Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-12-14
TASK OF HUMBLING BOERS
GROWS IN MAGNITUDE.
CHAMBERLAIN lNDISCREE1
English Opinion That McKinley's Ref
erence 10 Entangllng Alliances Was
Caused by Colonial Secretarys Lii
cesler Speech-bref Reports Of OPP
eraIions in South Africa.
copyrighted by Associated Press }

cal over glorious victories that
leave the beers able to ngnt just
as hard the next day and with the still |
virulent storm of disapproval raining !
from all quarters on Joseph Chamber |
lain because OF his remarkable alliance |
speech and with the dawnlng reallza-
ton of the difficulties which beSet the |
task of conQuering the beers, the posi- |
ton Of the British government at home |
has by no means been strengthened. !
That all is not right is feared even
among the governments staunchest
supporters. 1t appears the B4l-ish for
ward movement is retarded more by
the political conditions prevailing
in the territory Through which
the lines of communication pass
than by the beers who hang
4he DuluOgS on the advanced TANKS.
mat LadysmiIn will ne relieved short
~ Is now taken as matter Of course
though it is admitted decisive en-
gagement must be fought before this is
accomplished. Nothing has been more
prominently brought out during the
Two months Of war than the fact that
the beers never attack as General
Garcia said last year of the CubanS.
With their wonderful mobility they are
enabled co take up one after another
carefully selected positions in every
instance, daring the British generals
to attack them and retiring after in
hicting severe loss to other positions
equally good. If such tactics continue
1t seems possible the relieving force
will reach Ladysmith so crippled that
an advance into the Transvaal will be
impossible in the near future. In fact
the most optimistic see no chance of
the British forces making serious head
way for two or three months while
many who confidently prophesied that
Gen. Butler would take his Christmas
dinner in Pretoria are trying to find
excuses in the slOWness of transports
or the incapacity of the war office.
Chamberlain shows no signs of re-
pentance or desire to recant his Lie
cester speech. In the meanwhile S lis
bury has refrained from making any
public utterance to offset the colonial
secretary's remarks. The Saturday
Review says: ut is possible that
certain situation might arise in regard
to China when England, Germany and
America having common we'll defined
object in view might conclude a writ
ten treaty of combination but such an
event in our opinion is still far off,
The storm raised by Cham
berlain's premature announcement
appears to have made a hitch in the
negotiations between the powers re-
garding the open door. All English
authorities agree in surmising that
President McKinley's reference to no
entangling alliances was slipped in as
a result of Chamberlain's remarks
The message itself is regarded by
Weeklies as non-committal The Spec
tatOr describes it as an admirable in
stance Of the art of saying nothing by
allOcutlng great deal" While
Chamberlain was denouncing France
for villifying the queen and protesting
friendship for Germany, he overlooked
the fact that caricatures almost equally
offensive to the British were appear
ing in Germany.
British Take Boer Position.
Boer head lager, Ladysmith, Dec.
S.-The British troops made sortie
between 1 and o'clock this morning.
They crawled up the ravine and
stormed and carried Lombardskop,
which was held by the beers and out |
on which were placed a creusot gun
and howitzer. These guns were de-
stroyed with dynamite. The British |
captured maxim gun and then re- |
tired. The lancers, hussars and guards |
made sortie west of Ladysmith at |
daybreak under the cover of heavy ar
briskly. The British afterward re-
turned to Ladysmith. The boer losses
are reported to have been slight.
strong burgher column crossed the Tu-
gela river at Colenso with the object
of attacking the British at Estcourt
Major Erasmus and Lieut.. Malan are
to be tried by court martial in connec-
ton with the loss of guns.
Skirmish Near Ladyscmith.
London, Dec. 10.-The war office has
issued the following dispatch from
General Butler, dated Frere camp,
Dec. g.: ''The following was received
rom General White last night: 4
sent Gen. Hunter. with 500 Natal vol
lnteers under Roynston and 100 of
he imperial light horse under Ed
wards, to surprise the gun on the hill
he enterprise was admirably carried
,ut and was entirely successful, the
ill being captured and six inch how
tier being destroyed. with quantity
# gun cotton, by Capt, Fowke and
lieut.. Turner. A maxim was captured r
nd brought to Ladysmith. Our loss
vas one killed and Maj. Henderson of :
he first battalion of Argyle highland ,
RS wounded. At the same time that
;ol. Knox seized the hill, one squadron
f the 18th hussars rode round the y
i'll, burning the kraals and cutting the ;.
telegraph lines. They had no casual =
les"
Beers Make Dumdums /
Capetown, Dec Tone hundred men c
f the naval brigade proceeded to the il
ront tonight. 1t is known that the r
oers have crossed and cut the ends of Il
heir Mauser bullets, thus producing r;
n effect similar to dumdums. Halse
scertained that the beers were in q
trong force in their lager and retired m
D his base. This was the first brush f.
Gen. Gatacre's forces. They are all a
ager to follow it up. q,
Fighting Reported. X