The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-03-16
AFGHAN FRONTIER,
ENGLISH SIDE OF THE QUESTION,
Neither Side Wants War, but a Single
Frontier Brswl Nay Commit Them
to Hostliities-A Description
of the Territory.

Discussing the prospect of a conflict
win Russia upon the question of the
Afghan boundary, the Pail Mall Gazette
OF recent date explains as follows the
points in controversy: 'In the debata,
bic land in which Sir Peter Lumsder
has been spending the winter in MAKING
preliminary surveys and in establish.
ing the influence of England among tins
Afghan tribes, we are face to face with
more or less barbarious tribes, bebind
whom stands the empire of Russia. The
position in which we find ourselves is
indeed alarming. 1t is essentially false
Neither Russia nor England want war
but single frontier brawl may commit
them TO hostilities. That matters should
over nave got into so serious position
Is que, ike all our other troubles,
10 the one over mastering determine.
tlon OF the government to avoid no.
sponslbility. When it was bronosed 10
delimlt the Russo-Afghan frontier from
hholeh-Saleh on the 0xus TO some
point about Sarakhs on the Herr Rnd
russia suggested that the PRINCIPLES
upon which the frontier should he
drawn should be defined, and that then
a Joint commission should be dispatched
10 elect a precise delimitation OF The
new boundary. Was the frontier to be
Drawn on purely photographic or
economic or stragetic principles, or was
IL TO be based exclusively upon the
maintenance of the statu ouoY These
were broad, general principles which
ought unquestionably to have been set
Tied oy the governments before their
agents were deputed to define the bonn
dary on the spot. The English govern
ment objected to decide anything, pro.
posing TO leave everything to the Joint
boundary commission. That obiac-
ton was 9 mistake, and Russia was
quite right in pressing for its reconsider
alton. We refused, and Russia fool
ishly gave In. That was a blunder
which she committed, with which, of
course, we can net reproach her, seeing
that she did it to oblige us. II was
agreed that the frontier should he sat.
tied entirely out Of the heads of tba
commissioners ON the spot, and Sir
Peter Lumsden started for the trusting
place. Unfortunately the Russian ;or9-
missioner, who was said to nAve been
specially selected for ais GOOD sense and
English sympathies, was SO unpaJriotic
as to TALL Ill, aud in the DELAY thus
caused everything went wrong. The
Alghans, feeling no doubt inspiritoi by
the presence of the British commissioner
with his escort, and anxious to make
thelr position rs strong as possible pend
ing delimitation, threw some troops into
the Inrkoman village of Penideh.
from Penideh the Russians declared
the Aighans could threaten tho Russian
advance post at Sarakhs, and as re.
ply to the Afghan advance, they threw
thelr troops forward TO Pul-i-khatun
There were great protests on both sides
and Sir Peter Lumsden waxed very
wroth. As tho situation was becOminc
more and more strained every day, the
Russian government dispatched NJ
Lessar TO London to try to arrange the
principles on which tho new frontier
should be drawn. The line sugposted
by Russia is based, not onstrategic con.
siderations, for the only strategic from,
tier, that Of the mountains-falIs mucl
uearer Herat, but upon tho simple ne.
cessity of including the pastures
ana salt-beds of the Russian
Turkomans within the Russian from
| tier With M. Lessar's frontier-o
rather with tho principles on which i
Is iounded-we have no quarrel. If al
the strategic advantages of defensiv,
frontier are left in the hands of the Al
ghans-fcr that is what M. Lessar dc
clares the Russian government is will
ing to accept as the first principle Of III,
new boundary-we sec no disadvantag,
TO England, but quite tho reverse, Ii
agreeing to the Russian proposal {,
draw the new frontier as far to TIN
north OF Herat as Is consistent with al
lowing the Sailor Turkomaus of Sarakh,
the territory essential TO their exist
euce."