The Afghan Treaty

THE Times of India commenting on the Afghan Peace says:-“Though we have no doubt that they will receive severe criticism in some quarters on the ground that from the British and Indian standpoint they are deplorably weak, we believe them sound and consider that Government and Sir Hamilton Grant and his colleagues are to be congratulated on them. We can discern in the present circumstances no single reason why we should join the critics who condemn the policy which has up to the present outbreak been successfully for nearly half a century. The reasons underlying it are cogent now as they were after the last Afghan war. The first desideratum in considering the position is caution, to prevent anger at the sheer cussedness displayed by the Afghans contorting our judgment. There is doubtless the risk that the mild temper which the Indian authorities maintained during the most aggravating phases of the recent troubles may be misunderstood and taken for weakness, but there need be no doubt that the Afghans are more convinced of their littleness compared with us than they confess and their speech-making is intended for home consumption.