The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-01-26
AN INNoCUOUS WARFARE.
How the British Last Week Conquered
the King of Ashantee.

How the British Last Week Conquered
the King of Ashantee.
Lord Wolseley has evidently been
taught by experience that in invading
the territory of a savage tribe, it is
not always necessary to open the
campaign with that butchery which
has sometimes marked England's con
duct of what are called her little
wars. Consequently when a force
was sent recently against Ashantee, in
stead of explosive bullets, a whole ar
senal of Maxim guns and repeating
rifles, the military force took with
them something III the nature of mate
rials for a gala celebration When the
duslly host of King Prempeh streamed
through the jungle to meet the newly
landed English1nen, they were met by
a demonstration in some measure re-
sembling the Gathering of broken
pitchers, and the flashing of sudden
mps-without, however any UNI
sheathing of the sword Of Gideon
There We're all at once heard over the
heads of the affrighted sayages the
rush and shrek of sky rockets: the air
was illumined by the blaze and fiery
balls of Roman candles; Catherine
wheels spit and sputtered and crackers
burst like roll of distant musketrv.
The glory of Coney Island suddenly re-
yealed itself in the forest of West At
RIGA, and the simple aborioines expe-
rienced, for the first time. what the
Fourth of July brings to an American
city or village. We are not surprised
to learn that the whole black army
took to their heels; that there was not
single casualty attending either the
battle or the retreat. King Prempeh
has capitulated. AS his predecessor.
koffee Kalcali, yielded up his golden
axe to Lord WoIseley in 1881. as well
as his umbrella of State, so it is rumor-
ell that Prempeh will allow the con
querors to carry off his plug hat of State
and store it in the tower of London.
Both parties TO this bloodless conflict
are to be congratulated. Arbitration
might have been more judicial. a
more equitable method of adj
Justing internatinal disputes be-
tween Queen Victoria and king
Prempeh No one can deny that equal
~ humane, and much more ex0edi
tons, is the bug-a-boo terrorism Of Il
pyroteehnic display as managed
through the instructions Of the tender
hearted and ingenious Commander-in-
Chief of the British army. And indeed
the plan of Lord Wolseley has been
so successful that ii opens the cues
ton, how war may be carried on with
out any one being Killed. Can war be
stripped Of its horrors and cr,lelties 2
1t is impossible, of course. to hope that
one European army can ever prevail
against another European army by
the setting off OF fireworks Of the most
brilliant light and color. and Of the
most portentous size. But although a
modern regiment could not be forced
10 retreat by the explosion of a Fourth
OF July bomb or the whizz Of a Catha-
rlne wheel, it might be quite feasible
10 make warfare q trial Of strength.
without pushing the contest TO the
point of wounding or death. If two
picked football teams can decide the
athletic pre-eminence of one out Of
two universities, why cannot two par
ties to an international dispute decide
by wrestling bout, a game of ball.
or a sparring match the partition Of
a territory, or the deiimitation of co
lonial possession Anything is better
IMAM The devastation and horror of
war. Even a game Of chess between
the prime ministers of two embroiled
nations would be far better way of
ending dispute than the clumsy.
cruel, and impoyerishing device of
sending armies or ornaments to cut
each other TO pieces in the name of
patriotism or justice. The contest at
Ashantee has been q trial Of nerve and
self-possession; a trial of brute force,
of skill in handling the fists. or of fore
thought and calculation in moving the
pieces over chess board, would be just
as conclusive evidence OF the superiori-
ty of one nation over the other We
can conceive of circumstances in which
even arbitration would be no more than
a battle of wits, and the methods which
the Ashantee campaign suggests may
be considered superior to arbitration,
in that a few hours would award the
victory and end the dispute. But we
leave TO statesmen and 10 peace socie-
ties the elaboration of this hint The
Churchman.