Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1905-11-03
THE NEXT GREAT WAR.

RUSSIA ABANDONS THE FAR EAST AND
WILL SEEK WARM WATER IN THE
INDIAN OCEAN-THE SHAH ALREADY
| TOOL OF THE GAR. WHO GIVES
LAND TELLS THE BEAR THAT AN At
TEMPT TO SWALLOW PERSIA MEANS
FIGHT.
st. Petersburg-Russia's imperial
statesmen who planned the extension
of SIav sway to the Pacific, with such
disastrous effect, are again busy seek
log to enlarge the Muscovite Empire
by making Persia province of the
Gar s dominions.
The st. Petersburg bureaucracy is
circulating policy in the land OF the
shah, which, if persisted in, will result
10 war with Great Britain.
The Russian bureaucracy believes
the Czar's domlnioDs to be dying of
thirst for warm water, and the bureau
cracy is consequently in search for an
ice free seaport. If Russia Can get
Persia, she will secure ports on the
Persian gulf entering into the Indian
Ocean that are never closed by ice.
Russia would have things her own
way but for the fact that India is sep
arated from Persia only by the two
buffer States of Afghanistan and Belu-
chistau. Great Britain is afraid that
if Russia obtains Persian port Russiaj
will be in position seriously to threat |
en- the British occupancy of India. So
Jbe statesmen in London have served |
notice that if Russia wants Persia :she
will have to fight for it.
Russia has already become the pre-
dominant power in Persia, in the opin-
on of the shah. His Majesty has just
been in st. Petersburg, where he has
)sen fetsd and made to feel that he is
he only person in the world the Gar
owes.
Muzaffer-ed Din likes this, not only
because it is flattering to his pride,
,ut because Russia. is carrying out the
ole of his intimate friend, is ready to
end him money, something no other
ountry is ready to do.
The shah is already heavily in debt
O Russia, to the extent of over SIS
100 600.
With her financial command over
he Shah, Russia has succeeded In
making her influence paramount at
'eheren, and in the whole north of
Persia. Even the Persian army is
ractically commanded by Russians.
hough this means little, for the army
) simply collection of ragged Mo ,
armed with rifles and can
on hardly superior to the kind used
D the American revolution. f.
But though Russia has made North
rn Persia almost Muscovite posses
ion, she gains nothing tangible, for
e.waran water ports she is after are
d the South, on the Persian Gulf, and
t is there that Great Britain has SO
eveloped her influence as TO become
Russia wants to duplicate her far
hallway policy on a small scale
~ runniDg q line from the north OF
'ersia to Bauder A bbas, a small dirty
title town of eight thousand people on
he Persian gulf, and to make Banutr
\ bias second Port Arthur and Via
livostok combined. But Great Bri
ain has iutimated that if any railways
ire to be built in the neighborhoOd OF
3ander Abbas, she is going to build
hem, and not if she knows it is she
,oing to stand by and see Vladivos-
ok Port Arthur constructed on her
Indian flank.
That is the situation now, and it is
n Persia that the next great interna-
5ional upheaval is going to occur.
The Shah stands by helpless as the
Emperor of China was in the far east
ern conflict, but he is philosophic, and
puts everything up to Kismet. He has
his palace, and his elaborate harem at !
Teheren, and when he goes out bis toy |
artillery fires salute in his honor. |
When be gets tired of that, he packs |
bis trunks and goes to Paris and gets
what money he wants from his friend,
the Czlr.