Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-10
RUSSIAN INDIA ROUTE
TROOPS AND MILITARY STORES
ARE BEING RUSHED SOUTHWARK
Measures Taken to Discourage Travel
in Doubtful Zone-Secrecy
of the Work

Russia is steadily reinforcing her MILL
tary strength. both in men and guns, in the
direction Of the Indian frontier. Sensa-
tonal rumors of the dispatch of reinforce
ments for Russian TurkeStan were current
at St Petersburg two months ago but
they We're then denied.
The Associated Press is now in n posi-
ton to affirm the truth on the authority of
n traveller of unimpeachabe veracity who
mas just arrived from Tashkend and who
was a personal witness of military activity
on the recently completed Orenburg- Tash-
kend and other strategic railroad $ through
Merv to Krasnovodsk. Troops guns and
! munitions of war have been moving south
ward for two months. Between the mid
die of January and the middle of February
ffty-SiX military trains, mostly carrying
artillery, arrived at TaShkend. The guns
We're mostly sent from Merry, whence a
purely military railway line goes to Kursk.
Russian Troops Moving.
The traveller in question was informed.
although he had no personal knowledge on
the point, that Russian troops had crossed
Pamirs through Terek Pass and garrisoned
Kashgar. The Orenburg Tashkend rail-
road was so crowded that the traveller was
forced to return by way OF Krasnovodsk.
The same informant states that the
greatest secrecy is observed. Travellers.
cial permits from the minister of and
kept under the closest surveillance.
The baggage of this traveller was twice
seized and searched although his papers
were regular. 1t is most significant that
local officials have been ordered not to per-
nit Englishmen to travel in Russian Tur-
kestan, and steamship captains on the Cas-
plan sea have been forbidden to allow Eng
Hshmen to land on the eastern shore
At Krasnovodsk the informant was told
that two English officers who were travel
Il Tor .S.lf
In Ignorance of War.
Speaking generally, this informant said
that the greatest tranquility prevailed in
the Turkestan region. At Bokhard there
were only vague rumors that war was in
progress, and absolutely nothing was
known regarding political developments in
European Russia The only explanation of
the renewal of Russia's military activity
there is that it probably is a demonstration
to impress Afghanistan.
1t is impossible here to obtain any official
admission that unusual military move Is
in progress, the statement being made that
If guns were going south it was simply an
ordinary operation in the way of shifting
troops; but a Russian of high position made
the following statement.
Russia has not any designs on India. as
England is fond of alleging. If Great
Britain would only let us alone we would
not trouble her, but we are not blind 10
the manner in which Great Britain has seiz-
ed the occasion of the present war to but
tress all her interests in Central Asia. Nor
can we Russians get over the Idea that
sooner or later a conflict with our tradition
al enemy is inevitable, and we realize that
our only path to victory lies in the direction
of India.
without going back to Lord Curzons
bombastic proclamations or anything prior
to the war We recall what Great Britain
has done in Asia since the outbreak OF
hostilities and ask whether Russia would
not be justified in making a counter move
to Younghusbands expedition to Thlbet,
which was in direct violation OF Great
Britain's solemn assurances TO us.
Aggressive British Policy.
''Younghusband you will remember, ne
gotiated a treaty which so closely APP
preached a protectorate over Thibet that
the British government was obliged TO adj
minister a public rebuke to him, Then
Lord Kitchener's scheme for the reorgani-
cation of the Indian army blossomed and
a so-called commercial expedition was sent
to Persia. The son of the Ameer OF
Afghanistan was next brought to Bombay
Then pressure put upon Turkey TO
settle the Alden hinterland question. and
now there is the project of autonomous
Arabia
Great Britain has been making hay
while the sun shone. But Russia cannot
hold her hand and see Thibet and Afghan
istan converted into Bhutans or NepalS nor
Persia placed completely under British in
duence