Feilding Star. THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1887. War News

Feilding Star, Volume VIII, Issue 122, 21 April 1887, Page 2

Feilding Star. THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1887. War News

The intelligence that Russia continues to advance on Afghanistan indicates that the chances of prolonged peace are becoming fewer and fewer every day. The Russian General, Komaroff, has telegraphed for reinforcements as he is actively preparing to carry on an Afghan campaign. Short of an actual declaration of war, this news — if correct — is most serious. On the other hand the funds, supposed to be an infallible barometer of political changes not only remain high, but are still advancing. This may mean that those who " pull the ropes" know perfectly well what they are doing, and that gambling in stocks is a profitable as well as an exciting amusement for the financiers of Europe. In the meantime Russia persistently follows her traditional policy of advancement towards India;, taking advantage of every opening made by the weakness or indifference of those nations which stand in her way to acquire new territory on which she may mass munitions of war and troops for the grand coup to be attempted some day within this generation. We make the following extract from the Auckland Bell : — We hrve long since lost all faith in the absolute correctness of our cable messages, but on this occasion we think it is quite probable that Russia is making a threatening movement towards Herat. We can hardly credit, however, that Russia will seriously undertake the occupation of Herat just at present, though it may answer her purpose to try and divert the attention of Britain from Europe to far away India. She did this a couple of years ago, and many people in coasequenee thought that war was imminent betweeu England and Russia. Nothing was further from Russia's intentions. She k ;ew exactly the length to which she could go, and she went the whole of it — rather strained it, in fact. She will in all probability pursue the same tactics now, and if so we may expect a repetition of the sensational telegrams such as we were indulged with during the last Russian scare. But still war is in the air, and that at no very distant date, though not, we believe, between Russia and Britian at present. The agressive restlessness of Russia was well touched upon by Lord Randolph Chuiiciiill in a speech he made at Birmingham, when he said : " You can never toll whore Russia will strike next. Inactive on the Danube, she is busy at Merv and Khiva; inactive in her Asiatic intrigues, she is at work in Europe. Then we heard that England had told the Russians that they must not take Khiva — but they did take it. Now they are on the Oxus on the way to Merv. Soon they will come to Merv itself, and in two or three years they will come to Herat ! Do you think all the people you have conquered in Hindustan will be as quiet as they are now — when Russia is at Herat ?"