New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-06
THE FRONTIER WAR IN INDIA
LORD GEORGE HAMILTON'S VACI1LAT-
INC AND UNCERTAIN POSITION.


THE CAUSES OF THE OUTBREAKS AS HE SETS
THEM FORTH IN \ RECENT BLUEBooK-
ADVICE BALANCED WITH CAUTION.
Will, the events which have taken place on the
northwestern frontier OF India during the last six
mo this are tolcrably familiar to everybody, there
are n number of obscure points as 10 the cause OF
these outbreaks the actual position Of the COM
Infants and above all the possibilities OF the
future o. which more light is earnestly desired.
And on all these points much light is undoubtedly
shed by the bluebooks o. the indian IRON
tier war which the Government issued Few daYs
ago and which have reached New-fork by the
last English mail.
Among the documents, kilograms, reports and so
forth which make up the contents of these blue
books one only Is OF high actual value the dis
patch addressed by Lord George Hamilton TO the
Government of India the 2Sth OF last month
as # defines or rather attempts to dehe. the act
ual positlol of events and points out the course
to he followed by the Indian Government In the
future
Il f. not the least satisfactory feature In
position Of things decided on all hands to be thor
oughIv unsatisfactory throughout, that even
careful study Of this latest and most authoritative
declaration OF policy gives no clear idea or What
has actually been determined upon much less or
what will be carried OUT and one Is led to tho
conclusion that the cause OF tno llOeHllitcltoo 10
simply the fact that no clear views are held by
Lord George Hamilton. and that he has nothing
TO offer for the guidance OF the Indian Government
but a bundle OF platitudes which may mean any
thing nothing.
After giving a brief account of the various out
breaks all along the frontier fast fal-a narrative
which need not be summarized, +. is already
famlliar-Lord George Hamilton turns 10 the quea-
ton of their
pa frOm narrative of the events WniCfl
preceded and marked the of the severa!
risings Of the Pathan tribes 10 "a consideration OF
their causes | entirely agree with Your Exceency
in Council in regarding fanaticsm as the prihcipai
9enS a fGE an IN he with Which
out each point In the large extent oil c T,,
affected and in the simultaneous acton OF b asno.
pears TO be a renls rkable unanimlty of opinion on
the part OF your officers along the whole of the
disturbed border that the outbreaks generally were
fanatical in their origin. The proceehlngs OF INC
Amer and the correspondence discovered In the
of the SUBSEQUENT military opeEatlOnsc an
point 10 the same conclusion. Although the INST
attack on the Malakand was unexpected stu sey-
eral Indications OF religious movement had al
re adv attracted the serious attention OF your Coy
eminent You were aware that Mullas were busiiy
engaged in circulating on the county slqe TWO
tone and character that must inevitably have slim
ulated the fanatical spirit OF Wild and ignorant.
July learned that efforts had been persstently
made by Mullas for several months previously no to
swaf country amt but also in Tirah and other parts
Of the Afridi land UpOn ground thus carefully
EASY to work, and the letters addressed by him to
the Mianguls OF Swat. and to the A1rdl Mulis,
Savad Akbar In the Waran Valley, show the range
of his preparations and intrigue. That he was also
the moving spirit in other parts is evident from
the 1G When they stated that they could not
refuse to obey the Fakir or Swat, or the Adda
Mula.
1t is fairly clear that the Ameer played tempo
r,zng part in the volcanic STRINGS Of militant
Islam hidden behind the labored sentences OF this
paragraph; he himself claims to be spiritual as
we'll AS a temporal leader. and he has consistently
tried TO weaken the spiritua! influence or the
prIests in order 10 substitute his own. He there
fore dlscountenances the rival practitione: so TO
say in n letter to the Commissioner of Peshawar
whore ne cxclaims: What calamtics are there
that his disciples have not suffered. and what blood
have they not shed by his senseess commands
The grievance OF the Ameer IL thus a double one
he wishes 20 encroach on their spiritual as well
as their territorial independence.
TIE CAUSE OF THE RELIGIOUS FANATICIsM
one of the unsatisfactory characteristics Of this
dispatch "a revealed IN the next sections double
m,ndc.ineas or It's indetnitenoas OF mental outlook
Having satisfactorily attributed the cause Of the
trouble TO spiritual influences, Lord George Ham
iton straghiwav sets himself to neutrai!ze the
effect he has produced, by saying:
From the Information which has reached me Il
IA evident that the necessary task OF delmitng by
The Duraud Convention. the sphere OF British and
Afghan influence furnished the religious preach
ers with material for stirring up alarms and jeal.
ousy among the tribes, who were thus persuaded
10 connect the lelmitatlOn with Interior designs on
thclr independence that were In no way conten-
plated By your Government. The work OF marking
ont frontier line through hundreds OF miles OF
wild tribal country. could not fail TO arouse such
suspicious. notwithstanding the scrupulons obsery,
ances by you Of the conditions laid down TO avoid
interference with the tribes.
This is a reason with much OF tho ring Of sim
cerity about IT, If It be involuntary sincerity.
There cannot be a shadow Of doubt that the oper-
ations here described. namely the fixing of boun-
da-y pillars in the independent tribal territory.
represent rot only cause. but legitimate cause.
for grave suspicion: other result than that
which followed could possibly arise from action
so equivocal.
\ TRIPLE RESPONSIBILITY.
The same tendency 10 multiply phrases OF indie
terminate meaning dogs Lord George Hamilton
when he turns fr )m the 10 the remedy. The
duties OF the British Indian Government in rela-
ton to the tribes fall ne says. under three heads:
First the police and administrative protection
he given 10 British districts In the immediate Vi
cin,y OF the tribal country. second. tho strict
area that has been placed by formal agreement
wi hin the british sphere OF political influence and
lastly the fulhlment Of our obligations toward
Afghan,stan and the safeguarding OF the neutral
frontiers Of India.
Being interpreted, all this means we must pre-
won't the Pathans from invading India: must
guard against Russian intrigue; We must continue