The times., 1899-11-11


marked, You cannot make a head with
brains IN it out Of a brass knob. You
couldn't when your Uncle George was
alive; much less now when he's SSad.
Lord SaIfsbury's Speech.
Everybody knows that the annual ban
quet given by the Lord Mayor of London is
political function of the highest impor-
tance as well as an occasion of social fes
iivity. At each recurring event Of the kind
the British Prime Minister is expected to.
and in fact does, make speech in which he
gives an outline OF the international rela-
tions. and generally of the high policies OF
the Empire. In view Of the critical circum-
stances surrounding his government at tbs
preseEt time, what Lord Salisbury might
say on the occasion of this years banquet,
which occurred Thursday evening. was
looked forward 10 with interest and almost
with anxiety. What the Marquis did say.
Oh the whole, was satisfactory and encour-
aging
Among other things. he took the oppor-
tunity to say a nice word for his American
cousins. and in carefully conservative Ian
guage 10 hint that the active friendship
CT the United States is a practical and
valuable support to Great Britain against
any inimicaI designs that may be enter
tanned abroad. He made the position of
England very plain as TO the impossibiHty
Of her accepting mediation or any other
sort of interference. amicable or hostile. in
South Africa. 4 have seen il suggested
and il seems TO me a wild suggestion -
observed Lord Salisbury, that the other
powers viii interfere with this country and
in some form OF other dictate TO those who
are concerned in the TransvaaI difficulty
what its upshot should be. Do not let any
man think that it is in that fashion the
conflict viii be concluded In the
first place, because we would not accept
that Interference, and in the second place.
because we are convinced that there is
no such idea in the mind Of any govern
ment in the world
This we may set down as a very preg-
nant statement 1t can only mean that the
British Government is determined to 90
any necessary length in resenting the
slightest attempt in The direction OF for
eign meddling, and that British diplomacy
has safely won free hand in South AZ
rica-
The premier explained the Samoan set
uemenJ with Germany in way TO snow
the excellent understanding between the
TWO empires Naturally the most inter
esting part of his remarks was devoted
to the war. and in this connection he re
gretfully called attention to the disas-
trous blunder Of the Gladstone ministry in
1881 and again in 1884, when that short
sighted government foolishly placed the
hostile state and forces in South Africa in
= position to accumulate munitions of war
for use against the suzerain power and
deprived the latter Of the smallest chance
to stop or obstruct the movement.
II the speech had a weak point it con
sisted in what we must regard as Lord
Salisbury's rather lame defence of the Brit
ish war Office, in response to criticisms re-
Iating TO its uupreparedness for the strug-
gle which he and every public man in
England acknowledge that they knew TO
be imminent and inevitable. His excuse
from Pretoria was a certainty and that if
the forces in Cape Colony and Natal had
Teen increased earlier in the year il would
merely have led to the Beers taking the
warpath that much sooner.
We must look upon this explanation as
palpably dodging the issue Putting
aside the question Of Krugers readiness for
So. Trr4s. =
as an open one; and coucedipg that the des-
patch OF ten or fifteen thousand troops to
Cape Town and Durham last summer would
have precipitated the struggle; it does not
follow that the British war office need have
been in the helplessIy backward state Of
preparation in which the invasion from
I.aing's Mex caught it, To begin with. there
was a whole year at the inside limit, during
which the Marquis Of Lansdowne could have
easily and unobtrusively salted down ten,
fifteen, or twenty thousand soldiers In In
dia and had them ready for quick trans
portation to the area of disturbance We
fancy that this objection 10 the ministerial
defence is about unanswersble.
There IS another criticism 10 which the
war Cffice, or the general staff organization
subordinate to it, IS widely open. Why
let US ask, did H4F Maies;y's Intelligence
0alce fail TO secure reliably accurate iE-
formation concerning tbs military re-
sources of the Transvaal state? 1t had
three or four years in which to attend to
this duty and certainly the means and ia
cllities were not wanting. Yet If We may
believe statements on the subject pub
lishes in London, when the war broke out
the Intelligence ONCE placed the maximum
Boer resource in fighting men at less than
half Of the number now admitted TO be
under arms II also miscalculated the
strength OF the enemy's artillery, conceding
them only one-third OF the guns they are
now understood 10 have But worse than
| all this. il is only within a few days that