Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1901-10-12

THE LATE AMEER OF AFGHANIsTAN.
kingmaker in his own country or as q
fugitive from it, as governor of the
Cisoxian provinces, as an exile In the
courts Of Meshed, Khiva and Bokhara,
as pensfoner of the Russians at Sa-
marcand and finally as the British nom
inee to the throne of Afghanistan-in
all these roles he was the strong figure
in the miserable drama Of Afghan poll
| tics.
During the civil war in 1864 in AT
ghanistan he played a leading part on
the side Of his father against his uncle
and gained several battles. The great
victories Of Shaikhabad and Khelati-
ghilzai were mainly due to his ability.
The goyernorshfp of Balkh was in
trusted to him, where he made himself
popular by his moderation and by
marrying the daughter of the chief of
Badakshan.
In 1868, however, he was unable to
offer a successful resistance to his
cousin Yakoub Khan, son Of SheFe Ali,
who defeated him at Bajgah, near Ba-
main, and also finally at Tinah Khan.
Abdurrahman then fed from the coun-
try, ultimately reaching Russian terri
tory. The Russian General Kaufman
permitted him to live at Samarcand,
and allowed him a pension of $4,000
rubles a year. Here he remained until
1879, when he slowly made his way
through BaIkh to t." F"7s,-i Ter,
and in July of 18a. u. s. formally
chosen by the leading, men Of Labul
and acknowledged by the British In
dian government as ameer of Afghan
istan From the British Indian gov
eminent he received a regular subsidy
of 100000 a year, with large gifts of
artillery, rifles and, ammunition to i'm
prove his military force.
In the spring Of 1893 when it was
thought that the ameer was to fulfill
his long cherished plan of visiting Eng
land, news came from central Asia
that he had determined to proclaim his
heir coregent, and, although he had to
give up his trip, he did give his son a
larger share in the management Of the
than formerly. The deter
mination to make his son coregent, to
rule with plenary power in his absence,
was, Of course, the most natural pre-
liminary to such an undertaking, for
to leave the Afghan throne without an
occupant, even for short time, would
be fatal.
The Ameer Abdurrahman had five
legal wives. The first Of them is a
woman of very high rank, a grand
niece, indeed. of Dost Mahomet She
had only one son, who would probably
have been the heir had he not died in |
Doyhood. The second wife is childless,
and so is the fifth. The fourth wife is |
1 royal princess and is now the head |
# the harem, but her only son also |
lied years ago. The only legitimate |
living sons of the ameer, therefore, are |
he two born to him by his third wife. |
and Nasrullah. The for
ner will succeed the late ameer.
A man of great stature and colossal /
strength, with a broad, massive coun-
enance, brilliant black eyes, digni6ed,
bearing. great intellectual
bower and OF a wide range of informa
ion. Abdurrabman controlled turbu-
ent. warlike people with a rod of iron.
Not even the autocrat of all the Rus
las nor, the sultan of Turkey has been
more absolute in his authority, and /
IFS motto has been:
Zone must be a lion If he would gov
I'm wolves"
The death OF the ameer of Afghanis-
an may precipitate the long threatened
onfliet between Russia and Britain in
he far east.
In his fascinating autobiography pub
ished not long ago in London be speaks
+ his country as "a goat at which a
ion british India from ore side and q
eaf,Ae bear (Russia) from the other
ide are staring ready to, swallow at
i>c first oDnortlnsl.'