat is safe and honorable. The dlsliK
for service among these h0rdcs OF fana'lcu
sOldicry is already so strong in Bengal, Madras
ami Bombay that bountcs are offered to the
recruits. The troops III the field arc weary OF
fighting and eager to go home. The campaigns
have already cost $j0,0OO,OOO. From every
point of view retreat is the wiscSt policy ana II
is n step to which the Liberal leaders were fully
committed before the present Government was
formed.
Marching orders will he issued as soon as the
country can be left to govern itself. One OF
the closing acts of Lord Lytt0n's administration
was an acknowledgment of the sovereignty
and independence of Shere Ali, the Afghan
governor of Candahar. Whether the southern
province is to be cut off permanently II ON
AfghaniStan IL n que ItOn which has not been
decided, and the British troops are likely to
remain in Candahar after the evacuation OF
Cabul. Sherc Ali is now a vassal of the
Empress of India, bat his allegiance may
be transferred to the new Amer OF
Afghanstan. This sovereign is more likely to
be Abdulrahman than YakOob. The main who
had failed when he was alone in the field would
have slender chance of succeeding with
powerful rival opposed to him. Abdurrahman
is influential in Turkislan and not without
=. If.af Io 10
candidate upon whom the sirdarS ne most
likely to unite. The fact that he has been
pensioner of Russia and yet has the strongest
local support makes II all the more important
to put HIM under obligations to the army whlcn
is about to retreat But whoever the
sovereign may be, he will have to rely upon
himself The British might lis well annex the
country outright rs to protect him with
standing army, and they have tried the expert
ment of setting up puppet king and are not
likely to repeat it. Government by proxy
requires an amy OH the frontier ready at Ony
moment to make forced march to Cabul. 1t
will be very strange if any new responsibilities
are incurred when the folly of such compacts
as that made with YakO0b has been 80 recently
demonstrated.
Prince Bsmarck's crisp saying that the
nation which begins to give up c0nirNSrs its
own decline has not been forgotten in England.
Lord BcaconSiiclh's scientific frontier has been
ridiculcd by the Liberal leaders, but now that
they are mtrcnchcd in power they arr unwlll-
ing to subject the Government to the rcproach
of abandoning what has cost blood and
treasure. The territory acquired by the Treaty
OF Gundamuk will probably be retained. Bui
while the troops will retire to their new
frontier. they will not leave behind resident
agent at the mercy of mob, nor will thew b.
under any obligations to return, if the Amccr
be driven from the throne. 1t Will be- Il retreat
without cntangllng alliances or prctcxts for
further intermcdding.