The Detroit times., 1914-12-03

cient or modern annals, its concluding
chapter has never been written. Mel
Their has YanQuished the other Mel
Their has deyiated one jot or title
from the main issue. Both cannot
win, because both aim at the same
thing-England Ia keep India, Russia
10 Wrest il from her and add II 10 her
own possessions.
Russia has had Constantinople
within her grasp more than once. The
Car Nicholas |. obtained IN 1888 from
the Sultan Mohammed Ali the exclu-
siNe right .ot way through the OAR
danelles, Great Britain, alarmed
that such short route 70 India was
to-be closed TO her and opened De-
fore the Northern Bear. labored fever
ishly until in 1871 Palmerston could
command Russia TO relinquish her
prize. The Crimean war. in which
Turkey had the assistance OF England
and France against the car, left
Nicholas unsubdued. His brother
Alexander H. quietly extended his
Asiatic frontiers across the Caucausus
without war, then through sue
cessful war he was able in 1878 TO
look forward 10 the day when Russia
could once more call Constanunople
her oRR.
II was a British feet anchored in
the Dardanelles within sight OF the
Russian feet, and a British feet an
chored in Finnish waters within sight
of ST. Petersburg, which once more
thwarted the Russian plans and re-
turned Constantinople again TO the
sultan.
But the Russian bear has been soft
III and stealthily moving eastward
even since, eastward toward India.
Profuse with expressions OF friend
ship for Great Britain. politely
acknowledging again and again that
the Persian Gulf is British lake.
blandly conceding, when invited 10 do
so, that circumstances make 1t
necessary for Great Britain TO have
exclusive control over Afghan AFFAIRS.
Afghanistan lying next TO India:
cordially asserting 10 the wisdom OF
keeping Thibet on the Indian north
ern frontier, an Independent state;
Russia has all the time secured for
herself by bribery and secret pacts
every right she has so glibly given TO
Great Britain, not only by word or
mouth but by treaty, solemnly signed,
sealec and delivered.
II was only few days after the
declaration OF war between Turkey
and Russia, Nov. 1, that the Ameer
OF Afghanistan. Habib Ullah Khan,
started to march against India
with an army 100000 strong. The
announcement has since been made
that the Ameer's object Is wal
against Russia as well as Great
Britain. II is inconceivable that
Sir Edward Grey IN London and
Lord Hardinge, the Viceroy of India
at Calcutta. should view II In that
light Afghanistan. nominally under
the enforced protectorate OF Great
Britain. is in actually as Russian as
the cars gold and the intrigues OF
his emissarfes can make Il
II was In 1909, one hundred and Ave
years ago, that Great Britain, dis
covering the project Of the Gar Al
exander to invade India through Per
STA, began her first negotiations with
the then Ameer OF Afghanistan and
erected II as a buffer state between
Persia and India, 10 be isolated from
all European influence except the
British Russia made an official ac-
knowledgme OF her acQuiesence
and pledged herself TO make her own
communications with theoAmeer only
through the British. The historians
had scarcely the time TO record this
fact before the presence Of a Russian
mission at Cabul. the AmeePs capital,
brought about the First Afghan war
of the British, 1S38-1842. In 1858 Shir
All Khan became Ameer through the
assistance of the British. and the
governor-general OF India supplied him
with money and ammunition to pro-
tect his western frontiers against the
Russians. But Russia so openly ruled
at Catul that the Second Afghan war
of the British was prectpitated In
1878. The Third Afghan war. 1879
1880, was led by Sir Frederick, later
Lord Roberts, and he achieved such a
brilliant victory over the Afghans at
Kandahar that the name became link
ed for all time with his title.
But in 1880 the Russians succeeded
In persuading the Afghans TO elect as
their Ameer. Abdurrahman. whom the
British had driven out OF the coun.
try during the previous war. Lord
Dufferin, then governor-general OF
India, made q mEsterstroke In Undue
ing Ahdurrahman TO visit him at Cal
cutta. In 1885, and TO accept British
subsidies 20 reorganize his army and
improve the civil administration of
his country. This accomplished, the
Ameer haughtily declined further Brit
fish advice or British visits, either In
Cabul or Calcutta, although not de-
clining the allowance still regularly
sent him from the governor-generaPs
treasury.
His son, Habib Ullah Khan, the
present Ameer, cannot, be accused OF
duplicity by the British. He has re-
NAMED coldly Indifferent to all their
overtures, thereby probably mourning
the displeasure OF his friend the car,
who at frequent intervals, when In
vited TO do So" glibly acknowledges
Great Britain's right 70 exclusive con-
troll over Afghan affairs. The Ameerrs
reception OF the British mission sent
TO Cabul In 1904, headed by Sir Louis
Dane. foreign secretary at Calcutta,
would furnish material for a roaring
farce Short. stout and sallow, beard.
ed like the pard, with an active intelli.
btuCe anu VAST vanity, the AHlttI re-
ceived with condescending aloofness
the presents so carefully selected by
Calcutta. a $4,000 motor for his own
use and cinematograph for his
harem among them. his childish de-
light over the new toys escaping In
spite OF himself The British pre-
scented the draft OF their new treaty
with confidence. II was CURLY de-
clined. and the Ameer offered one OF