Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-09
LONDON LETTER
Excitement Over the Posi-
bic Conflict
WITH THE TRANSVAAL
Whole Country is in About the Con-
ditiOn of America Before the War
With SPAIN Claims of Miners
Against Canadian Government

London, Sept. ?.-(Copyr.ghted. 1899, by
the Associated Press).-This week Great
Britain has resemhled in every respect
the tremendously exciting week in the
United States which Immediately pre-
coded the outbreak of the war with
Spain. Dreyfus and other topics sunk
into ~obscurity, patriotic enthusiasm has
been at fever heat and the slightest sign
Of preparation for war has been seized
on by the press ana public as an indica-
ton of the status Of the crisis. The diff
ferences between the state Of affairs here
and the situation in the United States IN
April. 1898. Is merely that the projected
campaign IS military instead of ava
According to reliable descriptions of the
troops who ara expected to do the fight
ing. with accounts Of their equipment and
method of transportation. and even the
killing properties Of the bullets which it
is expected Will be soon lodged under
Boer skins The particular pet is now a
bullet known as Mark T." 1t is claimed
/ that its lead cone is harder and less fusi-
Bile than any tried heretofore. Large
quantities are being shipped to Cape
town. Though mobilization has never
been a strong feature of the British arIn
and it is now believed that system as
near perfection as possible has been pre-
! pared. the comInander-in-chief, Field
Marshal Wolseley. General Sir Redvers
Butler. General Evelyn Wood and other
generals have been working s%trenuously
on it for months.
Many new features have been intro
duced. several Of them being based upon
lessons learned by the American troops
in the war with Spain. Among the latter
is the extreme usefulness Of mules in
such a country as the Transvaal. The
British officers who have been in the
United States. Spain and South America
selecting punches of these animals, have
now been ordered to close their purchases
and ship the mules as quickly as possible
to the scene Of the probable hostilities.
All these things, 70 say nothing of the
splendid morale and reputation of the
regiments selected for the campaign, in
dictate that Il war comes. it will be waged
and strongly and that there
Will be no abatement until South Africa
Is flooded with British troops in such
numbers that organized resistance by the
Beers will be impossible. Before the
main British body of troops arrives, it
IS thought possible the Beers may score
decided successes. and even after
being overcome by the force of superior
they may continue the war in
guerilla fashion for many months. But
conservative opinion places six months
as the outside limits for the capture Of
johannesburg and Pretoria. If another
Majuba hill marks the annals of the pos
sible war. it Will not be due to lack of
caution on the part of the British.
The swazis are expected to give Great
Britain considerable aid, and with the
exception Of the Pondes, the whole body
of blacks between Cape Agulhas and the
Zambesi. it is claimed, will rise against
the Transvaal.
The Boer plan Of mobilization is said
to be purely defensive, embracing A.. 900
men, who would occupy strategicai
points IN their own country. But this is
not likely to prevent a raid upon poorly
defended Natal. Thu greatest dangers
the British contemplate facing. apart
from the Beers steady hands and Maui
ser rifles. are climate, lack of forag e ard
the scarcity Of ammunition owing to the
difficulties Of transport. Precautions
have already been taken to avoid the two
last. but there is no doubt that if the
campaign continues many British lives
will be sacrificed to ertYic fever.
Mr.. Montague White, consul general of
the South African republic in London,
said:
IF the ~burghers will not yield to hys-
terra, there is no casus belli. We decline
responsibility for what others have mud
uleu. SuZeidiI!lS Is HOT the Question. ne
franchise Is the rock of difference on
which Mr.. Chamberlain recognized We
shall split. This war, If war must come,
is not going TO end with a flash in the
pan. The struggle will be from Pre-
toria to Capetown. He who declares war
on the I'ransvaal lights the torch of rev.
olution. The Transvaal will not precipi-
tate matters. The burghers will go out
to defend their homes and country when
the note of alarm is sounded. We believe
the British sense Of fair play will pre-
vail"
Former Congressman James n. Lewis
presented his credentials at the United
States embassy. He was cordially re-
ceived. Mr.. Lewis is here to press the
claims for compensation to the American
miners Vino We're eyieted IL the Attn dis
trict of the Northwest Territory by the
Canadian government The matter of
the American miners claims against
Canada has already been taken up, but
no action VIII be taken until the arrival
Of Sir Louis Henry Davies, the Canadian
minister of mines and fisheries, vino is
coming here to present the other side of
the case. BY that time the United States
ambassador, Mr.. Joseph II. Choate, will
have the briefs Of Mr.. Lewis under con-
s;deration. Tie lawyer urges that the
claims may be inclIIed IN the arbitra-
ton before the hIgh commission. Mr..
Dawes offsets, maintaining that such a
method would obStGaot the boundary So
luton. Mr.. Lewis, interviewed by a rep