Arizona republican., 1900-09-05

royal family and by the government for the ent, t,rtainment of the Persian ruler.
 The fact of the mater is rhaJ the Ameer is the allpoWerful warden of the Marches of India. and as the owner and controller of the mountain passes leading into India is tha virtual guar dian of the gates of Englands great oriental empire Besides this. Afghan istan is the buffer state separating Russia from British India. The con version If the AmCer from a friend to foe would n, ,cessitate the entire re- organization of the system of defense of India's northern frontier at q cOllys- sal expense. besides requiring the treb- ling If the British army in India. ad- ded co which England could ill afford 10 go to war with Afghanistan at the pres mt moment. while an alliance be- tween Afghanistan and Russia against England would be positively disastrous to British rule in India. The only req son why the Ameer has preferred 10 all ly himself with India rather than with Russia is because he Secs it is t. Eng lands interest to leave to him his inde- pendence and autonomy, whereas all the Central Asian rulers who have all lied themselves with Russia have seen themselves in the long run deprived of their thrones and uheir dominions ab- sorbed by the great white ear.
 Three of the mcSt costly. sanguinary and troublesome wars of thr reign of Queen Victoria have been with Af- ghanistan. England does not wish for q fourth. and that is why she canceled her engagement win the shah at the eleventh hour. "a h,r than anger the Amear. and is cnGeaVoring to console the Persian ruler for the affront by giving him the Order of the Garter.
 
 King Alexander of Servia is' hcaping honors on his wife. Queen Draga has already been given a regiment, and now she has been mace patrCness of the girls high school at Belgrade, which was founded by Queen Nathalie and hitherto endowed with her name and it is henceforth to bear that f the new queen. Moreover. he has thoroughly given people to understand that he in tends to have his C nsort respected, at any rat by his own subjects. by order ing the arrest of old General Belimark- oVitch for having made sighting re- marks about the queen. The general is one of the most conspicuous figures and best known men in Servia. The most trusted cOnfilant of Alexander Karag age1rgeVi ,ch. who overwehlmei him with favors. he deserted and be- trayed him with favDrs in 1859 in order 10 join his rival. Prince Milosh, prede- cessOr of Milan cn the Servian throne. During the minori,y of Milan he was minister of war. but was dismissed from that post for gross dishonesty, and served a term of imprisonment He was probably the only servian of ficer who showed any bravery or who in any way dis .inguished himself in the war of 1877 against the Turks. But whatever fame he may have gained on the battlefield was dimmed by his toll eration of the intimacy between his young and good looking wife and Mi Ian. On the l9tte~'s abdication he ap- pointed the general as one of the three regents during King Alexander's mi nori-y, and h. was the only one of the three who manifested any disposition tO resist when Alexander a year before the legal termination of his minority had the three regents arr s;ed at his own table and kept under lock and key while he proclaimed himself of age and took '.he reins of government in his own hands.
 The g neral has always been distln- guisheG for his hatred of the radical el- oment, and has frequently declared in public that the grandest day of his life would be when he was able 10 carry a piec' of radical meat" at the point of his sword through the streets of Bel grade.
 When I knew him at Belgrade years ago he had q most extraordinary con- fidential servant and general factOtum an individual by the name of Branco. who had been famed throughout the various Balkan states as the most sue cessful brigand chief in the southaa ast of Europe. Branco used to make his headquarters in the district around the well known Servian baths of Wrucze. These were ordered for the general by his physician. but a. the same time he was warned that if he ventured to take up his abode al Wruzce the brigand chief, 'Branco, would probably avail himself of the opportunity to make a bold coup by taking him prisoner and holding him for ransom.
 The general. who was regent of Ser via at the time. instead of sending troops after the robbers 10 c'ear the dis trica. deemed it more prudent to tenn poriZe. and accordingly sent an emis- sary to the brigard in order 70 dis cover n what terms he could secure immunity and freedom from molesta- tion curing his stay at WrucZe. The terms made by Brarco were that he should receive a sum of money down. and tha1 h. should be granted permis- sion at he close of summer to take up his residence at Belgrade without in terference on the part of the authori- ties The general agreed to these terms and as the best means. of secur- ing Branco from arrest on his return to Belgrade, he attached him to his household. As soon, however, as the general was turned cut of office as re- gent, the robber chief was thrown into prison by order of the young king. and shortly afterward eXb;ated on the scaf- fold the numerous crimes fer which a