Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-04-16
Preparations for the Conflict
That do Not Admit of
Peace.
War Material Being fastened
to India and Men Rush
ing to Arms.
Both Nations Bending all Their
Energies to Making Ready
for the Stauggle.
Afghan War.
RUSHING TO ARMS


LONDON, April 1.-THE war Office
is overwhelmed with offers Of service
sent IN by army, militia and volunteer
officers. The recruiting depot ia Ions
don ard the provinces are daily be-
sieged by men anxious to enter the
military service, in view of the pros~
pect of war with Russia. Suitable
applicants are being accepted as
rapidly as can be arranged.
All the admirals Of the British
navy have been notified
to hold themselves IN readiness for
active service. A special injunction
has been sent by the admiralty to
Vice Admiral Lord Hayes, command
ing the British squadron in the Medi~
terranean, to hold himself and his
feet ready for service. A very deter
mined and grave position has been as
sumed by the English government
towerd Russia concerning Penjdeh.
FORCED INTO ACTION.
The ministry, it appears, have been
coerced by the aggressiveness of pub
lie opinion into a tardy but evident
determined attitude of pugnacity. At
first Mr.. Gladstone satisfied himself
with demanding of Russia an expla
nation of Gen. Romanoff s attack
upon the Afghans. He felt sure, it
is stated, that Russia was sincerely
DESTROYS of peace, and would
discontinue the active ser
vice of the Russian com
mander, no matter how strongly
he might have represented the belIi-
cose policy of the St. Petersburg war
party. But when the car answered
that he would explain to England as
soon as Gen. Komerof explained to
him, the British premier was forced
to conclude that the czar was trifing
to gain time. To day, therefore, Earl
British foreign minister,
advised Baron de Stael, the Russian
ambassador to London that the
British government had decided that
whatever the nature of the Russian
OF Gen. Komarof's action
might be Great Britain would not al
low any further discussion concern
ing the delimitation of the Afghan
frontier to go On until Russian
troops had been Withdrawn
from their present outposts
in the disputed territory back to the
position which they occupied at the
time England appointed her part of
the commission to adjust the Afghan
frontier. AS this was nearly a Year
ago, and as almost all Of the Russian
advance has been made in the inter
val, it is difficult to believe that Rus
STA will seriously attempt to reach an
amicable understanding.
GERMAN OPINION.
Count Won Minister, German am
bassador to Londen, is given as au-
thority for a most significant utter
ance on the part of the British minis
ter. The German minister states that
at a conference upon the Afghan
question held yesterday, Earl Gran
vile declared that England had de-
clared that it was impossible to con-
sent to continued diplo-
matte discussion with Russia
unless England was guaran-
teed security against having the
results in controversy imperilled by
collisions in the disputed frontier,
such as had occurred on the Kushk.
England, Lord Granville said, should
refuse to accept the Russian assur-
ances that she desires peace unless
the assurance was accompanied with
the withdrawal to a line drawn
from Tipi to Sara Yasi, at
the German and Russian
embassy. here the opinion Is eX-
pressed that the dispute between the
Gar and Great Britain has actually
reached its final phase in diplomacy.
M. De Giers, the Russian prime min
lister, through Baron De Stael, has
offered to abandon the Russian pro-
posal to extend the line of the debat-
able zone proposed by England so as
to include the Paraparnissus
mountains and recur to the
line suggested in the lesser proposals.
This offer on the part of the Russian
premier, while apparently containing
a concession, is considered to be really
ruse to modify the effects of Gen.
Komoreff's attack and to gain time.
The lesser line. while within the
Paraparnissus line, would hardly De
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