Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-16
STAND AeHAsT AT THE TERRIBLE NEWS
Friends Of Beers Believe the Transvaal Will
Gain Its Independence.
WORST DEFEAT SINCE INDIAN MUTlNY
Great Britain Must Now Assert Its
Power Not Only i'm south Africa,
but Before the European
Nations.

Copyright, 1899, by Press Publishing Coz
LONDON, Dec. 15.-(New York World Ca
blegram-Special Telegram.) british do
its foundations
hear that Sir Alfred Miner British high
commissioner in South Africa and governor
OF Cape Colony, demands the assent of the
Imperial government to the proclamation OF
martial law throughout Cape Colony.
Lord Salisbury is unwilling to grant the
request, save as the very last resort, as such
a dangerous confession of gravity of the
British position would be offering a posi-
tive inducement to Englands enemies to
take advantage of its extremity
Sir Alfred Milner reports that Dutch disaf-
fection has now reached point where or
binary law is useless to stem it. He wants
the power not only of summary arrest with
out warrant of suspected persons and the
right to detain them without trial, but also
the power to suppress the Dutch newspa-
pers throughout the colony which insist
upon publishing accounts of British reverses
and criticisms OF the war.
Rigorous as is the censorship of dispatches
to England. 1t is liberal compared with the
wholesale suppression of unfavorable It'd
iugs by the British authorities in Cape
Colony. The Rhodes papers concur, in this
policy, but the Dutch give stories that filter
through from the front, though they often
have had to rely more than once for news
from English papers three weeks old.
Milner is declared to be in state Of hys-
terra over the awful miscarriage of his pol
Icy and the ruinous price England is paying
Tor following his advice. He sees none but
members of his staff. The government OF
Cape Colony is largely run by Sir Forester
Walker commander-in- n-chief Of the Cape.
England is stunned.
The war office made public the report of
ticker service for some reason broke down
after the first 100 words.
The war Office was crowded in twenty min
utes by men who drove in cabs from the
United Service club, the National Liberal
club and other public resorts, clamoring for
news The report was posted and the crowd
stood about cursing There was no clamor,
but men with oaths in their mouths de-
clared that this means the calling out of all
the militia and that the volunteers must be
summoned at once for duty. Nearly every
man who looked over the report on the war
office bulletin board went away disgusted.
Some said:
why in - didn't he sit right down.
What we wanted was time or victory All
the disloyal Cape Dutch will be up now. It's
serious. It's awful"
Mr.. Clarke, NJ. p, holding power as a
Transvaal representative, said tonight: ut
appears to be a Boer victory l can't tell
yet. We must be calm. Let us wait and
see"
In the Liberal club and other late resorts
friends OF the Beers said: ut is Just the
same old trap. The British have not fought
white men unaided in this century. The
Beers will win their independence, Isn't
this the basis for foreign intervention? What
more do they want? It's like the American
revolution, Chamberlain and the stock
brokers brought on this war and they're
getting enough of it,"
Sad News for England
The News military expert declares Buffers
repulse the saddest news received In Eng
land since the Indian mutinles, and adds
that the present war presents many analo-
gies to the civil war in America and the
Peninsular war, but for the present Butler
has only been repulsed, not routed.
ha oil to ha
war officials. was to be in Pretoria by
Christmas. His army corps was described
as a steam roller that would advance in
triumph over the Free State and Transvaal
hence red tape officials Ignored the sugges-
tion to enlist South African Englishmen and
volunteers both from home and from the
colonies. At present England is very de-
nuded of troops by reason OF the ignorance,
hardness and miseacuations Of some ofh-
cials"
The Chronicle says I'VE wanted victory
sorely and We have not got it. Three reverses
In a few days makes this the gloomiest
week since the war began"
The Telegraph says; The moral fibre
of the British empire is now being tested
as it has not been since crimea and the
mutiny. 1t is necessary TO convince now
not only the Beers, but the disloyal Cape
Dutch and continental Europe of the
strength of our military resources"
The Standard says: THE sacrifices AL
ready made in the lives, health and liberty
OF our eountrymen are painful. 1t will be a
sad Christmas in many EngSsh homes. Sue