RUSSIA AND INDIA.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1944, 20 March 1885, Page 2

RUSSIA AND INDIA.

" Where, then," asks the Rusaophobist, "is the aggression ; of Russia' to-"stop? Must we allow hor to push her frontier forward to our own, and thereby oxpose ourselves to the danger of those conflicts which inevitably arise between nations that possess contiguous territory ?" To tliislir : epJy : 'fa.|'Viiu;ssi'a 4 in;qafpi|!!h hoi; frontier uiitjlshe reaohesa ■ country posi sessing a wornmenfc which is able and willing to keep order within its'boundaries, and to prevent its subjoots from committing depredations on \ their neighbors, As none of;the petty States of Central Asia seem capable of permanently fulfilling this condition, it ia pretty certain that the Russian and British frontiers will one day meet. Wherethey will meet depends upon ourselves. If we do \> not wish our rival to overstep a ; certain ' line, we must ourselves advance to that line. As to the • complications, and. disputes which inevitably arise between con- r tiguuuil natjqnii, I tlyjnlf t% are jewed and less dangerous'than 'tnojb which'arisq between' nations' separated from each, other by a small State which is incapable of making its neutrality respected, and is kept alive simply by the mutual jealousy of rival Powers. Germany does' not periodically go to war with Holland or Russia, though separated from them by a mere artificial frontier, while Prance and Austria have never been prevented from going to war by. the. hroad intervening territory. The ! old theory that grea| Powers may be made to keepihe peace by interposing small iudependeh't States between them is long sinces|iloded; and even if true, would be inapplicable to the case nnder consideration, for there is nothing worthy of being called an independent State between Russian territory and British India. Of course hV'is'quite possible that, whether we haye a contiguous frontier or.not, in the event of hostilities, make 'a' diversion in the direcfcion : of:jlhdiajM and thereby cause us considerable annoyance, Thjjj ought certainly to be keptin'yjew j hut it does not justify the foolish'panics tyMcfi occasionally occur' in ''Englis'hnpublic opinion regarding the safety of of, our Indian possessions. In ahy ; attack' that might be made, our position would be,,in the military sense of the,' 'term,' so "incomparably superior to that of our antagonist that, if wo ; could, not repel the invasion, we have,,, no longer 'any righV.'to hold India, " ■'•■■'■•■ -i'»