Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-08-05
ABIDING TIME.


the seas that Russian newspapers frankly
avow that the matter of the Zulkifar Pass
will be kept open until after the English
elections are over, causes some excite
ment in English political circles. Whose
influence shall dominate in Afghanistan,
England's or Russia's, is the one ques-
ton that to-day disturbs the diplomatic
sea of Europe. England is apprehensive
lest her empire in India be threatened,
and any and every movement of Russian
troops in Central Asia is not only viewed
with alarm, but seems to turn the brains
of half Of England. At every such new
and unapologized-for movement on the
part of Russia, the Tory press Of England
mourns the death of Beaconsfeld and
cries aloud for the scientific frontier"
which that statesman was to have given
England on the Indian Empire.
A writer in the Nineteenth Century for
July, Mr.. John Slagg, M. P, gives his
tory of that phantom thing in British
politics, scientific frontier" for India,
and he shows in an incontrovertible way
that the scientific frontier" is as indefin-
ite as the boundaries of the Garden Of
Eden. The first frontier which military
science defined was plan by the late
Sir George Colley, which was, to describe
it in the language of Sir George, "a
line running from the Hindoo Kush
along the Paropamisus to Herat,
and thence down the western frontier of
Afghanistan and Beloochistan to the Ara
bian Sea" Beaconsfield merely adopted
this plan, he in no wise formulating it.
The next frontier was the one acquired
by the Treaty of Gundamuk, which was
merely the occupation of the Pisheen
Valley after the evacuation OF Candahar
in accordance with the terms of that
treaty; the third and last scientific
frontier" was the occupation OF the coun-
try included within the sides of the tri-
angle formed by Cabul, Ghuznee and
Jellalabad. This. latter was abandoned
in accordance with the advice of General
Sir Frederick Roberts. The scientific
frontier" has been Il catching phrase
rather than an established fact.
But why should England be so fearful
for her Indian Empire that every time
Russia has moved she has had spasms? :?
Mr. Slagg, in the article referred to, gives
the whole history OF the difficulty between
the two countries. He says:
"One of the chief causes, however, of our
recent difficulties with Russia is the un-
reasonable attitude which, during the last
fifty years, it has pleased this country to
maintain in relation to the Russian advance
in Central Asia. During this half-century
we have added enormously to our Indian
Empire. We have waged wars, deposed
princes and annexed territories; and
unquestionable as may be much that
Russia has done in Central Asia, no
part of her action there, from moral
point of view, could be more indie
fensible than our annexation of Dude,
our conquest of Sind, our two invasions of
Afghanistan, our seizure of Berars, and
many other of our proceedings in India that
might be named. Nevertheless, no European
Power has thought fit to address protests to
our Foreign Office on the subject of our In
dian policy, or to inquire at every movement
of our Indian garrison what we were about
now, what we intended to do next, and how
far II was our purpose to 60. 1t is quite
certain that, if any Power had done so, it
would have been told very curtly and de-
cisively to mind its own bussines. Yet for
the last fifty years precisely this has been
the course which we have pursued in relation
70 Raaanca fO yor1
Herat as the 'key of India" our Ministers,
our Press, and the nation itself have brought
themselves to believe that we had some
right to interfere with the Russian advance
in Central Asia. 1t is to be regretted that
Russia did not at the outset declare that she
acknowledged no such right of either inter-
ference or inquisition, and that her action
in Central Asia would be regulated by her
own interests, and not by British suscepti-
bilities."
Such would have been Russia's true
policy, and her attitude in regard to the
Zulkifar Pass would seem to indicate
that she proposes TO adopt it.
1t is plain to see that Mr.. Slagg is a
Liberal and prefers to rely on common
sense instead of being forever in state
of nervousness and alarm. He believes
that the frontier upon which to oppose an
invasion, if any such shall be under
taken, is India herself "At any rate,
we must make up our minds to meet
Russian invasion on Indian soil, or we
must undertake the conquest and fortif-
cation OF Afghanistan. No third course
is open to us. An alliance with the AZ
ghans, and not merely paper alliance
with puppet Ameer, has been rendered