The Potteries Examiner : — 1878-10-05 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

THE APPROACHING WAR WITH  AFGHANISTAN.  To-day a Cabinet Council will be held to discuss matters of the greatest moment, and fraught with difficulty and danger concerning our interests in the East, which have been greatly damaged by the open insult to our Envoy, offered by the Ameer of Afghanistan. We trust that the subject will be approached with that care and solicitude, prudence and forethought, which should always actuate a Government in the discussion of affairs of vital importance to our Imperial welfare, and that no rash or hasty policy will be adopted, but that mature consideration will take the place of indignant passion, which cannot help being aroused at this unparalleled affront to England. It is quite clear that an ample apology should be demanded from the Ameer, and that if this is refused it will doubtless be the duty of the Government to enforce it by sending an expeditionary force to the palace of the Ameer itself, to extort from that potentate a reparation for the foul outrage to which we, as a nation. have been subjected. We do not, however, believe in hasty measures, and we think that even this Ameer should have time for reflection, in order that he may see the error of his ways, and have a certain margin of mercy extended to him. If we were to annex the Kingdom of Afghanistan it would be no great acquisition, and it  would be far better for England for things to remain as they were, but as far as we can see, there is no hope for diplomacy to prevail, and the matter will have to be decided with the sword. The conquest of Afghanistan, and the bringing of the Answer to his senses, wilj not be an achievement so easy as people may imagine The warlike tribes of that Country will guard and garrison the mountain passes with heroic courage, and those who think the expedition will be a mere military promenade, will have reason to think better of the courage of the natives. The Ameer ese put a hundred thousand men into the field, hardy, savage, and barbarous, who will delight in murder and rapine, and will be a foe worthy of the steel of our bravest veterans. The massacre in the Kurd Cabal i'ass has not yet been forgotten in England, and if au easy conquest is expected, the hopes of the optimists are doomed to disappointment. At present both political parties hope and trust that the Ameer may be advised to offer a conciliatory policy, and that the difficulty may be arranged without the bloodshed and expense of a muitary campaign, and without in the least compromising the honour of the English nation. India is at present over-taxed and overamrdened with imposts. Affairs in England are little better, and the great expense of a war could easily be dispensed with, by the taxpayers. But in a great question such as this is we can afford to suffer considerable loss sooner than see the prestige of our great country lowered by silent submission to the insult of so comparatively speaking contemp. tible a foe as the ruler of the Afghan Hordes. We can scarcely credit that Russia is back. tog the Anseer in his disastrous policy. We can hardly believe that the Muscovites would be so foolish as to wish to come into contact with England, as they are so thoroughly ex. hausted financially and physically by the late war that a campaign with England and Eng. land's wealth cannot be desired by the Czar. However, that may be, we have only one course to pursue, and that is to defend the road to India and to show the world that we have still sufficient preponderance as a great power to avenge any and every insult or outrage that may be offered to the British flag. We would rather settle the matter peaceably if by doing so we should not lose honour; but if the arbitrament of the sword is presented to us we shall not shrink from useing it.