The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-04-09
THE RUSSIAN PmoPoslT1oN.

The English Government instruct |
its military commanders in India TO |
go on preparing for rigorous war, Just |
as though negotiations were not peEd- |
ing. Russia has presented plan of
but it is believed by Eng
land and the rest of the world that
she is simply proposing 60 gain time,
and that when ready she will make
forward movement toward Herat with
all the vim that can be put into
military movement. Russia is indul-
giDg in nothing more than shrewd
diplomacy. BY a most subtle an
swer. she is sliding between
war and peace, and for the time she
will avoid hostilities, which in the end
no doubts she will precipitate. Her
object is to gain advantage and Eng
land acts with commendable caution,
when approached with terms of peace,
by preparing for war. The question
at issue has already been presented.
The Russian answer while nominally
accepting the proposals made by Lord
Granville, adds a suggestion which
embodies the new and dangerous point
in the dispute, and this shows plainly
that Russia does not mean to yield
and may not mean to fight if she can
help it. But when she has sufficient
troops massed on the Caspian and
about MerV means to force the point
now couched in this suggestion. The
new Russian proposition is that for
the purpose of definite and final survey
the debatable zone shall be extended
north and south of the present sugges-
ted boundary lines. The shrewdneSs
and the danger of this is apparent.
England has no desire to fix the At
ghanistan frontier line farther north
than hundred or a hundred and fifty
miles north of Herat, say east and
west from Penjedeh to Puli-Khartum,
or a little further south to Zulfikar,
because this takes in all the natural
defences she desires. Hence the
extension of this zone of sur
vey northward would be utterly use
less to England or Afghanistan. but
the extension of it southwark might
possibly resultin fixing the boundary
SO near to Herat that all its natural
defenses would be destroyed. In this
possibility is the cunning of the sug-
gestion, but whether Russia gains the
point ornot she will gain time, and
that is all she expects. But England is
justnow preparing for what Russia has
been contemplating for a long time.
We do not mean by this, that Eng
land is not in as good fix for the contest
asimperjal Russia, that she may not on
short notice have put her Asiatic
army in even better fighting trim
than Russia. England can mass at
least fifty thHsnsand troops about
Herat. while tits exceedingly doubt
full if Russia can put more than
twenty-five thousand troops there
to confront the English army.
Not only is England ready
to meet her Muscovite adversary on
land, but she prepared to contest
her naval power on the Black Sea.
The struggle, should it come. and it
looks as though it is only being post
poned, will be battle of giants.
On this side $of the Attain
tic the effect of this and
other wars would be to stimulate
trade, to enrich the producers and
traders of this country. to empty into
American Golfers millions of European
gold. The wars on the other side may
be regretted in humanitarian point
of view, but if they must be waged,
there is no use in their postponement.
This seems to be the view taken of
the case by England. She is arming to
the teeth, and America is already be-
ing drawn on for large supplies, 1t
is rumored that, besides the large or
ders for American beef, immense
contracts have been m ade for a part
of our surplus grain.