Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1899-11-21
Salisbury Talks Of
the TranSYaal War

Transvaal war:
THE great subject that int rests all
of us undoubtedly is this war adorned
with so many splendid teats of heroism
and skill, but saddoned by SO many
losses | have great difficulty in deal
ing with the war and if | attempted
to deal with the futrc | should &c I'M
dertaking a task IL. prophecy from
which the hardest would shrink. IL
speak at all 1t may rather be to depre-
cate criticisms and statements which
| think unfounded than to attempt to-
pass judgment on what still depends
upon the future FOR it's full determine
ton.
Respecting The feeling expressed
twice or thrice that the want of troops
Is due to want OF action on tile part
of the home government, | would point
out that there have been two or three
voices. Two or three months ago we
were told by the most authoritative
voice outside tho Government that
there was no occasion for military pre-
parations. Since then we have been
blamed because there were no military
preparations. BIJ neither OF these
criticisms is at all relevant TO the
events which have been taking place.
Ii has been often said, especially
abroad, that We are strong ration
attacking a weak one, but 50 long as
the principal part Of our forces is sep
arated by an interval of five or six
weeks from the field of action IL would
rather be true to say that we are a
weak nation fgh ing a strong nation.
Elements of distance are very essen
tial in this matter.
1T would have been nothing to The
purpose for issuing proclamations for
the reserves some weeks earlier For
what was the cause. of the war and
what was the cause of the u;timatum?
II was not because of any demand we
had made. II so happens at the mo-
ment the ultimatun was issued we had
withdrawn our demands and there
were no demands before the Transvaal
Government. II was because We had
taken measures To increas, the amount
OF our forces in South Africa. But IL
that had been done few months soon
eI exactly the same result would have
taken place. The moment you had
shown signs of raising yonr force to
ar equality with the force of South
Africa, that moment the ultimatum
have begun.
1T is not, theref) rc. right TO say that
there was not adeqnat, military prepa
ration. The evil dates farther back.
II dates to those unfortunate arrange
ments in 1881 end 1854 by which we
deliberately permitted community
obviously hostile to enjoy the I'M
bounded, unlimited right cf Gccumulat-
~ nf m
after year an accumulation Of NUM-
tons was made which could only he
directed against us. Hampered by
these arrangements It was impossible
| that we should avoid the interval OF
trial and danger necessary Ia inter
vene between the moment when wgr
was declared and the moment when
our forces could accept the contest and
appear upon the Geld.
THAT interval has nearly passed.
I Our troops are beginning TO arrive.
Foreign nations have complimented us
upon the calmnes9 with which We have
received the intelligence of occasion
al checks. Whatever strategy there
might be, we are we'll aware that the
| beginning of our conflict with The
Beers must be marked by retirement
of our troops from positions they Arc
not strong enough to occupy. Ii is
necessary that we should wait Tor sufii-
Client reinforcemcntJ. do Lcc at.
| tempt to forecast tie future. | oaly
say that my faith In the British sol
der is unbounded, and am deeply
gratified To feel that lie is in the vigor-
Gus, sagacious hands Of General Butler
Regarding the future | will only
deprecate some very strange assertions
that | see occasionally in the Continen.
tai press. Only tue other day saw II
asserted-not by a chance writer, but
| by a man who has been n member OF
the French Government that this wal
had for its objects the qualification OF
the lust of greedy lords, VINO desired
a partition among themselves of the
gold and diamonds of tho 1'ransvaal
Now, | beg to assure this gentleman
that her Majest-'c Cabinet have not
had not had farthing from the Trans
vaal or from any other gold fields
There is the Yukon, about which there
is no contest. u there had been any
chance of our gaining advantages thes,
Yukon gold fields should have yielded
something; but appeal to my friend
Lord Hamilton, 20 know IL the Cabinet
ever had farthing from her. Laugh
teri.
81 go further. England us ID whole
would have mad no advantage from the
possession of gold mines except as hei
Government conferred the blessing Of
good administration upon those engag
ed in the industry. All industry breeds
commerce and all commerce has pro
duced is to the advantage OF England
| indngtrinZ nd n ~
ish better under her Government thar
any other regime In the world. Bu
that Is the limit Of our interest
What we desire Is equal rights be
fore all men and all races and security
for our fellow subjects ard our EN-
pire. The hour for asking by wha
means these results can he obtained Il
not yet come, but these are the objects