The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, August 24, 1912. THE SCAPEGOAT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1087, 24 August 1912, Page 2

The Manawatu Herald. Saturday, August 24, 1912. THE SCAPEGOAT.

It is a far cry from New Zealand to Persia, and yet events are taking place m the ancient country that may have an indirect but powerful influence on this land, as upon the whole cf the Empire. Persia contains but ten million people, and is therefore of small importance (merely ten times as important from a population point of view as New Zealand), except that through the exigencies of modern international quarrels and commercial greed, it has been dragged into the limelight and forced into anarchy by the joint efforts of Russia, Britain and the United States of America. It is because Britain is involved in the sordid quarrel that the present crisis is of interest to ns. In the ancient laud of Persia, until a lew years ago, the people lived in precisely the same way they had lived for countless generations. There were all the violent contrasts that make ancient lands such curiosities to us. There was absolute rule, primitive customs, subjection to caste, all the virtues that spring from the discipline of classes, and all the imaginative qualities that have been lost to modern nations by the stress of commerce. Britain did business with Persia and still does it. It was because bauds of Persian marauders harassed British goods convoys, that Britain established military posts of ua:ive Indian soldiers. Seeing that Britain was so good a customer, repeated attacks on British owned caravans led Britain to threaten reprisals. In fact, John Bull gave Persia warning that if she did not establish an adequate police force to protect the caravan routes, that she would establish military police hersell under tlie Auglo-Russiau convention. . Persia suipiised out of her ancient listlessness against disorder, agreed that it was high time to become modernised, and in order to police the country and to assuage brigandage, she essayed lu raise a loan, just as if she were a highly civilised country like New ZealandPersia’s lack 01 business acumen (most of her people were in the habit of sitting in the shade writ ing poetry), had made her ciedtl a thing to be sneered at, and she couldn't raise a loan, and it was because of this lack ol responsibility that her troubles began and the laud was plunged in bloodshed. Russia had acted in some measure as a pawnbroker to Persia, and it was because the Bear was determined to look after her commercial interests that she made the deploiable mistake ot guarding financial institutions over which she had mortgages. A vivid American person by the name of ■'hustcr Moigan, who bad been retained by the Persian Government to be financial adviser to the Persian Government, became a Napoleon on a small scale, and with Persian troops retaliated heavily ou a Russian guard, wiping out some ol it and generally starling the series of events that have led up to the one named in the latest cables. Russia was very angry indeed, and it issued an ultimatum to the Persians, who only wanted to sit in the shade and write poetry, that if Mr Morgan was not hanged, deported or otherwise quelched within a short period, the Bear would be let loose on Persia. The Bear was accordingly let loose, for presumably the Persians, who bad

done nothing wrong, except failing to pay bills, did not grasp the situation. The Persians are religious people. They adore their priests, who represent all that is worth remembering or is at all worthy in Persian history. The Russians carefully trotted out the leading priests and shot them out of hand. Britain had a few nasty brushes with brigands on the caravan routes, the quiet and serene Persians began to get annoyed, and when quiet, religious people have their fathers, mothers and priests shot in the front street, they are apt to run around with knives in their hands. That, shortly is all i hat has happened in Persia, as the outcome of Persia’s inability to raise a loan. The fact that neither Russia, nor Britain, nor Shuster Morgan had any right to be in Persia at all, but that these foreign elements have stirred up blood lust, hatred, murder, riot and anarchy, are nothing to great powers. The point is, that a quarrel has been forced upon a quiet, soft living, poetical people by commercial ruffians, and if commerce is at stake, then kill the men and starve the women and children, so that the good old commercial flag, whether it be Russian, British or American may flourish in the Persian breeze. We will put an opposite case. Norweigans cart whale oil across New Zealand. Maoris quarrel with Norweigans. Norway sends troops to guard the drays. The Maoris attack the troops. Norway immediately rises to mention that she has a quarrel with New Zealand and starts killing a few bishops. A few friends of the bishops kill a few Norwegian soldiers, and because of a squabble about whale oil, your grandmother is killed and your wife becomes an outcast and your children slaves of chance. In a greater degree that is exactly what Holy Russia and quite as Holy Britain have done in Persia. Now anarchy has been created it is the duty of the two holy lands to fill Persia with blood so as to quell the slaughter. It is a mad world, my masters !