Letters and Papers Concerning the Trans-Persian Railway and Other Railways in Persia [‎161v] (322/442)

2005
200$
Supply (Committee). HOUSE OF
[Sir J. D. Rees.]
the assumption that other nations are less
human, less just and generous than ours,
and if he would flatly discourage such con
duct and give it no sort of countenance.
If the right hon. Gentleman would do that
he would give more satisfaction to me, and
I would fain hope there are others who re
gard the matters in the same light.
Mr. MORRELL: Perhaps the hon. Gen
tleman will explain what his reference to
me was.
The DEPUTY-CHAIRMAN : We are dis
cussing the salary of the Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs, and not the salaries
of hon. Members from either side of the
House.
Sir J. D. REES : No, Sir, but are not the
subjects which are brought before the
Committee by hon. Members in a certain
fashion v/hich I submit to the Committee
are unpleasing to foreign Powers, and
therefore calculated to diminish our proper
influence in Europe, not proper subjects to
bring up on the Foreign Office Vote? I
put that to you, Sir, as a point of Order.
The DEPUTY-CHAIRMAN: Those are
subjects for discussion on a number of
occasions, but not on this.
Sir J. D. REES : I confess that I thought
it was, but I am anxious not to go over the
Persian question again. I am bound to
point out, because there is no one else
here who is going to represent the case,
that there is no nation which has been
so grossly misrepresented as Russia has
been to-night by the hon. Member for East
Mayo. When the hon. Member talks of
Russia beheading the Nationalists at
Tabriz, may I point out that this action
was taken after Russian subjects had been
cruelly murdered and mutilated, as was
alleged, by those who are called National
ists, and their action was naturally re
sented by the Russian people. Sir George
Barclay reported to the Foreign Secre
tary :—
“I have made inquiries as to the alleged indiscri
minate slaughter, and I do not believe after inquiry
that there is any justification for the accusation of
general inhumanity on the part of the Russian troops,
as to which no evidence has been brought forward.”
Our representative in Persia said that in
regard to these executions the feeling of
the majority of the population was one of
indifference. The hon. Member for Mayo
would have the House believe that the
Russians were cruelly killing the Persians,
1 COMMONS Foreign Office.
whereas the tenour of the reports from our
own representatives are precisely the con
trary. Another dispatch from Teheran
says:—
‘‘ His Excellency is no doubt aware of the violent
opposition which the dispatch of Russian troops has
aroused in the House of Commons.”
It is solely because there have been some
Russian troops in Northern Persia that
that part of the country has not become
the absolute chaos that Southern Persia
has become. I believe that if a regiment
or two of Indian troops were in the South
of Persia we should be repaid by im
proved trade, and we should bring
blessings to a population who now do not
know what it is to have any government
whatsoever to keep peace and order.
I see the Foreign Office wrote to the India
Office on 16th March, speaking of the posi
tion in Southern Persia, to say that it was
as bad as could possibly be, and that some
action would have jto be taken. I am
anxious not to go over a subject that has
been dealt with by the Foreign Secretary,
but I wish to say that the action taken as
regards the Swedish officers is wholly in
sufficient, and the House must expect some
further declaration from the Foreign
Secretary on this point to show that
( effective action is intended to produce that
sort of peace in Southern Persia, both
within our own sphere and outside of it,
which may correspond with the peace and
I order which Northern Persia enjoys solely
owing to the protection of a small Russian
force. With regard to the Congo, I wish
to point out that I have never heard any
thing on this subject from hon. Members
opposite which was not hurtful to Belgium,
and therefore I do not think a few minutes
will be wasted if I refer to the latest corre
spondence, in which it is reported,
“ that the taxes have been reduced all over the place on
account of the poverty of the country ; that everything
has been made easier as far as possible for the collector
of rubber, and others engaged in the country, and it
will not be denied by the severest critic of Congo
administration that the measures recounted herein indi
cate the desire of Belgium to develop a policy within
the regime of commercialism. It has lightened the
burden of taxation in areas where poverty and poor
economic conditions rendered exemption advisable.”
Those are very important words, and it is
due to a friendly nation that somebody in
this House should bring them forward in
this atmosphere in which I have never
heard a word stated to which the Belgians
might not reasonably take serious excep
tion except by the Foreign Secretary who,
I think, might have discouraged even more
than he has done the attitude of those who
attacked him. Our Consul ends his report
by saying:—