Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-04-16
Causes of the Ameer's Advance.

An attempt is being made, says The
London Times of March IS, to justify
Russias action on the Afghan frontier
by asserting that the recent advance
of the Russian forces under Col.
AlikhanoH to Puli-Khisti and Zulticar
has involved no violation OF the
ameer's territory The facts have
from time to time been recorded in our
columns. I'll advisable. however, to
restate them and to sum up briefly
and clearly the question at issue. be-
tween England and Russia. The reply
of Lord Edmond Fitzmaurice last
night, stating that the map mentioned
by The North German Gazette as plac-
ing the Afghan frontier south of
Pendjeh possessed no authority, IS
another token that the government
do not entertain any doubts as to the
validity of the ameer's rights through
out the whole extent of the fertile
region between the Paropamlsus and
the Turcoman desert, There can also
be no question that, whatever the
stray man uneArthed by the German
newspaper and others of a similar
character may show, all the recogniz-
ed official, maps, whether Eng
lish or Russian, have consistently
marked the Afghan frontier as follow
ing a vague line from the neighbor-
hood of Sarakbs to the Oxus-a
boundary, however 1uctuatlng, which
never came nearer than sixty miles
north of the places where the Russian
troops have now occupied and which
were clearly shown on the map we
published yesterday. Something has
also been said as TO why the ameer &C.
cupied Pendjeh at all, and it was con-
fidently asserted that Abdurrahman
had done so, not of his own wish, but
solely at the instigation of certain
English officers. We were able to
show, however, that the ameer's troops
entered that place six months before
an English officer crossed the Afghan
frontier. 1t has since been alleged
that at any rate the Afghan ruler
took this step under the immediate
sanction and encouragement of the
government Of India.
This assertion is not less void of
truth than the previous one, and it
may be as well TO state the ameer
moved forward his troops twelve
months ago onihis own initiative. sup
ported by the authority of the recog-
nized English official map The cir
cumstances under which he did so
were as follows: In the summer of
1883, when the vicory granted the
Afghan ruler an annual subsidy,
Abdurrahman wrote a letter mention
ing the successful measures which,
like every other strong ruler of his
state, he had taken for the assertion
of his authority in Badakshan, and
asking for a good map of his domin-
ions. This reasonable request was,
of course, complied with, and the
ameer found his northwest frontier
marked by English geographers down
To the vicinity Of Sarakhs on the Herr
Rud, and far beyond Sari YAH on the
Murghab. II was after receiving it
that he occupied Pendieh on his own
initiative, and within his own un-
doubted right, and if any regard is to
be paid to the facts, we should hear
no more of the baseless contention
that the Afghans are only in Pendieh
because the English urged them to
go there. The limits of Afghanistan
have, as we have already explained,
varied In accordance With the char
acter and military resources of the
chiefs ruling at Herat. Cabul, and
Canada bay,
Russian sympathizers urge, further
that Pendjeh never belonged 10 either
Dost Mahommed or Shere Ali. The
former of those rulers did not possess
Herat until the last few weeks of his
lfe, so that, If his case were TO decide
the fate of Pendieh, it might mt the
convenient moment be held as scarce
ly fatal to the claims of the Cahul
ruler over tterat But Shere Ais
case is different Either he or his son
Nakoob Khan owned Herat from 1879.
and during that period as well as at
earlier times the Sauks of Pendieh
paid tribute TO the Herat government,
as Lord Kimberly stated i'm the house
of lords 1t is true that during that
period there is no specific mention of
Pendjeh, but at the time of the Rus,
sian war with Khiya Sher Ali reDre
senteu 70 lhe V,ceroy hlS apprehension
of the consequences that would ensue
II the Iurcom8us of Merry were ,.rivpr
by Russian invasion into his province
of Badghees. The fact that no Euro
pean traveller passed through this
region after Nambery in tine early
days of Shere Ais authority to tell n,
what the exact con9iton of Pendieh
was is not an argument invaldatine
the Afghan claims over the place. as
peciaIly as those claims are supporte,
by the receipts Of tribute from th,
surrounding tribes contained m IN,
registers of the Herat administration
If the presence of the ameers troop.
and officials were to be made the only
test of his right to rule, taere ar,
many other places besides those whicl
Russia has seized that Abdurahmal
would have to surrender 1t is. O
course. ineligible that Russia Shout,
seek to make the ameer's burden ii
governing his state as heavy as poSsi
bic, bat it is difficult to understan,
how this argument can be indorset
by any impartial witness. The aimee