The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-07-06

tutionalism in Persia is an utter and
n disastrous failure. that the last con-
! dillon of tho ancient kingdom Is worse
than its first and constant pressure
is being brought to bear upon Mr. AS
quith and Earl Grey to resort to the
iron hand in lieu OF diplomacy and
persuasion and advice This pressure
comes not only from the masses. but
| from hitherto newspaper supporters
of the latter. the temporizing. course
From these papers we gather that the
Blue Book of Persia shows mot mis-
! rule but an absolute disappearance
of all ordered and coherent authority
"A drift" as the London Times phrases
IT. upon n sea of dismal anarchy" AT
Teheran the situation is child Shah.
an absentee regent, a Cabinet that re-
signs about once week, and Treas
urerGeneral who is constantly MAX
ing frantic and pitiful, bat vain. APP
peals for money to fill an empty treas
ury. Nowhere Is the central authority
recognized, for the reason among 9TH
ers that. as n matter of fact. no such
authority exists Says Consul Smart,
not only government authority, but
tribal authority. Is in complete disso-
luton.
In the south the tribes have split
up into warning units, but all unite in
dcspoiling caravans and stripping
chance travellers. and the list Of eXac-
lions usually levied on passing mer-
chandise-when 1t is not stolen alto
gether-nakes formidable document.
disorder obtains. Herman is threat
cned by robber horde. the Governor
incontinently bolts TO the shelter OF
the British consulate, and Sir Walter
Townley goes TO the Teheran tcle-
graph office in the middle of the night
TO urge him to play the man." Cor
ruption runs riot. The Bakhtiari and
other in and out Of the towns, and the
Governor OF Ispahan and some of his
friends" make n corner in grain while
the populace is starving. and then pro-.
coed to collect tho local revenue with
out regard TO the Treasury officers.
In the north even in Tabriz, once
the citadel of nationalism, the people,
in consequence of the incessant strife
in the surrounding territory and the
plundering and indictments TO revolu-
ton Of the eX-Shah's brother Prince
Salar-ed Dowlch. which are running
their city, are crying out for rcstora-
tion Of the old and autocratic order,
o,
potent Mejliss systematic Parlia-
ment, which, upon trial. was found so
wofully wanting.
The Times, on citing these and other
facts presented in the Blue Book, in
d!cating confusion worse confounded
in Persia, and the Fastening of Iran
toward irretrievable decay, admits that
the presence of largo Russian garri-
son in the north is distasteful to it,
but is compelled TO comics that it has
saved Tabriz and other cities from
destruction.
Then, after, by implication, censuring
the government for not having taken
time by the forelocl< ere this by send
ing heavy column from India into
Southern Persia for the purposes of
pacilcation, that contemporary. al
though conceding that such a step
might, in the drift OF events, have
proved repugnant TO British pledge Of
Persian Independence, resumes: "Ney-
ertheless. we are bound to express our
conviction that the time is coming
when the state of affairs revealed in
the new Blue Book will limit our choice
10 two alternatives. We shall either
have TO shoulder fresh and dangerous
burdens in Southern Persia, or aban-
don our considerable interests in that
region altogether"
That this tells the whole story Of the
ultimate fate of Iran. none can doubt
who know the history OF Britain's poll
icy when II came to tho issue Of
abandoning altogether such interest.
both commercial and strategic, as she
uncertain question is what will even
tuate when Russia and Great Britain
meet-when these hosts Of "pacinca-
ton " meet--in the neutral zone? viii
such contact mean the cementing Of
Anglo Russian peace. and a modus vi
vendi in Central Asia or the long pre-
dictcd fight to a finish for physical
supremacy? on the answer tremendous
possibilities affecting the destiny OF
that whole region and the prestige OF
the two powers may turn and there
arc many who believe that the meet
ing Will write the present agreement
a farce and a prelude to one Of the
oloodiest dramas witnessed in that
quarter OF the globe in centuries
TOWARDS TIE SUNRISE.
Selected for The Times Dispatch
And they journeyed towards
IN SuDrici,e, - -"