Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-12-29
Some Time Before Hostilitie.
Began of the Preparedness
of Beers.
War Office Turned Him Down
and the Public Inquiries
Why.

peaTS CnaC B STORM Is brewing on thu
subject of the course of the government
towards General Sir Willi&m Butler
whose conduct at the outset of the wa,
met with much criticism.
1t is said that General Butler, pre-.
vious to the war, sent a series of dis
patches warning the government
against attacking the Beers, giving de.
tails of their condition for war which
have been verified by recent events.
But his dispatches were very distasteful
to the government and were put away
out of sight and General Butler was
harshly criticized.
General Butler, it seems, drew atten.
ton to the manner in which the English
were misled by the blindness of the in.
telligence department., which, from
what has taken place, was totally ma
ware of or purposely misinformed by
the Beers as to their arms and numeri.
cal strength. It is we'll known here
that British agents of the intelligence
department were sent from time to
time to find out what the Beers were
doing in the way of armament. The
Beers knew all about it, but simulated
naivette and conducted visitors around
forts which they chose for their own
purposes, where old guns were set up
and shown with an affectation of pride
by President Kruger's men, who were
cunning enough to inspire strangers by
their plausibility.
Gullod by the Willy Burgher.
Thus the British intelligence depart.
ment received the most minute reports
of the calibre, range and number of the
cannon possessed by the Beers, but
were merely gulled by the willy burgh-
er. The real guns with which the wal
Is conducted, the Cruesots and Krupps
were so carefully hidden that scarce a
soul outside the immediate circle of the
government knew of them.
The English government sent out
guns equal in calibre to what the agents
had been allowed to see.
In the same view, it is thought the
Beers understated their numerical
forces and small arms.
1t is understood that all these things
were told to the home government by
General Butler, with the result that
Butler vas called disloyal and pro-
Boer, and rabid papers demanded his
degradation.
Ask For the Dispatches.
But since the war began people who
knew the contents of General Buffers
dispatches have come forward and
asked that they be published. The at.
tention of members of parliament has
been called to the matter and when the
commons are assembled, in six weeks
time, demand will be made for the pub.
LEGATION of the dispatches.
If it be asked why General Butler
did not speak out, it must be remem-
bered that he is a military man in a
high position and says ''My lips are
sealed" but the subject is now occupy
ing the club gossips.
One very clever clubman remarked
that the question really amounts to
this: SIS he a traitor or a MARTYR"
Another said: us General Butler
the Dreyfus of this war, and has he
been snubbed by the queenp For it
will be remembered that when the
queen visited Bristol, he was with
drawn from the chief command of the
Western district and it was stated that
he would have been hooted had he ap-
peared. Has he been insulted by the
press in order to shield the war Office
which believed the intelligence depart
ment rather than the chief of the South
African forcesp"
Some one else said: Remember
Lord Wolseley's recent dispatch, We
have been grossly misinformed as to
the strength and resources of the Beers.
The public naturally asks Deceived by
whomT'"