Omaha daily bee., 1885-06-13

beesiential to q clear understanding of the
situation that Afghanisian be recognized
as the home of many ustlonalities totally
unlike the Afghsns and secretly hostile
to the ruling race. Therein lies Eng.
lands great disadvantage as compared
with Russia 10 all dealings with Afghan
istau. The Afghsns proper mostly live
in the eastern half of the country, and
the fierce3t, most intrsotsble tribes In all
Afghanistsn are Dext to the British front.
Ter. 1t is impossible for England to en-.
ter Afghanstan as an enemy without at
once encountering the whole strength OF
the most warlike, bigoted, and inde.
pendence-lo loving mountaineers in
Asia, and a British army marching toward
Herat would be fsnked for hundreds Of
miles by race of warriors who cannot
bear to see foreign soldiers on their terri.
! tory. On the other hand, Russia faces
the part of Afghanistan, which Is inhab-
tied by Turkoman tribes, Persians, and
nomsd races who hate the Afghans, or at
beat are very indifferent to them. In
HerAt there are few Afghans aside from
the soldiers of the garrison, and the whole
surrounding country is open to Russian
intrigues.
The recent visit of the English min
lister, Lord Rosebery, to Count Bis
msrck, although 1t lasted but forty
minutes, must have been somewhat un-
palatable to that diplomat. According
to the Berlin correspondent of the Lon.
don Times, during the forty minutes
Bismarck had time to notify Lord Rose.
berry that England ought to quit Egypt,
the Soudan, and Afghanistan. AS to
Egypt, he expressed himself very RESP.
lutely to the effect that, as Mr.. Glad
stone would not follow his first advice
and Angliczs 1t, he must now interna-
tionalize 1t by putting a strong and
popular khedive on the throne, then neu.
tralize the country and leave 1t to take
care of itself. As to Soudau, he was of the
opinion not only that England must get
out, but that she mu.t itstall either Italy
or Turkey aS her successor not only in
the Soudan but at Suakim and on the up
per Nile. About Afghrnlstan 1t is said
Bismarck spoke with more than his Gus
ual frsnknesJ," and declared that 1t WAS
foolish to dream of defending India by
guaranteeing the northwestern frontier of
Afghanlstan. "This, says the Pal Mall
Gazette, sis the G erman Idea. Russia, like
Austria, is to be pushed eastward. 'Drang
mach Osten' Is the watchword of the
German both iu Vienna and IN st.
Petersburg. 1t is moro convenient for
Europe that Russia should break her
teeth on Afghanistan rather than on
Turkey, therefore England had better
get out of the way and abandon the
ameer to Russia, even before sne aban-
dons the khedlve to Europe. Bismarck's
views of the situation must be quite in
teresting to the tories, who are now about
to come into power, especially his
"frank" view of the Afghan squabble,
particularly as these same tories only a
few weeks ago were hewllng themselves
hoarse fer war.
Russia's scheme for the construction Of
a ship caasl and connecting the Baltic
and North seas, of the cost of which she
proposes to paw a little less than one
third, and leave Germany little more
than two thirds, is interesting from po-
litical as we'll as commercial stand
point. If such canal were opened
~ WOuiA OhSO DSSOliiC Oh
ant highway of British commerce
and as such might lead to complications
between England and Germany In case
of war between Great Britain and Rus
sia. Moreover, the joint ownership of
canal by Russia and Germany would nat.
ursly draw the two countries closer to
gether, and anything which worked
against England and in favor of Russia
at Berlin would be deemed by Muscovite
statesmen worth accomplishing at any
cost.
1t Is curious to observe how the vari-
GUS European nations seem to have
awakened to the opportunities for ag.
grandizement presented by Africa. Up
to half a score of years ago 1t seemed
that they regarded the Ozark Conti-
nent" as mysterious resting place for
fevers, ague, bloody sacrifices and hope
less idolatry. On the west coast the
English, French and Portuguese have
few small trading stations, barely recog-
nizsd by the home governments, and
studiously neglected in every political
sense. Algiers was but training ground
for the French army, and the Cape set
Elements were maintained unwilllngly by
the British, principally because Cape
Town WAS a convenient coaling station
and harbor for national ships going to
India and Australia, To-day almoet
every Esropean power, except Russia, Is
contendiDg for tho mastery In various
sections eff this long neglected section of
the fertile world. The Congo country
has been Ee'zad upon nominally
be an Independent organization un.
der the protection and patronage of the
king OF Belgians really, as any one can
see, to become In time sourcs OF quar-
rel between England, France and Ger.
many. Italy has her designs on Tunis
and the Red Sea littoral; Spain seeks
"territorlal compensation" In Morocco,
and now comes Germany with the sud.
denly developed determination to
paronize, control, and finally own,
the Sultanate of Zanzibar. The
sovsreigps OF this country for two
generations past, while malntaing
friendly relations with the Portuguese,
have had. for the principal article of
their creed, belief in God and the British
government, occasionally Transporting
the order of their names when the latter
seemed specially powerful. The German
kaiser, or, rather, Prince Bismarck,
seems to have come to the opinion
that this Is a fitting time to
convert his present majesty of