The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1899-06-21
Fight Like Rough Riders and
Never Know When They
Are Whipped.
HAVE MET REDcOATs BEFORE
Full Resume of the Military Strength
of the Transyaal by Lord
Cecil Compton.

CHICAGO, June 5J.-Lord Cecil Doug
lass Compton. an English chaplain Of
Lancaster, after a brief stay in Chicago.
left for the cas-, last night with his wife.
| Lord Compton served in South Africa for
five years. He did not participate in the
| Jameson raid. bot he was IN the country
at chat time and Immediately after that
untoward enterprise he entered the
Transvaal country and traversed much
OF Il. He knows he Beers and their
country and he considered both critically
from the standpoint OF a military OF.
fcer and student. He spoke OF the Trans
yaal problem entirely as a military man.
He said:
There are motives Of fair play and
humanity which make Great Britain
exceedingly reluctant to Interfere in
South Africa by force. But It is only
candid to say that considerations OF a
military character also operate TO make
US chary about rushing into a cam
paign which must put the most forInid-
able obstacles and involve questSons Of
transport. supply and straWgy shat
might stagger a military experience.
In the first place the Beers from the
! Transyaal are magnificent guerrilla SOP.
diers. Their history has proved 1t and
they are fully up to their standard to-
day"
They are expert marksmen, born
rough riders. such as your own cowboys,
and their courage and tenacity Is unde.
nlable. Individually they are as good
military stun as the world possesses.
They are thoroughly convinced OF the
justice Of their cause and would die to a
man at the woni OF Dom Paul
But aside from their morals and their
fitness. the Transvall country is one ad.
mirably adapted for the purposes of
defense. /; is land with large unln-
habIted space. An army invading it
must have distant base and its supplies
must be brought through semi-trop.
cal country under the most disadvan.
tageons conditions. Cape Town Is 1000
miles from the vaal river and " an at.
tack were to be made from Natal there
would be mountains to work through and
much tropical growth.
The question Of transportation would
be serious. We wSuld naed thousands of
mules. which must he brought from
South America. The ocean distance and
the adverse climate would kin the ami
mais off by the hundreds and the actual
work would entail even greater losses
"There-is a question OF STACEY as wen
The Beers would be difficult to hit In
mass. Indeed. they might not be mobil.
lied, in an European sense. at all. In
an arid, rocky country. filled with splen-
did shots, with no real objective point to
capture, with disaffected. or actively
hostile population on your flank or rear,
the conquest Of the Transvaal would be
one Of the most arduous undertakings
We ever entered upon In my opinion,
10 less than $1,000 men would be required.
Your own Philippine war is not so df.
ficult. Indeed. It is folly to uNderest!.
mate the military strength Of the Trans.
Naal, which proceeds not alrre from the
material character Of the population but
also from the nature of the country itself.
And the Beers are armed to the teeth.
The money realized by taxation OF Uit.
landers has been spent in arms and ar.
tillery. so that the republic repeats on
small scale the military camp which the
continental powers exhibit on great
scale"