Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1899-12-08
CAN THE ROERS WIN?

L
1t is too much to assume, as many are
| doing, that conflict at arms between
the Britons and the Beers, such as that
now in progress, ultimate victory for the
Briton is foregone conclusion. There
are possibilities and some yet indeter-
minable factors in the situation which
make such conclusion of the struggle
less of certainty than might be sup
posed from superficial glance at the OPP
| posed forces.
1t is well to remember, in the first
| place, that the Boer and the Briton have
met in deadly affray on several previous
occasions, with the result of an over
whelming and disastrous defeat for the
| second party. In the battles of Laing's
! Neck, 1ngogo, Majubu Hill, and in the
/ Jameson raid, the Beers were victorious,
although the British outnumbered them
in nearly every instance. In fact, pre-
vious to the present war the British had
never won victory over the Beers ex-
cept at Boomphats In 1913, when the lat
ter had nothing better than fiint-locks,
while their foes were equipped with
heavy artillery. In the conflict at Ma
juba Hill in 1880, the Beers won against
greater odds, it is said, than has been
won by any volunteer army in modern
times. Their charge up the hill in the
face of an overwhelming foe has never
been surpassed in war history. Their
total force on this occasion was only 100
men, while the British had 600and were
strongly intrenched Men capable of such
magnificent deeds-and the same Beers
are in the fighting line to-day-may
bring about results that will atonish-
the world. The crushing defeat of the
British at Ladysmith may be only fore
runner of like disasters to the invading
army.
Fighting, as they are, in their home
land, the Beers have some natural adj
vantages in their favor to offset against
experienced British generaIship. militia
ry science and weight OF numbers South
Africa is country practically without
harbors or navigable rivers. It's coast
line on both sides is almost unbroken.
Between the Atlantic coast and the high
lands of the interior stretches a dre8ry
waste of sand-dunes and treeless, water
less plains, while the east coast is swan
Ply and malarious to an alarming degree.
The Transvaal republic is completely
landlocked. Under these conditions the
British will have great difficulty in trans
porting their forces to the seat Of war
and massing them against the enemy,
while their boosted and invincihle navy
will have no call for action 1T all unless
some Of the coast countries should be- |
involved in the struggle.
Another element in favor OF the burr |
ghers of the Transvaal lies in the fact |
that they will doubtless be assisted in
their struggle by one or more of the |
South African states, and, |
at all events, by large mum Der of peo- |
pie in the region adjacent who are allied |
with them by ties OF blood and language.
The Orange Free State has already deci- |
ded to cast its weight into the scale of |
war on the side of the Beers and has |
sent to their aid an army of 70 900 men |
as valiant in fight as their Transvaal |
llnsmen. Natal, another neighbor, can !
muster in an emergency an army of at |
least 5000 men OF Boer extraction who |
would be happy at the chance of putting !
N blow at an enemy. But larger and |
more formidable than all of these other |
outside forces together would be the
Afrikander element in Cape Colony, to |
whom President Kruger has made
passionate appeal for help. A high mill
AIRY authority gives the entire British
Irmy, including reserves available for
ervlce IN South Africa at 60 900 men,
% which few thousand irregulars gath
red from other parts of the empire NAV
fterward be added. Upon the basis of
hese figures the chance of war for the
do not appear so bad, after all,
lespite the dear bought victories nj the
British at Glencoe and Elandalaagte.
Another still larger, and possibly de-
factor in the situation may be
ound in the native African or black
population of the region Of disturbance.
t is asserted that these people will adj
ere to the British cause, but that is by
o means Il certainty.