THE FORWARD POLICY AND ITS RESULTS BY RICHARD ISAAC

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900 edition. Excerpt: … CHAPTER XV LORD ROBERTS’S SPEECH, 1898 The last great contribution to the controversy on the Forward Policy was the debate on March 7, 1898, in the House of Lords on Lord Roberts’s speech on the subject of British relations with the neighbouring tribes on the NorthWestern Frontier of India, and the military operations undertaken against them in 1897-98. Probably there is no means by which I could forward the object I have at heart better than by helping to keep before the public the opinions of the great statesmen who took the leading part in that debate, and the conclusions to be drawn from them. I will not dwell on those parts showing how materially the Forward Policy bears on the great Imperial problems of the most effectual means of checking the advance of Russia, or the nature our relations should take with regard to Afghanistan, but will confine my remarks more particularly to showing how it affects the pacification of our Border-land, the civilisation of the tribes themselves, the bringing of them into line with ourselves, and identifying their interests with our own in the great scheme for the defence, strengthening, and consolidation of our frontier up to the boundary of our ally, the Amir of Afghanistan, as denned under the Durand Agreement. Lord Roberts–after calling attention to the papers presented to Parliament on the subject, and urging that it should not be regarded as a party question–spoke thus about the Forward Policy: So great has been the divergence of opinion expressed on this question by men whose long connection with India gives them a claim to be listened to, it is no wonder that the public are puzzled with regard to it, and that statesmen should hesitate to commit themselves to any line of action until the…