Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 281, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 December 1918 — Afghanistan- A Buffer State [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Afghanistan- A Buffer State

Afghanistan is a buffer state and a prize Germany would Ilk 9to controL For it is a broad door to India. The entente-versus-Teuton contest for its adherence is a gamble as delicate as the spin of a wheel. This contest may turn on a single throw of the dice. It is not a question of influencing public sentiment through a, thousand and one approaches, any one of which may be abandoned if proved a mistake without jeopardizing the other thousand, writes Basanta .Koomar .Boy in Asia. The stakes'are laid on the personality of one individual —the Amir of Afghanistan. He is astute, ambitious, conscious of the balance of power he holds, and not unlearned in the art of watching the turn of world events. If this is soil for intrigue and influence, the pretty gamble berween the Briton and the German, which at one period of the war was at high tension, can hardly be considered finally settled, though the British claim that the game is much in their favor at the present time. Next to Turkey, Afghanistan is the strongest country in the Mohammedan world. It is, like Switzerland, a mountain fastness, and this has given it its 'independence as a buffer state. Its people are fierce fighters, a quality the British Raj had occasion to test in the two Afghan wars of 1840-41 and 1878-79. The dangerous nature of the country’s topography was also discovered at this time. Afghanistan has an area of 250,000 square miles, inside 'which both Germany and Bulgaria could easily be placed. The population is 6,000,000, or as large as that of. Holland. The Aimaks, Ghilzais, Hazars, Kafirs, Pathans, Tojiks apd the are the principal races Of the population. The great majority of the Afghans are Mohammedans of the Sunni sect, but there is no such bitter animosity between the Shias and the Sunnis as between these sects in India. The Afghan chronicles call the people BenlIsrail, and the people claim descent from Saul, whom they call TalmuL Nine years after the proclamation of the mission of Mohammed, the Afghans sent a deputation under Kais to Medina. The members of the deputation were converted to Mohammedanism. On their return home, the Afghans embraced the new faith, and even today high-caste Afghans feel proud to claim descent from Kais. Afghan Ha* Fine Characteristic*. The Afghan is of a remarkable race. With long beard and flowing hair, he walks with majestic step. He is kind, hospitable, grateful. He win do anything for a benefactor, but is correspondingly severe with the treacherous; or avowed enemies. He is handsome, hard-working, and capable of endpring long privations. He has the desper fearlessness of the Gurkah —a terrible fighter—and the strong, sinewy and stalwart physique of the Sikh. He is a born horseman, an excellent shot, and uncompromisingly fatalistic. He is exceedingly patriotic, and guards the freedom and the honor of his country as jealously as he guards the honor of his wife or wives, as the case may be. His fearlessness, fatalism, physical strength and patriotic fervor make him a splendid soldier. Agriculture is the main occupation of the people. They have a remarkable system of irrigation, and every acre of fertile land is under cultivation. The products of the farms include wheat, barley, rice, lentils, tobacco, millet, sugar Cane, lumber, cotton, grapes, castor-oil seeds, berries. Industry is undeveloped, yet the country is rich in mineral resources, particularly iron and coal; gold, silver, copper and lead; antimony, sulphur. The Industries include the making of carpets, felts, silks and articles from goats’ and camels* hair. Afghanistan imports every year from India a total of $2,721,000 worth of goods; her imports from Bokhara alone reach to $2,000,000. Exports to India amount to $4,035,000. H I* a Paternal MonarchyThe government of Afghanistan is an absolute, but a paternal, monarchy. The Amir is the executive and the judicial head of the state. He has a council which is composed of Mohammedan priests, noblemen and the representatives of the people. This council is divided into an upper and lower house. He has cabinet ministers, but none is permitted to give any advice unless asked for IL But, quite unlike

the custom of the kings of the West, this absolute monarch of Afghanistan is accessible even to the humblest peasant of the kingdom for redress of wrongs. The Kazls act as judges. It may be noted here that drinking liquor is absolutely forbidden in Afghanistan, and violation may be punished by death. ' Afghanistan has no outlet to the sea and hence no navy. But the paramount factor in its life is its state of military preparedness. Out of political and inilitary chaos a new Afghanistan has been created by the supreme genius of Abdur Rahman, the lute father of the present Amir. He fought his way to the throne of Afghanistan, and immediately after his recognition set himself to reorganizing the scattered forces of the army. He hired Turkish officers to train his officers and to drill his men. He built forts all over his kingdom, especially along Its frontiers. He established arsenals, two of which, those at Kabul and Herat, were under German military experts for some time. Abdur Rahman used his subsidy money in buying guns, rifles and munitions of war from the British. He built storehouses throughout his kingdom for storing so jdstuffs to be used only in cases of emergency. He built strategic roads—though there is not a single mile of railroad in Afghanistan—over some of the almost impassable parts of his mountain kingdom.

Fortified Pass Near Afghanistan Border.