Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-23
WORLDS HIGHWAY
WORRIES RUSSIA
Moscow People Protest Against
Railroad Through Persia
to Indian Ocean
FEAR INJURY TO TRADE
Proposed Line Said to Threaten
Industries in the Cars
Dominion
FEAR INJURY TO TRADE

ST. PETERSBURG, Dec. % The
project for railway, worlds high
way through Persia from the Russian
frontier to the Indian ocean, dates
from the troublous times Of twenty-five
years ago, when Russia and England
all but came to hand grips.
Russia had not then, and has not
now. any designs OF conquest, but she
thoroughly recognized the moral power
that a little pressure In the direction
of India exercised on the British gov
ernment Her objects were and are
those of economic development. The
moving spirit in the original project
was the engineer who built the Trans
caucasian railways, Palsheffsky, and
with him were names that have since
become famous, chief among them
Nicholas AleXievich Khomiakoff, first
president of the third duma.
Other members of the little group
who sought TO realize this project We're
Baron Korff, for many years lord
mayor of st. Petersburg and an active
public man in local self-government
circles, and the mayor of Moscow, Tre-
tiakoff, one of the brothers who be-
uueathed to his native city the well
known Moscow picture gallery. The
plan proposed by this group was to
build a line through Persia to the blight
of Chahbar, on the Indian ocean,
about one-third the distance between
Jask and Karachi There was at that
time not the slightest probability or
obtaining the consent of England to
any such line, but the promoters ar
gued that neither England nor India
could decline to join the Indian system
to this line once 1t became fait ac-
compli Their plans we're laid before
Emperor Alexander III, who warmly
approved them and undertook that the
cost Of surveying the proposed route
should be betrayed at the expense OF
the state.
The Banque d'Escompte de France
signed papers to provide S60.0O0OO0, and
matters seemed we'll In train. Then
came the diplomatic battle, and nothing
that is, nothing good-was done. The
Emperor Alexander appointed small
committee to examine into the scheme,
and it's report was favorable. But the
Russian foreign office, doubtless under
severe pressure from the British side,
baked the scheme then and set about
producing a condition of affairs in Per
sia that left the project high and dry
for the better part of generation. Ihe
hostility between Russia and England
over the Indian frontier question the
period Of the Penjeh and the delimita-
/ ton commissioner after nearly bring
/ ing the two countries to war settled
matters by a "dog in the manger poll
icy' regarding Persia.
RICH REGION INVOLVED
This naturally wealthy region was by
common consent of England and Russia
condemned for ten years by treaty TO
remain in a state of stagnation; neither
power was to undertake any civilizing
mission in Persia, neither would either
allow any other to attempt anything or
the kind After ten years Of this dog
in the manger policy Persia began to
feel, and still feels. a justifiable sore
ness against England and Russia Yet
those powers on the eXpiry of the first
| treaty renewed 1t for another ten years,
which have just expired.
The mercantile and industrial COM
munity of Moscow last week declared
It's opposition to the proposed linking
up of the Russian and Anglo-lndlan
| railways via Persia, as we'll as the
| projected junction with the Bagdad
! line, although the government faYors
! it. An important meeting was held III
the old Russian capital. under the
| Craftsmanship of NJ. klemm, director OF
the section concerned with Persia In
| the Russian ministry of foreign af-
| fairs. who was sent specially to ascer-
! tain Afuscovite feeling in the matter
! There were some fifty representatives
! of Moscow's leading industries, and
! several members of the state duma
| MANY speeches were made which, on
the part of the representatives of in
dustry present, We're to the effect that
! formerly Persia was convenient and
necessary market for the disposition
! of Russian goods, but under the new
regime In that country Russia's influ-
I ence had severely suffered and now
both Germany and England we're max
ing great efforts to conquer the Fer
sian market.
In such circumstances the construc-
ton Of the proposed railway lines and
/ the projected junction Of the Bagdad
/ railway with Teheran would have a
! verv injurious effect upon the economic
! interests of Russia. The junction with
/ the Russian railway system at Baku
/ and improved navigation on the Tigris
would be a dangerous step, opening up
| a wide field for German influence In
| Persia. A great Indian route would
! also not bring any perceptible advan-
tage to Russian industry, but on the
! contrary would be more likely to oper-
| ate TO its detriment. The construction
| by Russia of the Baku-Teheran rail-
way would be dangerous chiefly from
the economic point of view.
NJ. Klemm refrained from DISCUSSING
the intrinsic merits of the proposal. He
| felt more that financiers in London and
Paris would not support the scheme
unless it could be made commercial