The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-19

London, Dec. 1S.-The reverses suf-
fered by General Westmacotts brigade
in the Bara valley is in the nature of a
disaster. When the euphemisms are
translated, the story appears to be that
the most powerful force ever sent to the
border has been bundled out Of Afridi,
land, neck and crop. On top of this
comes the news that Sir William Lock
hart, the British commander-in-chief is
to invade the country in another direc-
ton. The reasons are obvious. 1t seems
that something must be done to re-
trieve British prestige and the Kyber
Pass road, which the Afridis closed
about six months ago, will probably be
comparatively reopened.
In the meanwhile the worst impress
sion has been created in Great Britain
by the reiteration of the statement that
the rank and file of at least four Brit
ish regiments showed decided lack of
pluck in the presence Of the native reg
iments. An officer at the front says:
PRECARIOUS HOLD.
THE worst is that the native troops
have seen the cowardice Of their white
comrades, ard state openly that if any
Tommy Atkins is rude to him hereaf-
ter they viii hammer him, and the
awful thing is, they can do SO. 1t is
obvious that if the natives lose their
respect for British courage. Great Brit
aims hold on India is precarious. The
whole FAULT seems 10 lie in expecting
boys to do mems work, and in turning
them adrift just when they are becom-
ing good soldiers. The campaign can
not end before March, and the cost,
fully $50 coo, 0O0. viii necessitate the in
tervention Of the British treasury in
of md
CRAZE FOR NAVAL POWER.
The average Englishman who is
laughing loudly today, probably will be
puzzling his brains next week as TO
whether the craze for naval power is
not a thing to be reckoned with. It
may have been more than a mere joke
Wien, in talking TO Count Zizchy, the
emperor said:
You should visit China; by the time
you get there you viii find Prince
Henry emperor of China"
Why should not Emperor William
found a second India for Germany in
China. as the means of imperial ag-
errandizement and of averting the So
cial revolution threatened at home?
The Spectator dilates on this view
today. and is quite prepared perhaps
even to welcome the German emperor
as the Acknowledged master and opener
TO civilization and foreign trade of the
richest. best populated and quietest sec
ton of the Chinese empire. Kiao-Chau,
with harbor and hinterland, which Ger
many is anneXing, is as large as Wales
and full Of people.
GERAIANY'S POSSESSION.
1t is capable of yielding a substantial
revenue and Of becoming the stepping
off place for the acquisition of the cen
trail division OF China. The possibili-
ties will come home to John Bull when
he has done his laughing. Anticipate
ing that time. and taking advantage of
the state Of mind bordering on frenzy,
to which German trade rivalry has re-
duced no small section of the British
neopIe. the navy league, whose one de-
sire is for increased armament, yester-
dav sent round TO the editors a docu-
ment marked private and cOnfden-
tiaI" begging them to awaken the pub
lie to the peril Of the deadly enemy
silently. steadily and stealthily prepar-
ING 10 strike England down.
In the end they will succeed, for so
soon as the German emperor gets his
naval vote through the reichstag, and
tbat seems TIE most obvious purpose of
these Kiel antics, so surely Will the cry
90 up for a proportionate increase of
The British navy.