The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-03-10
TROOPS AND GUNS
SENT TO BORDER
Russian Reinforcementy on the In
dian Frontier.
OFFSET TO BRITISH ACTION
OLD QUESTION MAY AGAIN BE-
COME ACUTE.

cl- petersburg, March 9, 11:50 p. M
Russia is steadily reinforcing her mill
tary strength. both in men and guns, in
the direction of the Indian frontier.
sensational rumors of the dispatch Of
achievements for Russian Turkestan
were current two months ago. but they
were then denied. The Associated Press
Is now in position to affirm their
truth on the authority of a traveller of
Lnimpeacha BILE veracity who has lust
arrived from Tashkend and who was a
personal witness 81 the military activ-
1ty on the recently completed Oren-
ourg-Tashkend and other strategic
railroads through Merry to Krasno-
Fodsk- Troops, guns and munitions of
war have been moving southwark for
two months. Between the middle Of
January and the middle of February
hfty-siX military trains. mostly carry
ing artillery, arrived an Tashkend
The guns were mostly sent from
Merry, whence a purely military line
goes to kursk. The traveller in ques-
ton was informed although he had
10 personal knowledge on the point
that Russian troops had crossed the
Pamirs through Terek pass and gar
risoned Kashgar. The Orenburg-Tash-
kend railroad was so crowded that the
traveller was forced TO return by way
obliged to administer a public rebuke
Great Secrecy.
The Associated Press informant
states that the greatest secrecy is OBJ
served. Travellers who are rare. must
be provided with special permits from
the minister of war and kept under the
closest surveillance. The baggage of
this traveller was twice seized and
searched, although his papers were reg
ular. 1t is most significant that local
officials have been ordered not to per-
NIT Englishmen TO travel in Russian
Turkestan, and captains on the Cas-
plan have been forbidden TO allow
Englishmen to land on the eastern
shores. At KrasnOvodsk the informant
of the Associated Press was told that
two English officers who had been
travelling in disguise. are languishing
in prison
Turkestan Tranquil.
Speaking generally the Associated
Press informant said that the greatest
tranquility prevailed in the Turkestan
region. AT Bokhara there were only
vague rumors that war was in pro-
gress, and absolutely nothing was
known regarding political developments
in European Russia The only expla-
nation Of the renewal of Russia's mill
tary activity there is that il probably
is a demonstration to Impress At
ghanistan.
The Associated Press is unable here
to obtain any official admission that
any unusual military. move is in pro-
gress. the statement being made that
if guns were going south it was sim
ply an ordinary operation in the way
of shifting troops; but a Russian Of
high position made the following state
ment:
No Menace to India.
Russia has not any designs on India.
as England is so fond of alleging. II
Great Britain would only let us alone
we would not trouble her; but we are
not blind to the manner in which Great
Britain has seized the occasion of the
present war to buttress all her inter
ests in Central Asia, where we have
IS vital interests as she; nor can we
Russians get over the idea that. sooner
or later. a conflict with our traditional
enemy is inevitable, and we realize
that our only path to victory lies in
the direction Of India. Without going
back TO Lord Curzon's bOmbastic proc
lamations or anything prior to the war,
and out of consideration for the man
uer in which she sought to embarrass
and discredit us in its prosecution, we
recall what Great Britain has done in
Asia since the outbreak of hOstilities
and ask whether Russia would not be
justified in making d counter move to
y ounghusband's expedition to Thibet.
which was in direct violation OF Great
Britain's solemn assurances to US.
British Schemes.
"Younghusband, you viii remember,
negotiated a treaty which so closely
approached a protectorate over Thibet
that the British government was
army blossomed. and a so-called com
t. him Then Lord Kitchener's scheme
for the reorganization of the Indian
army bIossomed, and a so-caHed COM
mercial expedition was sent to Persia
The son Of the ameeT of AfghaniStan
was next brought to Bombay. Then
pressure was put upon Turkey to set
tie the Alden Hi.uteTland question and
now there is d project to autonOmize
~ abba. Great Britain has been max
ing hay while the sun shOne. But Rus
STA cannot hold her hands and see Thi-
bet and aAfghanistan converted into
Bhutans or Nepals. nor Persia placed
completely under British influence !
have no knowledge of what. if any,
steps have been taken III Turkestan,
but Great Britain viii find Russia is
not so engrossed or helpless as to be
obliged to relinquish border states to
her marcy without a struggle