Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-10
BY CHARLES M. PEPPER.

~ ERLIN to Rokhara and Viadi-
iO vostok, That is now the cry Of
IL " the German military lords 1t
~ is expected to replace the old
slogan of Berlin to Bagdad.
The British forces lie across the Ber-
lin to Bagdad route in Mesopatamia
Peace negotiations never viii be able
to change this fact. Turkey may get
back some of her territory now occu-
pied by afhed troops, but she will not
be placed where she can be the tool of
Germany in this section of Asia. Meso-
patamia may be placed under an inter-
national protectorate, or some other So
luton of that problem may be found.
but Be-ln's route to the Persian gulf is
effectually blocked in so far as con-
trolling the great trunk line.
Students OF international affairs see
the naturalization of the Hagdad rail-
way as one outcome Of the great war
The German autocrats also recognize
the probability of this solution. Hence
they turn to other Asiatic routes, and
the Russian chaos gives them hope, or
at least the pretense Of hope, of ex-
tending the German domination to Cen
trail Asia and the Pacific through con-
troll of the Russian railway lines.
The Trans-siberian route is too well
known to require description. whether
Tor its economic bearing or its military
value. 1t is enough that it now fur
nisi1es the basis of the German expecta-
tions of bluffing Japan by the threat of
Berlin to Toxic as we'll as to Nladi
vostok.
Berlin to Rokhara is a different prop
osition If 1t should come as conse-
Quence Of the Russian anarchy. it would
mean that he kaiser would be able to
establish himself in the heart of the
Asiatic continent and middle Asia might
take the place of middle Europe in the
German imagination. 1t would also
mean German influence in the heart of
Observation-Disclosures.
Middle Asia, or the part of the late
Russian empire lying east of the Trails
and the Caspian sea and touching the
borders Of Persia and Afgha niStan on
the south and southeast, has a fairly
complete railway system. The mileage
is in excess of 5000 miles. There are
two main trunks. One is from the
south, starting at Krasnovovodsk. on
the Caspian, VIA Merv and Bokhara, to
Andjan. in TIrkestan. The other. or
the northern trunk, is really a south
ern loop of the TranGSiberian line. 1t
starts at Sanara, whore the Trans
siberian crosses the Volca in eastern
Russia. crosses from European Russia
iato Asiatic Russia at Orenburg, and
continues southeast until 1 rlcets the
Middle Asia lire at khopend. beyond
Teshkend The length OF the Middle
Asia system comprises 1887 miles. The
Tashkend has 3s5 miles. Both are of
the broad or !ive-foot gage, so that
they are for practical purposes one
system
The Middle Asia railway was com
g,leted to Bokhara and Sitnarkand in
1888. 1t was primarily purely a mill
farS line Its purpose poiitiC1t in
the sense that the object was to
strengthen Russian control of the trans
caspian regions. which she was bring
ing under her domination as 4 part of
her expansion eastward. Its construc-
ton followed the conquest of the
Turkomans and other of the nomadic
tribes which previously had dominated
the region.
This CHAPTER in Russian expansion
was a natural one, but some of the
Russian statesmen were not concerned
about natural expansion. They we're
bound to push on through Asia anyhow
and they encouraged the military COM
manderS who conquered various dis
tricts before orders restricting them
could be received from St Petersburg.
!:
The Russian generals left the dipio-
mats to explain to England and the rest
of Europe how these districts happened
to be brought under the dominion of
the Russian arms after the chancellery
of St Petersburg had given assur-
ances to the European chancelleries
that Russia had no intention of occu-
pying the territory in question. At that
time British Imperialism and Russian
imperialism were face to face England
had reason to think that Russian
policy was to push on to India by