Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-11
Russia,s RonKH to India.

all OF Wnlcn nave DS&<A- iiQQ Sill are actual
fields for Russia's secret activities.
Russia's Ron5sH to India.
1t is by way of Hersi9Rr Though Turses-
tan and Afghanistan, that the Russians
would reach the northwestern passes.
Twenty years ago their advance. under the
pretense Of surveying or pacifying the no.
MAIDS, sneaked througiHTdrkestan. as far as
Panjdeh. An English commission was sent
TO look into this 9busin9sss; and the czarish
people were induced to stop there. as they
generally do when met with firmness. That
is, their visible movement stops for the
time, and gives place, e burrowing :. IN the
Of this subject recall d conversation with
the Russian minister than stationed at
Teheran. The Persian government had
approached rue with the tender of con-
and the like in Persia. The offer was made
sub rosa, and so far as l was concerned
was kept secret, although ultimately de-
clined as then inexpedient. But the Rus
sian minister, who through his spies at the
court kept track of the other legations. got
wind of this business likewise. Soon after
this we met at a diplomatic entertainment
and had amicable chat on unimportant
matters with the after-dinner cigars. With
out warning Of what was coming he asked
bluntly but insinuatinely, us it true, my
dear colleague, that you are proposing to
build railways in Persia with American
capital?" He thought to take me off my
guard. / instantly replied, however When
you have finished your railway to INDIA.
Mr.. Minister we will discuss the question
of American railways In Persia"
He sprang UP as IL shot, stepped across
the room ostensibly to get light, and as
1.-The further proceedings interested him no
more" soon terminated the conversation.
Russia g. curiosity in her neighbors' affairs
Is Unsuitable, but she resents any hints as
to her own plans, even when those plans
affect their own interests With troops
massed in Turkestan 1t would be compare
lively easy for Russia to work to the In
dian passes provided she has smoothed the
road with the Afghans after the Russian
mode. The Afghans, being brave and war
like, could make much trouble In noun
famous country. AS buffer state Afghan
istan is q poor defense when the crisis
comes.
On the northeast frontier of India lies
Tibet. Who can possibly want that DESC
late land hidden among bowling wastes
and eternal SHOWS? But Russia wants 1t
and England needs it. The first, since she
designed her military railways to China.
finds it possible to move troops to India
from that quarter, or at least make mis-
chievous diversion thence, while England
finds that Thibet max be used as bufer
state Russia's agents have already pene-
trated into Thibet, while England has just
launched for the second time an expedition
ostensibly to demand reprisals for anronts,
but really to prevent the seduction or Ihipet
by the Russian emissaries already on the
spot.
Let us suppose now that the hosts OF
Russia are at the frontier of India. What
defense have the English to present! Two
or three hundred thousand Sepoys and d
few thousand Englishmen. The courage
and skill of the latter is sure. as sure as 1t
was at Inkermann, but so is that OF the
enemy. and they would be far more numer-
Inv otap fip{yyr nd a
belief in manifest destiny. Man for man
they might not be able to- crush the Eng
lish. not even with sHperior numbers. But
England would also have to preserve order
in the rear. She has only $4,000 OF $4,000
British soldiers in India to keep it's two
hundred and sixty millions under control,
and she finds it hard to send more. Far
more than that number would be needed
versal revolt AS for the Sepoys, who
have been finely drilled 20 European tao
tics, England undoubtedly depends largely
on them to repel ingasiop. And yet they
would be like the elephants that the an
clients employed in Battle, which. when
wounded in the front ranks. would turn
and rend the very army they were intend
ed to defend. Russia's method with
Asiatics is to do as little lighting as posi-
Bile, and to win by ether bmeans. Her Sc
cret agents, like apant cOariers, would
swarm through Indfaspr6Sided with gold
and JunlIrnlte6 Supply Oh PA uSlioie pTOUf-
isesS Many of them earen already there
Disaffection would besinc before gun was
fired. Like most subject races, the East
Indians, however. well treated, long for a
change of masters with sthe hope that any
change means hope for the better There
is also an instructive leaning toward the
Russians IN parts of Asia from a sense of
knship shown by their methods and the
genius Of both for duplicity But the chief
reasons for believing that the English cam
not rely, in the last analysis of the case.
upon the Fidelity of their often splendid ma
tive troops, lie down deep in the character
of many Asiatics. and especially of most
East Indians. Few of them can resist
temptation to betray trust, friend or
master, when an advantage is held out
with minimum of risk, and the high in
rank who control provinces are the most
dangerous.
Oriental War Methods.
The other reason arises from the methods
of oriental warfare. which produces lack OF
individuality or initiative, IN the soldier and
accounts for the facility Of European con-
quests in Asia and of the Spanish con-
quests in America. OF generalship. as 1t
Is understood in modern scientific warfare.
there is none among Asiatics. except
among the Turks, and probably among the
Japanese. The fall or flight of the leader
implies the rout of an army, the end OF the
campaign and the overthrow of a dynasty.
Now, it is not in the least likely that the
Sepoys have yet outgrowR this Unborn
characteristic. They have fought well UNI
der English officers and equipped and train
ed like English soldiers. They have been
invariably led to victory by their English
masters; but their victories have been over
natives led by natives less disciplined than
they They have not yet met European
armies nor seen their English masters and
English troops worsted in battle. If they
were to meet the massive. practically homo
geneous ranks of Russia, 1t is possible that
they could not withstand them. even
though third Of the defending army were
composed of Englishmen. In such a case
the result would be an overwhelming rout.
At the first news that England had lost
great battle In the north the East Indians
would rise as one man from Kyber Pass
to Cape Comorin, and melt away from
their allegiance like snow before the sun.
How could the English hold these revolving
millions in subsection with the legions OF
holy Russia pouring over the frontiers?
Prestige is Indispensable to government in
most of Asia.
Such results. IL Russia actually wins the
buffer states and threatens India. are not
merely possible; they are to the last degree
probable. There is only one way to pre-