The rumours regarding the political attitude of Afghanistan reported in to-day's telegrams can by no means be regarded with equanimity. So far as that particular frontier is concerned the camouflage given to its politics are all in the direction of making situations appear less serious than they really are, and it is doubtful if a great many people know the truth about our struggles with Afghanistan since the European war concluded. Those who know a moderate amount about them must feel that a danger spot has already' developed, and if armies.do not have to be concentrated it will be almost a miracle, At any time for years Afghanistan has been a kind of nightmare to those in high office in India, and since 1918 the situation has veen made distinctly worse by the activity of Bolshevik propagandists. Not only have they spread over Afghanistan proper, but their work has proceeded among frontier tribes with a strong pro-density to skirmishing end thieving, and has advanced into the districts beyond. In India it has rapidly been converted into sedition, and the absence of a strong man at the head of affairs has allowed its furtherance. On several] occasions in recent years Great Britain has called Moscow's attention to this propaganda, and has had assurances that it would be dropped, but here we see it by way of coming to fruition in the direction of war. The strong hand is needed as never before on the Afghan frontier, but the political situation in England hardly offers us any hope that it will oe allowed to grasp the situation. Presuming that it had a mind to set matters in order there, the Conservative Government lacks the numbers to carry through a policy at variance with the academic way in which other political parties look on such problems, and there must be distinct fear that matters will go from bad to worse.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.