THE AFGHAN DIFFICUTY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 36, 10 July 1885, Page 4

THE AFGHAN DIFFICUTY.

ME FROtJt)EjS YIE.W -OF THE ; : / ■;: ■ "cjixjESTiON. ; : | ; jTatnes Anthony Frpude, the eminent .Eiglish ; historian, told a reporter at Sati ' 'FiraHcißco that - : he 'thought that .the Afi ghahistab, • iirontier difficiilfcy should '•■■ ; be amicably settled by means of diplomatic,; arbitration, m spite of the fact" that Russia has made more than one aggressive . _ movement into the disputed popntifj I,'1 ,' anil ; that" the English' taxpayer "hate shown himself willing, to contribute _ quota towards 'the sinews of A great war. ! "(Considering' that I| hay Veen absent ,iffom Eriglanifer the past five- months," • said . Mrr/Froudev-il am not qualified tbVspeak with: much authority on • this ■ subject. %tj frank opinion however, I Tarn willing' to give you., It is- this ; ; X". donbt believe that war is inevitable. ,1 ! do 1 'not believe that the'THussian. and English nations want war. I do 1 rityt believe that a squabble about a strip of territory is a sufficient warrant for war. Russia did noi declare war when England advanced into intermediate territory befcweeri'the 'possessions of , the two .countries, and there is 'noj reason why ! ♦England should declare war when Rus- j - siajsets about settling on aboundavy with the i 'Afganß." "How, do you think the jlifficulfcyV should be settled?" Mr Fronde paused a moment m: thought, and ! theh ffiiflash of humor irradiated his grey eyes and a smile stole over his handsome coutenanco as he replied :— " There is one way m which this difficulty could be settled to the satisfaction ot almost all parties. Let the English; and Rusian nations rise as one man and -say .to .their representatives m gorornment:—" Gentleman, if. you think that • -war is necessary, by all means : go ahead. We have no desire to prevent. On ' the conirary, we are willing to give you vail the help m bur ;power. As a preliminary, however, let us know clearly what you mean by war. If you mean an arrangement by which thousands of Englishmen are to. 'be sent headlong against , •thbusands of Russians, 1 we object. Our lives. are as valuable to us as yours . are ;tq you, and we have ho idea., of • losing them on the battle field.. If, how- . ever, you and the honorable gentlemen m the other Government see fit to go to' war, do so by all means. We will' •'Stand : by and see fair 'play! "The Czar ' can choose a dozen or so of his best gen- ' erals and councillors* arid Mr Gladstone ,can pick but an equal number of bellicose members of Parliament and army men, and| the two parties can meet together on _ some fixed ;day, and, either by fisticuffs ■ or some more scientific method of warfare, settle this Afghan question to their mutual satisfaction. The survivors 7 will 't naturally be the victors. This, 0 honorable 1 is what the Russian and English think, on th'e matter." "That would be , the simplest way of getting* out of the trouble," continued Mr Froude," and you must admit that it has many advantages over the ordinary mode oi warfare."