The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-19
MILITIA RESERVES ORDERED OUT.
Harcourt Attacks Chamberlain's Policy
in Vigorous style.

in Vigorous style.
London, Oct. 1S.-In the house os
commons to-day First Lord OF the
Treasury and Government Leader Bal
four brought in the following message
from the queen:
The state of affairs in Africa having
constituted in the opinion of her mai
esty case of emergency within the
meaning of the act OF parliament her
majesty deems it proper to provide ad-
ditional means for military service. She
has therefore thought It right to COM
municate to the house that her maj
esty is, by proclamation, about to or
der the embodiment Of militia and to
call out the militia reserve force or
such part thereof as her majesty may
think necessary for permanent ser
vice"
The calling out of the militia and
military reserves has occasiOned wide
spread Wonderment. Old stories of
preparations against continental COM
binations are revived. 1t is freely ru-
mored that the government is deter
mined to demonstrate to Europe that
the British army is not a negligible
quantity, both the attitude of Eu-
rope and that Of the natives of South
Africa having something to do with
thiss attitude, and the lavish display of
force is intended doubtless not only
10 CIleCh the II! Will apparent VII poLll
sides of the Rhine and beyond the Wis.,
tula, but also to guard against the
black peril.
According to statistics published this
year the militia, including the perma-
nent staff and militia reserve, num-
bers 132, ,493. II is not believed the mil
itia are to be sent to South Africa.
Presumably they will replenish the de-
nuded British garrison towns and thus
narp1it the government send tn the
Cape all the regulars rendered neces-
sary by developments in South Af-
rica.
The house agreed to consider the
royal message Tomorrow. The motion
by Balfour appropriating the entire
special session for government busi-
ness was carried 279 to 4S. Debate on
the address in reply to the speech
from the throne was then resumed.
Philip James Stanhope, liberal MEM
Der for Burnley, moved an amendment
strongly disappearing the conduct of
the negotiations with the Transvaal.
He attacked the policy of the secre-
tary of state for the colonies, Joseph
Chamberlain, and demanded that the
latter should clear himself of the
charge Of completely in the Jameson
raid.
Sir William Vernon Harcourt, for
mer leader Of the liberal party, follow
ing several minor speeches for and
against the government. said it was
the duty of the house to support the
government in maintaining the intes-
rity of the dominions of the queen, but
they had right to speak of the pol
icy of the government in an altogether
different tone. He went on to justify
the oppostion's criticism Of the con-
duct of the negotiations prior to the
receipt of the ultimatum. declaring his
~ fr, t,1f,pS
which did not tend to peaceable So
luton.
Although ! do not charge the gov
ernment," said Sir William. with de-
liberately avoiding peaceful solution,
in my opinion there is no justif1ca-
ton for saying that there has been
criminal obstinacy in the Transvaal.
the Orange Free State and the govern
ment of the Cape Colony, that the
Transvaal, until the door was shut,
yielded and was continuing to yield to
our pressure" He then proceeded to
contrast Mr.. Chamberlain's previous
utterances with his present attitude.
Discussing the cause of the final
breach, Sir William said: "On Sept.
s the Transvaal sent a dispatch press
ing for the appointment of joint COM
mission to consider their offer of the
condition that suzerainty be dropped.
Everybody is now convinced that suz-
erainty was dropped in 1884. cloud
ministerial protest) At any rate, sue
cessive secretaries of state were of that
opinion"
Mr.. Chamberlain emphatically dis
sented Sir William, resumins, COM
mented on the extraordinary delay"
in sending the final proposals of Great
Britain. "The British nation" he ex-
claimed. has right to know what
the proposals of the government are.
The government has 70 right to involve
the nation In the war in the dark. I
cannot conceive why the good offices
of the Free State were rejected and I
think things might have been conduct
ed differently with a different issue"
The house then adjourned
A supplementary army estimate has
been issued asking the house of COM
mons to vote an additional 81, 900 men
and 91o,0ooo 900 $3.50, ,o0O OO0) in conse-
quence Of the situation in South AZ
rica.