New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-10-23
s0rrB AFRICAN IMPORTATION.


The greater part in vain. Another note has been
sounded less thrilling but not less authoritative.
| There shall il tells us he no correspondents
with the army in the field. and even those VINO
follow as close behind The army as they can
must submit their dispatches 10 a rigorous cen
sorship The British Government does not pro
noSe 10 have the movements Of lis army known
10 the enemy in advance. while as for news or
Them when they are made il Will get that as
soon as IL wants il through lis own channels
and soon enough. for il must needs be soon
| euouph for the rest of the world. Wherefore
tho correspondents see themselves transformed
into leisure loving historians. moving after the
event at a truly phosophic distance. and for the
| first timc-in how long?-the keneu himself
does not fully answer the Sacred call. II IS 4
! little hard on the reading public. beyond doubt
! II is likewise hard on the correspondents VINO
would like to distinguish themselves. and ON the
ncwsDar,crs which would like 10 print such
! brilliant narratives as the Kcneu and his lripe
could furnish But it is after all. sound sense
and war making business. The harm mat
! might he done by the injudicious revelations "l
an enterprisng correspondent WAS appreciated
| in our own recent war. In the present case III
! South Africa with extended strategic opera
| lions all on land. the danger would De lhcoihpa
| rably greater II must be remembered that MI
! Kruger out Of the vast wealth NJ his disposal
| maintains IN Europe an ample force OF alert
AGENTS ready 10 send him word OF everything
| that may be 10 his advantage. An lndlscreet
announcement from Ladysmith, LET us say pun
lished in a London paper would be instantly
| cabled back TO Pretoria. and would be ID Ten
eral Joubert's hands at Newcastle within Few
| minutes after It's appearance III Lohdoh II
might thus actually get from the brit'sh camp
| 10 the Boer camp by going hfleen 'honSahu
miles more quickly than it could by being car
ried by n horseman straight across the Few
dozen miles Of veldt.
In snppressing the correspondents Tie Govern
n,ent assumes Il serious responsibility. 'oh'
tinental government might do 50 without incur
ring any responsibility. but not the bll'isi'
which is above all others in the world depend
ent upon that popular sentiment or when II -
50 truly representative. II must give the news
as promptly and as fully as possible lest IL De
charged with holding 1t back for Interior rea-
sons and with wishing to suppress the truth 1t
| must do So too, in order TO keep upon lis SIDE
| that solidarity of popular support ana ehthu-
siasm which is OF the marked features OF
the situation This latter Is of course, on the
supposition that the news is favorable. But II
must not in the least suppress or dis'ort PAD
news for the truth would one day come out,
and the public wrath at the Misrepresentation
would be fatal We have therefore the compeh-
sation Of knowing that while the news from the
front will not be as full nor as picturesque as IL
would be If the Keneu and Mr. Stevens ana the
rest OF them were sending IT. yet 1t VIII he
prompt and essentially complete and entirely
| trustworthy
|
For a very practical reason II may De pes' lor
the average reader not 10 have the extended
tales of the correspondents. The more Drlel the
| news is the more likely will he be TO read II
carefully and 10 understand IT, ana 'here IS
| much need only 100 painfully apparent OF Il
! better understanding Of the SITUATION. Here
far cxolnple IS a correspondent man OF parts
and learning-wrting 10 The Tribune commend
ing on general principles the British refusal 10
Jet the Basutos aid them by attacking Inc
Orange State but asking why it would not be
right for Colonel Baden-Powell, at Mafckins 10
erls, 4 couple of thousand Of the Basutos to aid
| him. seeing that he * 80 tremendously ou'iiuh-
bcred bv the Beers Now. single glance at
one Of the maps The Tribune has published
would give the answer, namely. that the nearest
nont Of Basutoiand is two hundred and fifty
miles from Mafeking. with the Orange State
published press dispatch mentions Il belief mat
tho Roers have advanced upon Mafeliing. Nry-
burg. Kimberley aud the Bechuanaand frontier
IN General in 50 great force in order 10 deter the
British from sending troops and supplies straight
across thither from Walhsch Bay. Truly, that
* q sapent belief. TO get across thither from
Walisch Bay would require about eight hun
dred miles of marching over rugged MOUNTAINS
across burning and sterile deserts. through I'M
! explored Wildernesscs where there IS not even
| wagon road, not to mention Il railroad, ana half
of that distance across German territory. 1t IS
as though Great Britain had proposed 10 sup
press the rebellion in the Northwest Territory
BY landing troops In California and march
inc them across Arizona, over the Colorado
| mountains and up through the Dakotas. with
n special detour through the Bad Lands 10 Win
| uipey With such wild dreams cxtant pri
mary geography is more useful than the pen Of Il
| XenopIon.
If Will be most judiciouS then 10 do 10 wor-
rvlnc over tho absence Of word paintings OF the
battles that are and of urid or ridescent visions
| OF the battles that might, could would or should
be but 20 accept and understand the matter or
| ract news that T. furnished ana mat ~ pre-
scented in the columns OF The Tribune III tue
! most Ineligible form and with the Illuminating
! adiuncts Of iuap- portraits views ana HI eise
that can serve 10 make the daily moving paio
ram, most complete There Is no danger OF the
rorld's missing single fact OF real Importance
mr. If legitimate interest in the whole campaign
,rhore IL 100 ssd a certainty Of full feast or
horrors for any desire for their eXaggerailon or
exploitation