The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-11-10

VNANNNHNNNNNNNNNNNNAA
Upolu but they do. and We are very glad
to find the means whereby, without In the
least trespassing on the rights of EnglRu |,
we are able to crafty their views aud SEN
tments.
The agreement is somewhat compll-
Gated, but roughly II may be said that the
Germans had great interest in this island.
because they taye Invested large amounts
in ats cultivation. AMI hct ause they have
Constructed a great commerce Of which,
they arc proud The islands, therefore.
are OF great value 10 them. 70 US on the
ether hand. arc gearrSiy only valuable
when trey furnish good harbors, Vpo'u
furnishes very BAG harbor. You viii re-
mombc, the great hurricane when Brit-
;sh man of war oseared and when Ger
man and American men OF war Were
driven ashore. Well Under these circum-
stances We weic glad 10 accept Il renun-
cation OF tho treaty claims and rights OF
Germany over another island. Tonga,
whore there is an admirable horhor,
believe We have arrived AZ very remark
able agreement which is agrccably pleas
ant and advantageous to both powers. but
this is Interesting particularly because IT
Indicates thai al the pr2scnI moment our
relations with the German people are
ali we could desire.
1.-THE great subject that interests all of
us undoubtedly is this war adorned by so
many splendid feats OF neroisin aud skill.
but sadG, BED by SO tIanY losses. ] have
great difficulty in leaiing with The war,
and IL | attempted to deal with The future
| should be undertaking 4 task in prophecy
from which the hardest would obrlns II
speak at all il may rather oe Ia leprecate
criticisms and statements which / think
,intoumded than TO attempt 10 pass iudE-
ment ON what still depends upon the tn-
,ure for all lis full DETERMINATION. Re
ppecting the feeling oppressed twice ar
three times, that the wait vi troops IL due
to want OF action on The paTt O. the home
government, would point ont that there
have been two or three versions. Three
months ago we were told by the iaGst att
thoritativc critics outside tho government
that there was no OCCASION for military
preparations. Since then We haze been
blamed because there were no niilitnry
preparation But neither uf these criti-
cisms is at all relevant 80 the events
which have been taking place. II has been
often said, especially abroad, that we are
q strong nation attacking Il weak ona, but
so long as the rrigapai ~ of or forces
Is separated by III lnfcas., ~ i,yo q SIX
weeks from the field sof action Il would
rather be tr,ie to say that we ure a Weak
nation fighting a strong nation. Elements
of distance are vital and essential N this
matter. III would have been nothing 10 Tire
purpose TO issue proclamations for reserves
some weeks earlier,
What was the cause of the war and
what was the cause of the ultimatum9
1t was not because of any demand We had
made. 1t happens that at the moment the
uitimatum was Issued we had Withdrawn
our demands and there were no demands
before the Transvaal government. 1t was
because we had taken measures to increase
he amount OF our forces in South Afried.
But If that bad tecn gore u few months
sooner exactly the same result would have
taken place. The moment YOU had shown
lens of raising your forces tc an equality
with the force opposed 10 Il. that moment
ihe ul.imatum would have been issued
and war would have been on. 1t is not,
therefore, right to say that there was NOT
adequate military preparations. The evil
dates further back, 1t dates to those I'M
fortunate arrangements Of 1881 AMI 1884
by which we deliberately permitted
community obviously hostile to enjoy the
unbounded unlimited right Of accumulate
ing munitions Of war against us. Year
after year an accumulation of munitions
was made which could be directed against
us. H&mperea by these arrangements. 1t
was impossible thai we should avoid The
interval of trial and langer necessarily
to intervene between the moment when
war was declared and the moment when
our forces could accept the contest and APP
pear upon the field, That Interval has
nearly passed. Our troops are beginning
TO advance. Foreign nations havs COM
plimented us upon the calmness with
which we have received the intelligence OF
occasional checks Whatever strategy
there may be, We are well aware that the
beginning of our conflict with the Beers
must be marked by retirement OF nur
troops from positions they are not Strong
Ia l. Ia Nxrl
should wait for sufficient re nfrrcements.
do not attempt TO forecast the future.
only say that my faith in the 3ritist SOL
dier is unbounded, and ara deeply graft
fled 10 feel that he is In the vigorous and
sagacious hands OF General Butler.
Regarding the future, will only dep
recate some very strange assertions that
see occasionally In the continental press.
Only the other day ! saw IL asserted, not
by a chance writer but by man who has
been a member OF the French government.
that this war had for its objeos the graft
fication of the lusts OF greedy lords. WHO
desired to partition among Themselves 81
the gold and diamonds Of the Trausgaal.
Now. / beg to assure this gentleman that
members OF her majesty's cabinet have not
had a farthing from the Transvaal or from
any other gold fields, There - the Yukon,
about which there is no contest. II there
had been any choice OF our gaining odyan-
tages, these Yukon gold fields should have
yielded something, but appeal to my
friend. Lord Hamilton, to know II The
cabinet ever had farthng from them.
Q.aughter.)
~ go further. England as a Whole
would have had no advantage from the
possession Of gold mines except as her
government conferred the blassia ~ of
good administration upon those engaged
in the industry. All successful industry
breeds commerce, and all commerce has
produced is TO the advantage OF England.
and Industries and CONNER e flourish rc.-
ter under her good government thar rrder
any other regime In the worll but that
Is the limit of our interest.
What We desire Is equal rights for all
men. OF all races and security for our
fellow subjects OF the empire. The hour
for asking by what means these results
can be obtained is not yet corae. but these