The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-12-17

The swift succession of reverses FOR +ba
6rltiSh forces In South Africa-frst,
Gatacre; then Methuen, and lastly Butler.
advancing blindly into the traps laid for
them by the Boers-must prove a serious
blow to English prestige. and
might under a continuance of ad-
verse circumstances, prove fatal
to British supremacy in South
Africa, AS pointed out in the Globe
week ago. the result of defeats for
the British arms9at the Modder and
ugeia ,riEersewould be to raise the hone
OF ultimate Boer success in the breasts
OF the Dutch Of Natal and Cane
Colony and cause many who have here
to1ore been half-hearted in their devo-
ton to the Boer cause to take I'D arms
against the British. But as neither
The reverse met by Buffers column nor
that suffered by Methuen's forcas an
pears to have been sufficiently decisive
or crushing to cause the retreat of the
British, both sides apparently holding
substantially the same ground they occu-
pied before the battles, the effect NAV
not prove SO demoralizing to the British
ana so encouraging to the Boer svmpa-
thizers IN the colonies as was at first
supposed.
II Is very evident however, that every
English general in the field with tho
possible exception of French. has VET 70
learn the basic principles of Boer war
1are'. They have yet to learn that front
attack upon'an entrenched foe, protected
by natural defensest and armed with mod
ern rapid-flre artillery. machine guns and
Iong-range rifles. cannot be successfully
delivered; and they have also to learn
that before advancing upon an enernv's
position in a terribly broken country
and especially such an able and DETER
mined enemy as the Beers, it is abso-
luteIy essential to have thoroughly recon
noitered the line of advance and when
the advance actually takes place to Gov
er 1t with swarms Of scouts and sbarn-
shooters thrown out at least a mile in
advance of the main body The English
generals may learn these lessons by ex-
perience, but in this case the schooIine,
Is so expensive that the scholars NAV ba
ruined before they graduate.
The people Of this country have excel
lent reason 10 congratulate themselves
that their Spanish foe in the recent war
was not as good a fighter and so we'll
equipped as are the Beers, otherwise
there might have been a very different
story to tell
In South Africa we see $4,000 seasoned
regular troops, the flower of the British
army, held in check by a force of strongly
tntrenched irregulars whose main reli-
ence is their perfect skill IN the use of
their weapons.
1t IS evident that the Boer defenses
cannot be forced as planned by the Brit
tsh generals without APPALLING loss of life
to the attacking forces, and in all proba-
billy the task on the lines projected by
Gen. Butler IS an impossible one. The
element of success in this case is not
the herolsm of the rank and file, but the
strategy Of the commanding officers. and
when British strategy equals or is su-
perior to Boer strategy, which up to the
present time is clearly not the case.
then the tables may be turned
The Veil thrown over the whole war
situation by the rigid censorship of press
dispatches continues to conceal the oper-
atoms and the true status is but dimlv
understood There is clearly a leakage Of
news by the way of Lourenzo Marques.
however, and through this same port the
TransVaal government appears to be in
communication with the outside world
and to be still receiving supplies and vol
unteers. The closing of this door would
seem to be essential to the British in
terests, but the difficulties in the way of
doing so appear to be insurrnountable.
The disasters have caused the British
government to adopt at this late hour
the measures which common prudence
should have dictated at the opening of
the war More soldiers, more artillery,
more cavalry and supplies are being rap
idly transported, and perhaps a new
commander for the British forces In
South Africa may follow.
On the sther hand. the Beers cannot
be idle and are no doubt Strengthening
themselves ia every way. Their supply