Morris tribune., 1903-08-01
RUSSIA IN AFGHANISTAN
A Plan to Increase Her InAu-
ence In That Country.
FRIENDLY ADVANCES TO AFGHANa

Distrust of the Muscovite Said t,
Have Acquired a Less Restrained
Acerbity Under Present Ameer'.
POlicy-Brilliant Move of Czar'i
Agents to Obtain Representation a
the Afghan Capital.
According TO a late arrival from In
Ola with large trading connections il
the northern provinces, it is interesting
to notice how the Russians in spite OF
their preoccupations in north China are
doing the utmost that lies in their DOW
er to permeate Afghanistan with theil
influence and subvert that hitherto ex
ercised by Great Britain in the country
says the Pail Mall Gazette.
Their opportunity undoubtedly came
when death removed the Amer Abdur
rahman, who, jealous as he was ready
to show himself Of every fancied Brit
ish encrOachment, was nevertheless an
inVeterate opponent of the aggressive
power on his northern borders, whose
offers Of amity he so well knew how to
estimate at their true value. When he
died the dread and hatred of the Rus
sian to a great extent lost that vitality
in Afghan policy with which it had al
ways been inspired by Abdurra Imam
intimate personal acquaintance with
the methods and aims of his former
jailers.
Consequently those points of discus
sion with the Indian government which
were always subordinated to the SUI
preme distrust entertained for the Mus
ed less restrained acerbity. Proper
tionately, too, the increasing friendly
advances by the Russians, to the At
CHAN government in particular and to
the people generally, have not of late
encountered anything like the same I'M
compromising attitude as in former
times
Everywhere in the bazaars of India,
those mysterious receptacles of news,
there is talk at the present moment Of
increasingly strained relations between
the Indian government and the ameer.
And there is now little doubt in official
circles that the recent seizure and de-
tention of Colonel Yate was due to di-
rect inspiration from Kabul or that the
incident forms very unpleasant indi
cation of the disposition Of the present
ameer toward the Indian government.
While this feeling Of hostility has
been developing fortune has proved sig
nally favorable to Russian attempts
at closer intimacy. The recent increase
Of famine in the northern districts Of
afforded an excellent op-
portunity, which the Russians have not
allowed to pass, Of posing in the guise
Of generous benefactors of the people
in their hour of need.
They have thrown open their stores Of
grain to the starving people and pro-
free of all charge. That such highly
polite action will go unrewarded by a
corresponding inclination of Afghan
sentiment is highly improbable. The
gratitude of hungry men is not largely
swayed by considerations of high policy
which they do not altogether under
stand. And Russia may congratulate
herself on an achievement which is
likely to bear excellent fruit.
But this is not all she has been doing
n this direction. For some time she
las persistently endeavored to obtain
representation at the Afghan capital
Hitherto she has failed, but that by no
means implies an abandonment of the
lttempt. Russia abandons nothing
The desire to establish Russian en-
,assy in Kabul, apart from the suspi-
ion with which it was always regard
d by the late ameer and in a second
land fashion by his son, is a project |
which England could never permit. |
But that by hook or by crook her agents
houId go to Kabul, whether officially |
ccredited or not, Russia was fully de- |
ermined. Accordingly she has set |
bout it in her own characteristic way. |
Carefully selecting her men some
months ago, she sent them, to the num-
'er of five, in the guise of ordinary
ravelers through the country to the !
apital. Here for short time they |
we're placed under a sort of arrest. 1t
vas not long, however, before they OBJ
aimed their freedom. Their next bril-
ant move was to embrace Mohamme-
anism and become subjects of the
meer, after which no further restric }
ions were placed on their going and
oming among the Afghan people. They
ave approved themselves most sedu
JUS and devout followers of the proph-
t. and, with the judicious backing of
be Russian government to assist them,
his surreptitious crusade has been
rosecuted under the happiest auspices.
There is much, therefore, affecting
ne present relations Of India with At
hanistan which in nowise can be said
} tend toward the continued mainte
ance of the close connection which has
lbsisted since Lord Roberts marched
rom Kabul to Kandahar and discov-
red thousands of pounds in Russian
old, even in those days conspicuous
cement in Afghan politics.
While the ameer is, through his peo-
lie, accepting Russian hospitality in the ,