Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1899-09-25

London, Sept. 21.-Despite all out
ward show Of calm Great Britain is in
practically the same confidential state
| that America was few weeks before
the opening of the war with Spain.
Beneath the crust of diplomatic re-
serve the military officers are working
night and day, preparing for the signal
| to begin hostilities. Whether that
comes or not, England is not going to
be caught mapping any more than the
Transvaal. While Lord Salisbury is
quietly at home in his Hatfield house,
Chamberlain is buried in work at the
colonial office. Double forces at the
royal arsenal and dockyards are strain
ing every nerve to equip and transport
| troops to the cape. 1t may be set down
for certain that Great Britain will do
nothing to precipitate matters, and
the colonial office is far from admitting
that the case is hopeless. The report
| that Great Britain had demanded dis
mantlement of the forts at Johannes
| burg, together with material reduc-
ton in the armament of the burghers,
the colonial officers would neither con-
firm nor deny, although it is much
doubted. Marquis of LandsdoWne, sec
rotary of state for war, who returned
| Wednesday morning from Dublin, held
a long conference with Gen. Lord
Garnet Wolseley, field marshal, and
General Sir Evelyn Wood, adjutant
general. The activity at headquarters
| is reflected in the contracts for sup
plies The departure of the British
transport Jelunga for the Mediterrane-
an Wednesday with LOO troops was
witnessed by large and enthusiastic
crowds. Wednesday evening Marquis
of Landsdowne issued a secret order
to the staff Of war warning all subor-
dinates to refrain from giving the press
any information without their
superiors' knowledge and calling
attention to previous breaches of duty
in this respect which, the order says,
will be no longer tolerated.
Advices from Cape Town Wednesday
evening were to the effect that the
Transvaal will not yield further, and
that if the imperial government does
not recede from it's present position
war is inevitable. Al Pretoria inter-
est seems to be centered in the meet
ing of the Orange Free state vOlksraad
| today which it is hoped may somehow
suggest a modus vivendi that would
save the situation. On the other hand
advices from Bloemfoentein announce
the arrival there of large number of
members of the raad, adding that the
result of today's sitting is practically
certain to be decision on the part OF
the Orange Free state to throw in it's
| lot with the Transvaal. The Free
state burgers are fully armed and
ready to start at a moments notice.
Sir William Vernon Harcourt, liberal
member of parliament for West Mon
mouthshire, former leader of the lib
! eral opposition in the house of COM
mons, in the course of an address to
his constituents Wednesday evening in
! New Tredgar said he could not read
the persistent stories of the war press
to aggravate the Transvaal situation
without Indignation. Great Britain"
said the speaker, cannot claim gener-
al sovereignty in the Transvaal when
she has only partial suzerainty and
President Kruger cannot claim for The
Transvaal the position of an interna-
tional sovereign state. Both sides
have heretofore made allegations
which cannot be maintained by either"
The Daily Nails Cape Town special
says president Kruger has cabled
strong personal appeal to the queen,
beseeching her to intervene to prevent
bloodshed."
The Morning Posts Johannesburg
special says: "Boer preparations are
as complete as the government could
hope to make them. 1t is believed
martial law will be proclaimed Thurs
day if no reply has been received from
England by that time. 1t is under
stood that the despatching of British
troops to South Africa will be regarded
as a casus belli. Boer officers are
,7roino fha government to begin hOStil-