The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-11-30

mOnds in Kimberly alone would be
enough 20 keep them going for many
years. lit cannot be said toe often thar
| modern war Is only a matter OF re-
| source.
To balance this, the changed condi-
tons since the fatal year 1880 favor
| England IN che particular that one so
| impo.Nant that il may balance all the
| adv nta ges accru.ng TO the Beers. That
one is the opening up of the Transvaal
country IN 1880. the English were
| operating in an unknown land They
had 10 find roads for themselves. 10
pick their way through the wilderness.
The country was 50 sparsely settled
that the Beers had only one point. that
their capital, which they had to de-
fend. The rest Of the country was SO
poor that nearly the whole B0er army
could "buShwhack" at will without
taking thought of leaving garrisOns.
Now, the English enter q land which
their OEJanderS scouts know as we'll
as the Beers themselves The country
is traVers6d with good military roads
and with railroad lines. But above all
this, there are about q dozen cities of
such strategic Importance that the b.
els will be forced to look to their de-
fence. Such conditions always favor
the army best trained in the methods
of strictly CIVILIZED warfare, and the
British soldiery, though inferior to the
Beers as individuals, are yet infinitely
superior in their knowledge of cOnven-
tional military tactics.
Additional advantage accruegs to
Great Britain from superior equipment
and from an understanding Of what
they are going against. There Is no
doubt that in 1880 they moderated |
their opponents, believing that their |
trained legions would have no trouble |
with raw farmers. All this has |
changed. The British Tommy Atkins |
knows what he has to face. He has a |
wholesome respect for an adversary |
who shoots for the belt and always hits |
and commanders who are supreme |
in their own small way. If |
this feeling went further, it would |
amount to fear and would bring the |
English into danger or moral defeat |
As it is, the sentiment is just strong
enough to render the British careful |
about running into ambushes and I'M
known country. This lack Of caution |
in 1880 was the cause Of that series Of |
which ended at Majuba |
Hill. In equipment the British could |
not be better provided for the work in |
hand. Lyddite shells, improved ma
chine guns and small arms, military
balloons, these and many other i'm
are to be brought to bear. |
The handling of the artillery is anoth-
ar feature which should not be over
looked. The Beers have the guns, but
they do not understand their use. It
is only since 1894 that the Transvaal
army has possessed artillery; since
l
yers and very little target practice
The British are as superior in knoWl-
edge of cannon and their use as are
The Beers in the use of small arms.
Still another factor-and this one ap-
)eals most strongly of all to the mill
AIRY experts the fact that England
mas in Natal a friendly base Of opera
lions on the border Of the hostile
country, whereas in the former war
She had to rely on Cape Colony, hun
1reds of miles away.
This comparison Of conditions be-
,Ween 1880 and 1899 leaves the balance
If advantage on the side of Great Brit
,in, although the superiority is not a
very strong one. But there is one ex-
ernal feature which renders an Ilti-
mate British victory almost certain
he fact that all England is now united
n determination to end the war. In
1890 a very large section of the British
people and a whole party Of British
statesmen were for relinquishing the
claim to Transvaal. Gladstone and his
followers took advantage Of the defeat
at Majuba Hill and the depression fol-
lowing it to put an end to the war,
with Transvaal in possession Of the
advantage. There can be no doubt |
that if the English had really cared |
to bring into play the resources of the |
Empire, as they are doing today, they |
could have annihilated Transvaal AS |
it is, the first shot fred by the Beers |
seemed to make ''jingos" Of the whole |
population Of greater England. With |
the tremendous force in money and |
men which England can bring to bear, |
she can, and doubtless will, crush Dom |
Paul and his people,