Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1899-10-28

!
Privileges at Gibraltar Temper
arily Suspended Michael Duvitt's
Plan ofProtcst Against War.
! London, Oct. 26,--Nith unconscious
| humor, a Cape Town correspondent tel
| egraphed yesterday. The censorship
which is always a delicate matter, is
working smoothly and without Il hitch"
This exactly hits off the state of af-
fairs today. An ominous Veil is still
| drawn over the movements of both
General White and General Yule. Be-
yOnd belatcd Ladysmith dispatches con-
| cernilg the Elanlslaagte tight, which
are stlll fltering in, the British public
Is left in complete darkness and to con-
| lecture over "cooked'' war dispatches.
The officials Of the war office last even
ing said that very few dispatches had
arrived.
Since it is practically certain that Cen
eral Yule has now effected a conjunc-
ton With General White, although this
was not brought about Tuesday night
as announced in The Daily Mail, but
| some time on Wednesday, and as both
| are IoW III Il pOSllloH VI ostictS, Soii-
lecture concerns itself chiefly with the
manner of General Yule $ retreat
| That it Was hasty is evident. Was 1t
| diSordelly? Was any considerable
camp equipment abandoned? Was
there any fighting on the way? Such
questions, and others like them, the pub
lie is anXiously asking. Since the re-
ceipt of General Whites curious first
description of the Ladysmith fight, in
which the British lost 100 men, little re-
lance can be placed on the official dis
| patches. While the cuncealment of the
| facts regarding General iule's retreat
can he amply justified on the ground Of
| keeping the Intelligence from the l'Uers,
| the hiding of the news respecting the
! hussars and tusliers, who We're APP
| parently captured in the battle at Glen
| zoe, is severely criticised, no intimation
even having been given that the officers
| were missing.
| The heavy losses of the British troops
| IN facing only some 5000 Beers are COM
mented upon as what rifle fire means to-
| day in the hands of even undiscipincd
\ men, who can shoot fairly straight, and
| stand their ground. Comparisons are
made with the first employment of the
magazine rifle in the Hispano- American
war and it is considered that the Amer
lean losses at El Caney and San Juan
would have been much heavier if the
Spaniards had doggedly stood their
| ground, like the Beers.
The junction of General Yule's column
with General Whites force, after d
| skirmish with the Orange Free state
troops, will enable them to take up il
strong defensive position at Ladysmth.
General White was not responsible .ur
the separation of the forces in the two
Garrisons at Il distance too great - aG-
nit of cooperation and support. There
were strategical reasons for it, SINCE
| Glencoe, with railway spur leading 20
| Dundee, was the natural outpost 70" he
| defense of Natal. and the garrison there
blocked any flank movement that might
have threatened the communications Of
the main body with the coast.
General White receives credit for at
tacking the Beers north of the second
battlefield, in order to distract their at
tention and to allow General iule 10
march across the country and to loin
| forces with him. General Whites
third victory" however. proves to have
| been a drawn battle he merely content-
ing himself with holding the Beers in
| check to cover Yule's retreat.
Many experts are satisfied that Cen
| eral Joubert is even row close to the
| heels of the British, and that . decisive
| action may be fought today. The main
| fact is that the British were forced to
evacuate the natural triangle which the
Beers rightly claim as a conspicuous sue
| cess.
The situation in the west is becomiHg &
| complicated. The Boer proclamati ms
of annexation and the claims of 4 vic
| tory at Glencoe are Liable to induce tie
| Dutch to side with their countrym' II
| already in the field. 1t is said, .of in
| stance, that the Buer forces have evaCu-
ated Vryburg, which will be garrisono d
| by the local Dutch 1t is also bell v,d
that the Dutch beyond Griquatown arc
| only awaiting encouragement to declare
| for the Transvaal
| New ana stringent orders were pro-
mulgated yesterday with reference to
| the defences of Gibraltar The privilege
| Englishmen have hitherto had Of enter
| ing the gate without Il pass is tempor-
| arily suspended. Nobody is allowed to
enter or to inspect the batteries. Even
the famous St. Michael's cave is closed
because it is required for the storage of
| arms and ammunition.
Michael Davitt, Irish Nationalist.
member for South Mayo, announced IN
the house of commons yesterday that he
would resign as Il protest against the
Boer war. Mr.. Davitt denounced the
jingo press, and said that the war for the
| mo- nd inns WNnlT
be known as the greatest crime of the
| century. He declared that If he had bee n
offered home rule and an Irish republic
he would not have accepted them if ac
companied by the condition that he vote
for the war. As q protest he would ask
to be relieved from attendance in the
house. He had been in the house sor five
years trying to obtain justice for Ireland
and he left it convinced that mo caus
of justice and right would have tho sup
port of the house unless backed by
force"
Regarding Mr.. Davitt. Mr. Chamber
lain said he recognized that he had
hitherto discussed the matter mod
erately and sincerely. and. he added
II would pay the greatest attention to
his arguments il did not know he would
use precisely the same arguments in re-
gard to any British war. " hich are based
on his enmity to England"
I'VE are told We shall lose South
Africa. Our foreign friends are con-
vinced of it. Yet they are not happy
Such pt edictions We're made Before and
were even current in the days of Eliza
Jameson the Next Conner.
New York, Oct. 26-The Post says:
| There is a strong probability that the