The San Francisco call., 1904-07-03
DAGIOV OF TIBET n GREAT MILITARY FE47, BUT F4UGHT
LLITH PERIL IND DOE UNKJVOLUyN TO MODERN UARFJ4Rl
Terrible Trials of
the English
Troops.
Hazardous Game
Not U,Orth an
Effort.

. LONDON. July As 3 feat In mill
tsry transport Hannibal's famed pass
age Of the Alps is dwarfed 10 insignih-
csnce by comparison with what has
been accomplished by the little British
army, which, under the guise OF g
political and commercial mission. has
invaded the forbidden land Of Tibet in
pursuit Of bogey.
Starting from Siliguri IN the warm
plains below Darjeeling. very little
above sea Level. the expedition has
climbed the Himalayas by the most
stupendous natural staircase in the
world. despite obstacles that would
have taxed the ingenuity Of an expert
enced mountain goat, forcing its way
upward into the region OF the eternal
snow and ice, threading its way
through passes above the clouds and
camping IN one place sixteen thousand
feet above sea level, higher up than
the summit OF Mont Blanc, the tallest
mountain in Europe. Mules failed
them. canlels succumbed, yaks perished
BY the thousand, but these indomitable
soldiers, aided by Baltic coolies, pushed
forward, taking with them the guns
and the stores where no four-footed
animals could carry them and treading
where feet Of white men had never trod
before.
The passage OF this British force led
by Colonel Younghusband into the
heretofore inaccessible land Of dark
mystery and fsteful fascination consti-
tutes the most brilliant and thrilling
achievement OF military mountaineer-
ing that history records. But for what
has Il been done? To compel a barbar-
Gus people who, urged by some instinct
or self-preservation, have passed an
act Of exclusion against all Europeans
10 enter into political and trade rela-
tons with the empire-to bring them
within the sphere Of British influence.
WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE.
Tibet wants TO be let alone. And
II there is one land under the sun
where nature seems to have safeguard
ed that desire It is Tibet Fenced
round by almost impenetrable noun
tains among the loftest on the globe.
this vast plateau, in extent about eight
times the area Of Great Britain, is by
reason Of its great altitude. ranging
from 10000 10 1900 feet, absolutely de-
void Of almost everything that civil
lied man can covet For the most
part II is a treeless wilderness Of
dreary steppes-truly e forbidding as
vel a forbidden land. It is not
worth possessing. What trade could
be done by its wretched inhabitants
would not IN many years suffice to de-
8 h r-F H,1
The pretext officially put forward for
the expedition is the failure Of Tibet
70 comply with the treaty obligations
Of 1893. Three years prior to that
Tibetans raided the Indian vassaI state
Of Sikl1im. A British force drove them
cut Then followed negotiations, not
with Tibet. but with China, which ex-
ercises a suzersinty over Tibet. The
result was some sort Of a treaty by
which China, on behalf of Tibet-Tibet
had no say IN the business-agreed
that the restrictions TO trade with
India imposed by Tibet should be re-
la1ed and a new frontier market
opened. The Tibetans paid little heed
10 the treaty. They oIc open a new
frontier market-on the top Of an in
accessible hill-and laughed over their
Joke. And in general they continued
10 play the leave-me- alone game in the
same old way. So things logged along
for many years. The indian Govern
rnent recognized that the matter was
not worth fussing about. Then il was
discovered that a Russian agent. Dor
gieff who being a Mongolian Buddhist
was not subject to the operations of
the European exclusion set, had estab-
lished himself at Lhassa. Worse than
this the Daila Lama the sacred Yellow
Pope of Tibet, dispatched a mission to
St Petersburg.
RUSSIAN BEAR AT WORK.
II was this that brought that black
bogey Of India, the Russian bear, into
the game Russia and China were
asked TO explain. They replied to the
effect that the mission TO st. Peters
burg was merely intended to convey
10 the Car the assurance of the Daila
Lama's distinguished consideration;
that it was absolutely devoid of politi-
cal significance, and so on. Russian
denials are mostly construed by the
British Government as discriminating
admissions and what that huge jelly
fish China says does not count. Lord
Curzon, as Viceroy Of India. saw
visions Of Russia's insidious and dan
Eerous encroachments on the Indian
frontier.
We are quite content" he said.
that il CTibeD should remain in the
hands Of allies and friends but If un-
friendly influences creep up and lodge
under our walls We are compelled TO
intervene, because danger would there
by grow up and menace our security.
have 40 desire TO push on anywhere.
but / would suffer any imputation
rather than be an unfaithful sentinel
and allow the future peace of the coun-
try TO be compromised by encroach-
ments from outside which would only
have one meaning"