The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-19

his books and pamphlets are largely edited by
the press.
touching my literary efforts, am not al
ways satisfied with my work, says Mr.. Marvin.
land if it does not please me, no amount OF
laudation will overcome my dissatisfaction.
But / must say that / am very
pleased with the Russians at the Gates of
Herat l am persuaded that it's strong and
effective answer to the Russian case and that it
will help to stiffen the attitude of England. We
have been too labby all along. The whole of these
complications might have been prevented If the
government had taken my advice last year, di-
rectly after the annexation of Merv, and helped
the Ameer to push up to Saraphs. A little
ergy and acceptance of responsibility then would
have spared all the trouble we have had since.
For years have held that the only way to check
the Russian advance is for ourselves to organize
the Afghan barrier. The barrier is too brittle as
it is Already the Russians have broken it
down to within sixty or eighty miles of Herat,
and we shall be lucky now if we save even
Herat"
"But Russia would hardly venture on an at
tack Oh Herat-that would mean immediate
war7'
well, it is by no means certain that Russia
does not think Herat worth war Our own
Indian strategists have often said that the seizure
| of Herat would be well worth campaign. If it
| does not mean the dominion of India it means
next door to the dominion of that country.
Russian statesmen may think the same thing. If
| they did, they might send an ultimatum declar
ing that any advance of the British troops be-
| yond Candahar would be casus belli. can well
imagine their doing this, just to try it on In
fact it is not improbable that they may have al
| ready done it."
''You think we are within measurable dis
| lance of war!'
''Yesr
| "And that, in fact, we are now, as I may say,
| out of the central Asian question and into that
| of AfghanistanT
| Just so, and I am glad you have put that
| point; the central Asian question is already
dead. By the annexation Of Merv, Russia ac-
quired all the. territory remaining outside
| Afghanistan, and thereby wiped out central
| Asia myself continue to use the term simply
| because the public is familiar with it. In real
| ity, we are now face to face with two questions
the Afghan question and the Persian ques-
| ton: No frontier arrangement will put an end
| to these"
"What is your idea of the situation mean as
! to the question of peace or warp
| ''The Russian feeling in favor Of peace, which
was the national reaction against the frightful
bloodshed characterizing The last war, has nearly
| disappeared and Russia is becoming ripe for a
fresh encounter People are tired of the zasto
| as they call it the stagnation in home
affairs, which, so far as trade is concerned, is
| largely due to the Eastern question:; and would
| like to see that question solved at one decisive
stroke The annexation of Merv was the result
| of a fear last autumn that we might annex
| Egypt and refuse to conciliate Russia by giving
|
| developing her naval power in the Black sea.
with view to soon reopening the Eastern ques
| ton.
"But has not the death of Skobeloff rather
| pushed back the military mania against India
| and England He represented the nation of ad
vance and defiance to the gates of the British
empire in the East? But he stood very much
| alone in this, did he not9
"No, and though he is dead, his views and his
methods remain. Russia is in short more or
less infected with his statesmanlike views of the
central Asian question. He attached an enor
nous importance to Herat, the point to which
Russia is now steadily working Once there, he
| foresaw that Russia would possess base for
/; upon India, and he advocated such an attack
not to conquer India, but to assist the people in
| expelling us from the country. Once expelled,
| he believed our commerce would shrivel up and
| that we should no longer be in position to op-
pose Russia in Europe From Russian point
of view, his policy is very sensible one, and
am not surprised that it should have become
practically adopted by the government"
What is the present military situation in re-
| gard to the disputed frontier?"
"Afghanistan is not state, but conglomer
| alton of hostile, broken tribes, who will never
| consolidate into nation. That is a fact upon
] which not only are the majority of experts in
| India agreed, but Russian experts also. The
| other day, after Prince DondouKoff- Korsakoffs
| return from Merv, General Stebnitzski-the Raw
| linson of Russia as regards knowledge of CEN
/
| gave lecture at Tiiis on Afghanistan before
| the Prince, in which particular emphasis was
| laid on this fact So you see the official Tifis
| journal twas justified in afterwards ,ldecaring
| thrown away. Now the weakest part of the AZ
| CHAN barrier is that part through which Russia
| is seeking to force road to India The Russians
| are at Sarakhs, andswe are at Quetta What
blocks the roads between those two places9 Herat
with $4,000 and Candahar with sc, 900 people
| Absolutely nothing else except few tribesmen
/ numerous enough to render necessary strong es-
cort for Lumsdens party, but not strong enough
| to check the smallest European force. Now
| both Herat and Candahar have been annexed
to Cabul in quite recent times and the people
are not at all well-disposed towards their Cabuli
| masters. Such being the case. 1 ask you
| do you think that Ito, 900 dsaffected towns
| people will indefinitely keep apart two great
| the shortest. quickest and best road from
| Europe to Indial Why, the very desire alone of
Russia to tap the overland trade of India, which
is now almost in her grasp. is sufficient to impel
| her to break down this rotten barrier, without
| going into the question of politics Do you think
| if you scratch line on the map, as Lumsden is
| going to do that that scratch will be Chinese
wal, keeping the Russians from crossing into
| Afghanistan? The Cabinet is composed of thir-
teen fools if it thinks so. After the frontier is
| defined, Russian traders will be pushing hither
and thither into Afehanistan Can we, as a
| commercial nation, consistently keep them OUT
| anu, IL So now are we going TO 90 1t, unless we
| post Sikhs all the way along the frontierq
This trade intercourse will grow and as it will
provoke further interference on our part to check
| it, the two countries will very soon between
them break down the Afghan barrier. The only
thing to be done is to anticipate Russia in doing
| this so that we may establish our influence in
| Herat before she does"
| There is report that the Russians have
killed two members of the Anglo-Afghan com
mission dolyou believe it9'
mo-
do you think they will get at loggerhsads,
| the two parties, the English and the Russian
| commissioners
mot unless they suddenly find themselves at
| war. So far the commission has been picnic
| the scrabbling being done between London and
| ST. Petersburg"
| .sVo,, 1;ka fba R,co;ane <borct 49,,