Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-12-14

leave the beers able to fight just
AS hard the next day and With the stil
virulent storm of disapproval raining
from all quarters On Joseph Chamber
lain because Of his remarkable alliance
speech and With the dawning realaa
ton of the difficulties which b,set the
task of conQuering the beers. the posi-
has by ne means been strengthened,
That all is not right is feared even
among tho governments staunchest
supporters, 1t appears the BIiiSh for
ward movement is retarded moro by
the political conditions prevailing
in tho territory )thmugh which
the lines Of communication pass
than by the beers who hang
uko bulldogs ON the advanced TANKS
tina, iAdysmtth win ue relieved short
enough ii is admitted decisive On
Sasuucut must be fought before this is
accomplished, Nothing has been moro
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 thejr wonderful mobility they are
enabled 10 take up one after another
irdryiully selected positions in every
instance daring the British generals
to attack them and retiring after in
! dieting severe loss to other positions
IeQudlly good, If such tactics continue
! II seems possible the relieving force
! Win reach Ladysmith SO crippled that
| an advance into the TransNaal will be
| Impossible in the near future. In fact
the most optimistic see no chance of
Ilh2 British forces making serious head
Way fnr 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 ncupacity of the war office.
Chamberlain shows no signs of re-
pentanCe or desire to recant his Lie
cestcr speech. In the moanwhi Q lis
bury has reGruined from making any
public utteranCe to offset the colonial
sccretary's remarks, The Saturday
Review says 1T is possible that Il
certain situation might arise In regard
to China when England, Germany and
America having Il common we'll defined
object in view might conclude IA writ
ten treaty of combination but such an
event in our opinion Is still far off, y
The storm raised by Cham
bcrlain's premature announcement
appears to have made hitch in Tho
negotiations between the powers re-
garding the open door, All Engllsl
authorities agree in surmising thai
President Mckinley's reference To NJ
entanging alliances was slipped In NJ
a result of ChamberlAin's remarks
The message itself Is regarded b.
weeklics as non~committal. The Spec
tatur describes IL ms an admirable In
stance of he art OF saying nothing b!
allocutlng "A great deal. WhilI
Chamberlain was dcnounclng Franc,
for vIlifying the queen and protesting
friendship for Germany, he overlooket
the fact that carcatures almost equal.
offensive to the British were appear
ing in Germany.
British Take Boer Position.
I'oer head lager, Ladysmlth, Dec
S.-The British troops made a softl'
between and 2 o'clock this morn ny
They crawled up the ravine AM
stormed and carried Lombardskor
which was held by the beers and gu
on which were placed creusot gun
and howitzer. These guns were de
stroyed with dynamite. The British
captured maxim gun and then re
tired. The lancers, hussars and guard
made a sortle west Of Ladysmith a
daybreak under the cover Of heavy ar
tillery fire. which the beers returne
briskly. The British afterward re
turned TO Ladysmlth. The bogr losse
are reported to have been slight.
strong burgher column crossed the tn
gcla river at Colenso with the objec
Of attacking the British at Estcourl
Major Erasmus and Lieut.. Malan ar
to be tried by court martial In connec
ton with the loss Of guns.
skirmish Near Ladyscmlth.
London, Dec. 10--The war Office ha
, issued the following dispatch fror
I General Butler, dated Frere cam
, Dec g.. THE following was receive
/ from General White last night:
sent Gen. Hunter. with 500 Natal yo
/ unteqrs under Roynston and 100 {
| the imperial light horse under 10
wards, 10 surprise the gun on the hill
. he enterprise was admirably carrie
out ard was entirely successful. I'll
| hill being captured and six inch nov
j i,zor being destroyed. with a quantit
! Of gun cotton, by Capt. Fowke an
, Lieut. Turner. A maxim was capture
i and brought to Ladysmith. Our LOS
vas one killed and Mai. Henderson {
: the first battalion OF Argyle highland
: ers wounded. At the same time tbs
, Col. Knox seized the hill. one squadro
j Of the 18th hussars rode round III
/ hill. burning the kraals and cutting III
telegraph lines They had no easua
ties"
: Beers Make Dumdums