The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-07-23
" WAR INEVITABLE. "

JUST UeIOTe me AlaIneud Sall6u Oh
the 18th, the following letter was pu:
on board by the special correspond
ent OF the ADVERTISER:
JULY 18th, 2:30 p. m.
"News has just been received here
San Francisco that the Russians
have seized and occupied Herat.
War is considered Inevitable. 1t will
be great boon for American trade,
and Honolulu will not suffer"
This news appears startling by it.
self, and would seem to be contra
dictOry of details in our news sum-
mary; but i? anyone reads the digest
of the Ministerial statement by Lord
Salisbury with care he will have an
explanation of the whole business.
Speaking on the Afghan boundary
question the Tory Premier, after stat
ing the points as they appear in the
official correspondence, SAID that the
Government would hold Russia to
her pledge of giving the ZuIficar
Pass to the Ameer, and sig
nifically added that England
would take care and make such
a frontier for India as would en-
sure that when war came it would
not be near the British provinces. This
was a declaration in fact that the
scientific frontier of India, which |
the Beaconsfield Government laid |
down, would be established. More |
over, Lord Salisbury said that 30 |
time would be lost in giving effect to |
this policy. Taken in connection |
with his statement regarding Egypt |
and Soudan, and the avOwal that
Lord Beaconsfeld's policy would be
resumed at the point where it was
interrupted by the Liberals, this was
a clear intimation to Russia that
unless it acted promptly, it would be
placed at disadvantage in the i'm
evitable struggle between the Rus
sian and British Empire in Central
Asia.
The telegraph being extended to
the Russian headquarters in the
Afghan frontier, it IS possible for or
ders have beeen given for an immedi-
ate advance upon Herat; which was
at once an act of war against the
Ameer, who is England's ally and
whose territory is guaranteed 10y the
latter power, as we'll as a challenge to
the British Empire. With such a
fragrant breach of faith on the part of
Russia, war certainly is inevitable G
But the case may be even worse. It h
IS quite possible that the advance was n
made in bad faith some time ago, as
LII progress eastward by Russia has r
atteIly been. E
1t may be said, however, that this J
8 mere newspaper runner, and that
here is no foundation for it in fact O
he following extract from a letter n
from our Consul General at cI
Van Francisco, dated July 18th, which !
re have been permitted to make, d
'lll snow that the news is genuine,
nd thai stirring times may be looked Ia
Ir in the near future. Consul Gen I'll
raj Mckinley states that the Ieading 1t
ankers of San Francisco received ="
ne annexed dispatch from their al
''AA'O'' O'A pOilOGhbo at - ps III. OIL
le 18th: -
Russia has at last taken Herat. -
so England must fight. Consnls -,
ave fallen to-day. War, therefore, FIR
ay be considered certain" sh
1t would be idle to speculate upon pa
lie gravity of this news. A conflict pl,
tween the British and Russian I'M
nperial systems in Asia was newt
Die, sooner or later. Through the
policy of the Liberals,
lie Gar has heretofore won all the Au
'ints in the game of Asiatic strate V, ne'
1d now the British people must paw tw
] enormous penalty for the folly of no
trusting imperial interests to the a'
school Of political re- .o'
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