The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-10-23

Impudent Attack on the American Char
actor by the 81. James Gazette.
(For The Times.

Cor The Times)
The recent disturbances OF the house
hold troops, of England. are serious
manifestation of the spreading trouble
between the Peers and the proleturiat,'
now agitating the monarchies Of the old
world.
The officers Of the British service are
Ill qualified to deal with question so
delicate. From boyhood they are taught
to be arbitrary; to regard the rights or
the sufferings Of the lower classes as
nothing when compared with their privi-
leges and their power to assist them.
They do not realize the great change
which the spread of education and intelli-
gence has been working in the minds and
aspirations Of the commonality.
The St. James Gazette, the court jour-
nal of Great Britain, comments with as
tonishing self-complacency upon the
widening difference between the English
and American character, and boasts that
torture is apparent to British officers
While we Americans gratefully admit
the widening difference between our
characters, we cannot find in English
history occasion for the boast that tor
ture is abhorrent to English officers.
1t has been but a generation since the
cruelties of the press gang and the
dreadful inventions in cruelty OF keel
hauling and 1ogging have been stopped
in the naval service of England while
In every war against the weak peoples
UP to the latest, that in the Soudan, the
Cruelties enacted by the officers OF the
army have surpassed those attributed
to any army Of modern times.
After one of those battles so dscredi-
toh m no
wrote to his home in England that after
the battle was over he found a splendid
81 ear, with W hich he stabbed more than q
dozen wounded natives, and that II was
fine to see how the blood poured out upon
the sand.
And this atominable letter was pub
lished in a London newspaper for the
qualification OF the friends Of the young
officer.
Could the ST. James Gazette have seen
it?
Captain Bouligny, a very hardy and
daring English cifiCer, some years before
the war in the Soudan. made a visit to
Khiver, about which he published a book.
He tells us that on his journey ne met
with an old Turcoman chief, Of whom he
inquired: us Il true that when you were
fighting the Russians you destroyed the
wells in the desert?"
The old mans cheeks flushed high with
Indignation as he replied: mo; that
would be TO sin against Cod"
Captain Bouligny fell bravely fighting
I'm the Soudan. The British invasion re-
ceived It's heaviest punishment at the
All Chu C1ea well, and the retreat
Of the Soudan was decided upon, and
before leaving they destroyed those pre-
cious supplies Of water for man or beast
In all that torrid region.
And now the st. james Gazette des-
cants upon an act OF discipline inflicted
upon a silly young fellow by an officer
Of General Snowden's little army, who
was ignorant OF the limits OF his brief
authority as an occasion for congratula-
ton upon "the overwhelming difference
between the English ard the American
character"
The fine conduct OF General Snowden
and his command under circumstances
OF peculiar trial may we'll be studied by
the British Life Guards as an illustration
Of the efficiency and high discipline OF
the citizen soldiery of our country. which
we congratulate ourselves upon as an
other evidence Of the overwhelming