Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News SATURDAY JULY 17, 1909. IMPORTANT POLITICAL DEVOLPMENTS IN PERSIA.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4437, 17 July 1909, Page 2

Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News

SATURDAY JULY 17, 1909. IMPORTANT POLITICAL DEVOLPMENTS IN PERSIA.

This above all—to thine own eelfbe true , And it must follow as the night the day Thou cansbnot then be false to eng man Shakespeare.

The latest English Journals, and cablegrams during the last few days, shew that the affairs in Persia are anything but restful and satisfactory. Sardara —as—Sad is marching on Teheran w\h four thousand Nationalists, and the Russian Government was sending a force to Teheran to protect Europeans. Some persons may ask : What have Persian affairs to do with Te Aroha ? To which we reply: Persian politics have very much indeed to do with British subjects everywhere British * commercial and political interests have such ramifications throughout the civilised world, and such intricate problems in Persia and throughout the Middle East, that a diplomatic blunder might entail upon New Zealanders very serious consequences. As tiae world’s affairs are to-day it would be extremely difficult to say what political movements of the European and Asiatic Powers do not concern us at this outpost of the Empire.

The movement of Russian troops on Teheran to protect European sub jects is strictly in accordance with her moral and legal obligations, fa August, 1907, the Anglo-Rusaian Convention placed British and Muscovite interests on as satisfactory a basis as paper agreements between Great Powers can piece them. It is unfortunately too true tflat international agreements and treaties gre sometimes treated like so much waste paper, as the Black Sea Treaty was.

If the preseat convention between Britain and’ Prussia be carried out in its integrity it will 4conduc© to peace between the Powers and to the welfare of the Persian people. Both Powers ’have agreed that they will not seek for themselves or for their respective subjects any com cessions of a political or commercial nature —such as concessions for railways, banks, telegraphs, roads, transport, insurance, and etecetras (to the disadvantage of either of the parties /to the Convention. A geo graphical line has been drawn defining the spheres of influence of both of the Great Powers. jßmjsia has engaged not to oppose, without previous arrangements with Great Britian the grant of any concessions whatever to British subjects in the regions of Persia situated between particular flaws, and Britain undertakes similar obligations towards Russia. Both Powers a w attempting to place the finances of Persia .on a satisfactory basis. Ctefore the Convention of 1907 a march of Russian troops upon ToliQran .yrouf# foaye been looked

upon by Britain with considerable distrust. To-day we can view it with satisfaction as a punctual and proper discharge of duty, according to agreement. Our political relations with Russia are changed for the better, and now Britain and Russia are trying to help the contending factions to settle their troubles on a safe, satisfactory, and permanent basis.

The Nationalists who are now marching the Capital want to extort from the unwilling Royalists political rights and privileges. Even Persia is feeling the impulses for liberty and the rights of man which, like ocean waves, are sweeping over the civilised world. They demanded at the end of 1908 a Ministry to be formed of Nationalists ; all reactionaries to be exiled from Teheran ; accordance of a full amnesty to those who had taken part lately in fights for freedom ; election of Governors on a plan to be proposed by the political clubs; and the immediate convocation of the National Assembly. The two Great Powers urged the Persian Government to at once remove the causes of the revolutionary troubles at Tabriz, and to grant the people fair and reasonable political rights and liberties. With that perversity of character for which Persians are noted, the Government began to raise obstacles, and refused to offer reforms until Tabriz surrendered. Delay in surrendering led to the exclusion of Tabriz from the political privileges that were publicly proclaimed on 25th last September, and perhaps the present march upon Teheran |is to force from the Royalists further indulgence of the Tabriz rebels and to expedite the fulfilment of Royalist pledges. In New Zealand we cannot but sympathise with the struggles for civil and religious liberty, and we hope that the wise counsels of Great Britain and Russia will prevail in settling Persian troubles without further bloodshed. Pro* longed troubles in Persia mean prolonged anxieties in the British and Russian Governments.