Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-05-07
Other Anglo-Russian News.
Anglo-RuSSian War,
THE ANGLO-RUssIAN SITUATION ONE OF
UNCERTAINTY.


Anglo-Russian situation is one of I'M
certainty There is absolutely no war
news, no peace news and no news Of
truce. No one, that is no one outside
of ministerial circles, IS warranted in
drawing any conclusion from this abb
normal condition of affairs. It should
be borne in mind that go to this
moment Russia has given the Russia
Saxon reader not an item of news.
Russia has acted, has advanced, has
waged battle and has taken territory :;
but has said nothing England has
done all the talking land has made all
the explanations, hence the car has
had no retractons 10 make.
But Mr.. Gladstone's necessity for
making excuses has been so supreme
that in the effort to talk against the
blows last Monday, he succeed, with
out saying anything, ia making the
| greatest speech of his life, and for
making it got a completely si!enced
opposition. For forty eight hours
after the prime minister's marvellous
Grafton, every jingo IN England was
a Gladstone man, and every Quaker
prayed for him as man of peace,
while the war party we're sure he
meant to
| WIPE RUSSIA OUT OF ASIA
The peace folks said: 'There is q
statesman who realizes the value of
human life," and after five days it is
found that the premier's address is
still an oracle. Ii it is to be peace,
the speech urged every honorable eff
fort to secure an honorable peace. It
it is to be war, the speech dwelt upon
the necessity of maintaining British
honor. So it happens tonight that
! here, the very center of the old world
news, no more can, with any degree
Of certainty, be said than that the
Anglo~RUssian situation is uncertain.
It is probable that our situation will
remain as it is O-night until after th8
second council at Gatschiva Two in
| dicatiOns as to the nature Of what the
| change IN the situation, wh6n 1t
cones, will be present themselves to
q careful observer. The London news
papers which oftenest speak by min
isterial inspiration began to disparge
Sir Peter Lumsden, chief of the Brit
ish Afghan boundary commission, It
was Sir Peters word which Gladstone
| took upon which to base his charge
that
| RUSSIA HAD VIOLATED HER FAITH
with England by occupying PaHkisht.
Sir Peter also furnished the report
that the czar's troops had advanced on
Momchak. Both Of these reported
actions constituted powerful elements
to the war fever among Englishnaen.
| To-day it is admitted that Sir Peter
was mistaken. II is even limited he
was 'purposeIy mistaken" Some
| friends of the government go SO far as
to say that Sir Peter lied to his supe-
rior, and that he lied with a purpose.
It is well known that he belongs to
and sympathizes with the war party
in India. It is not quite so generally
known that this indian party is prin
cipally controlled by the British off
GERS who have never had q chance to
distinguish themselves, and who are
anxious
| TO WIN REC IGNITION
in battle. They see their opportunity
| in the present Russian advance, and
| it is said that Sir Peter has been their
| spokesman. Therefore if the prime
minister should come squarely out
and announce that England in the
| Afghan controversy has been deceived
| by English agents May persons
would not be surprised. On the other
hand it IS said the cabinet having
found good reasone to abandon their
warlike attitude mean TO save them
selves by sacrificing Sir Peter for
furnishing them with the bellicose
sentiment.
It is stated on what appears to be
good authority that the report pub
lished to-day, to the effect that Rus
STA had accepted England's proposal
to have the question as to whether
Russia, by
FIGHTING THE BATTLE OF THE THIR-
TIETH OF MARCH,
violated the agreement of the 18th of
March, submitted to arbitration, is
untrue. The announcement is also
made that conference between Sir
Edward Thornton, British ambassador
at st. Petersburg and M. DeGiers,
Russian minister of foreign affairs, is
arranged for Monday next.
The ckief result of this interview is
expected to be the announcement Of
the first positive intimation Of what
the Russian line Of diplomatic action
is to be. Although there exists in
both British and Russian ministerial
circles a belief that the conference
will lead to an amlcable agreement
still in neither circle is the expectation
entertained that the agreement. what
ever it may be, will embody an absolute
acceptance of the English proposals
which have been made concerning
the Afghan dispute. It is thought
that the result will be more British
concessions and further
RUSSIAN ADVANTAGES.
That portion of the English press
which has been most aggressive and
pessimistic is now the least aggressive
and most opomistic. The latest rella-