Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-03
LON DON GOSSIP
Diplomacy Moves Slowly, Military
Powers Are Rushing.
COMMENTS ON old WORLD LEADERS
Americans Are Quite at Home Now
in Russia.
ADVANTAGES
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star

ment in the South African quarrel for some
days. Lord Salisbury came up to town
from Hatfield yesterday and arranged, it
appears, for meeting of the cabinet on
Friday of this week. Until the cabinet
has met and the Beers have received that
ultimatum which everybody now sees to
be inevitable the situation must remain
| on its diplomatic side, very much what it is
at present. 1t is not in the least likely that
any of the European powers to whom
President Kruger has appealed will inter-
fere. While diplomacy works slowly how
ever, the pace set by the military author
tiles increases Very probably if war re-
suits the fighting will begin before Eng
land is prepared for it, and much blood will
be uselessly split for want of a little of
that intelligent appreciation of events be-
fcre they occur in which British official
ism seems so deplorably lacking However
the military authorities seem to have set
themselves to work in earnest at last. Or
GERS for O,ooo tons of coal have been placed
Tor immediate shipment to Capetown; the
naval squadron on the South African sta
ton Is to be strengthened by two first
class cruisers and four gunboats; while the
Ierrlble, which is going out to the China
station to relieve the Powerful is to go
round the cape instead of through the Suez
canal The Powerful in her turn, is to
come home by the cape; and thus the fleet
eiiCiS W III ItCelNe d temporary accession OF
strength which may prove of the utmost
value. In any case, the precaution is Il
wise one. large quantity of military
stores, also. have gone to Capetown by the
T. and o. steamer Sumatra which will pick
up men at Malta on the way; the trooDship
Jeiunga, with over a thousand men on
board. sails today, while number of pick
ed men from the army ordnance corps are
also under orders. Another batch of Off
GERS. also, goes out by the next Union liner
AT the cape preparations are being pushed
forward with equal energy. Troops are
being dispatched north from Capetown to
various stra tegiC positions, and an armored
train is being sent forward also. Recruit
ing for various irregular forces is also pro-
ceeding briskly. These will lack of course
the formality and coherent discipline of
regular troops, but they will have a knowl-
edge of the country and the guerrilla style
OF warfare which the Beers affect The
Beers are gathering in force at Volksrust
which foreshadows an attempt to capture
Laings Mex. Another force is said to be
stationed at komati Poort, the point at
which the Delagoa Bay railway crosses the
Iransvaal frontier 1t is said that Portu-
gal has given England permission to for
ward troops over that railway, and the
presence OF a commando at komati Poort
looks as if the Beers had decided to at
tempt coup there while the British troops
were in transit.
camped at these two places is not stated,
but they are, no doubt, adequate for de-
fensve, If not aggressive. purposes. There
are in South Africa, at the present time
about 1890 regular troops, of which num-
Der 1000 are in Natal There is also
very important volunteer force to be taken
into account, which now numbers many
thousands. This has been organized by
Col. Baden-Powell and other officers who
went out some months ago for the pur-
pose. They have, l am informed, secured
the services of all the rough riders in the
cape, and large number of enterprising
Enp1jShmpO whose love for adventure is
well known
Both sides are now preparing in earnest
and little dependence can be placed in the
varying rumors we hear from day to day
of conciliatory notes. etc. War may be
avoided after ALL but it does not look
now. British troops have occupied a strong
position at Laing's Mex and have reserve
at CharlestoWn, only few miles from
Volksrust, the Boer border town.
America Must Not boycott.
Mr.. Crosby S. Noyes leaves London on
Friday for Washington after an extended
European trip He sails on the Augusta
Victoria Of the Hamburg-American line.
This is the same vessel in which Mr.. Noyes
left New York some months ago on a voy-
ceived me yesterday at the Hotel Metro
pole. where he is staying, and had most
interesting talk with him.
Naturally the conversation first turned
upon France and the Dreyfus case. Mr..
Noyes strongly deprecated the idea of
Americans boycotting the Paris exhibition
as a revenge for the unjust verdict upon
Dreyfus He said: There can be no doubt
that the president and the government of
France desired the acquittal of Dreyfus
and worked for that end, and even now
when the officers of a corrupt army have
again convicted him, the French cabinet
are preparing his pardon Because the
army is corrupt and its generals have con-
whom the world recognizes
as innocent, that is no reason for the Amer
lean people to boycott the French nation.
This would do Dreyfus no good, nor would
it matter to the officers of the general staff.
In fact it would be playing their game, for
if the exhibition was failure the generals
would therein find their opportunity for
springing the coup d'etat, which they are
credited as having ready for any propitious
occasion. Republican institutions, too. are
on their trial and are menaced in France,
and it is the duty of all sister republics to
lend their aid and keep the enemies of re-
publicansm from triumphing. / think
continued Mr.. Moves, that the govern
ment will pull through this crisis safely.
There is one strong man in France
who can upset the republic. certainly not
among the army generals and as for the
royalists, they are contemplate Not one
of the latter is Louis Napoleon, and no
harm will be done by them.
Zone thing that strikes me in this affair
is the evident fact that Germany need
never be alarmed about the French army.
1t has shown itself utterly incapable and
cannot again make itself formidable
power in Europe, at any rate with the
present general STAFF. They have made
themselves ridiculous.
Our Opportunity.
ITO return to the boycott idea, America
cannot afford to take any part in it. There
never was a time of more prosperity in the
United States and we need just such an op-
portunity as the Paris exhibition will give
us of showing our goods, in many of which
we lead the world. We want to open out
and sell to the whole world. and 1t would
be foolish to abstain from an exhibition
which will help US vastly to this end.
Mr.. Noyes. in speaking of Russia. said:
IT think Russia a highly important coun-
try and a coming one in every way. She
is encouraging American manufacturers to
set up plants in Russia and make goods
there. This is being done largely, chiefly
owing to Russia's high tariff and because
Russians prefer to buy goods made in their
own country" Questioned to whether
the Russians might not use the American
factories as schools and afterwards imi-
tate their products Mr.. Noyes replied that
while this was possible he did not think
that the Russians were an initiative peo-
pie. This had been the case in Japan, but
the Japs were quick and soon learned to do
what they saw others do. I believe"
continued he "that the Enneror Nicholas