Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-08-23
RUSSIA IN. ASIA.
The Trans-Caspian Railway and Its Far
Reaching Political Effects.

The Trans-Caspian Railway and Its Far
Reaching Political Effects.
A report is in circulation that the
Gar of Russia is about to be crowned
Emperor of Central Asia, ut Samar-
cand, that mysterious and ancient city
of the thousand and one nights- :"
Russian rule, regarded among Western
nations as the most despotic and semi
barbarous system of government in
the world, is considered on the eastern
side of the Ural range a blessing to the
unenlightened people of the struggling
series of GASES and towns separated by
wide expanses of desert Free trade
is the policy of Russia in Asia, although
in Europe she clings to protection.
The completion of the TRANSCRIPTION
railway to Samarcand will inaugurate
a new era in Asia, and before the loco
motive headlight the lingering shades
of ignorance and superstition of the
dark ages will vanish. The building
of this line makes us think of the
favorite idea of Peter the Great, which
was to secure forever commercial
intercourse between Russia and Central
Asia, and thus open a wide market for
Russian industries. Before the build
ing of this railroad, the merchant
caravans took about six months to go
from Bokhara to Orenboorg, while now
it takes only fifteen days to transport
the chief products of Bokhara, silk
goods and cotton, from Tchaordjai at
Amoo-Darya, to Moscow. The trans
Caspian railroad is of the greatest inn
portance to cultivators of cotton in
Asia, and not less so to Russian manu-
facturers, who now must get all their
cotton from England and America,
while from one colony alone in Central
Asia, there is yearly product of from
two hundred and fifty to three hundred
million pounds, at the least a value of
some thirty-ive or forty million dol
lars. The soil and climate of the
GASES at Murghab and Tedzen, as well
as at the Khanat of Bokhara, are high
ly favorable to the cultivation of cot
ton. AS for the rolling-stock of the
railroad, it has of late been much ex-
aggerated in various European jour
nails. The carriages are naturally
built as airy as possible for the climate
of Central Asia, and each passenger
train has a saloon car with kitchen
and buffet, for there are very few
stopping places crossing the desert.
There are no special harem carriages
for ladies, but they are hardly neces-
sary, for the ''true believers" will not
permit their wives to travel on a rail-
road. The ''ship of the desert, " vul-
gate, "camel," serves the Nomad fam
lilies, and long journeys do not occur
in the life of a noble Mohamedan lady,
and Russian ladies will not care to
travel so far to see SO little; for Merv
and Askabad are little boundary cities,
which only owe their existence to the
Russian troops garrisoned there. How
ever, the inhabitants who until lately
never went out of their plaster huts
unless armed to the teeth, now devote
themselves more and more to COM
merce and agriculture; the TurcOman
children are taught by the Russian es-
tablishment in elementary schools;
and order, work and prosperity have
taken the place of rapine, slavery and
recklessness. No wonder the white
Car" is revered by the Central Ash
atics. If the Chinese markets can
now be opened to Russian traders,
Asian commerce and industry will be
still more benefited. - DemOTeSt'S
Monthly.