Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-10-19

NSoBS 4ASlASu W siSsOCldleu 1TOSS.
London, Oct. l5.-War, so often pre-
dicted in these dispatches as being the
inevitable climax To hopeless condi-
ton Of things, has come at last and is
now in full swing for the subsection of
the little republic whose military sun
sets and rises at Majuba Hlll. Great
Britain has set going machinery more
powerful than that which crushed
Napoleon and twice as strong as that
which gave her Egypt and the Soudan.
General Sir Redvers Butler has gone
and already the boer bullets have sung
the song of desperate defiance That
the next few weeks will be marked by
sharp fighting can almost be taken for
granted. That the result will prob
ably be for time not too favorable to
British may also be admitted. The
main question is how long are hostilf-
ties to last? Ultimate English victory
is almost assured by virtue of over
whelming strength. No forecast of the
length and nature of the campaign
should be ventured without a knowl-
edge of the extraordinary circum-
stances communicated to the Asso-
ciated Press on most reliable author
ity, though hitherto not printed in
England, namely that Gen. Butler has
gone to take entire control of the south
as absolute as was Wellington,
but less hampered than was
Kitchener. Therefore, not only
the conduct of the war lies in his
discretion, but also virtually, the future
of all south Africa, and no prognostica-
lions are of any value without first
taking into consideration his personal
character for obstinacy and frankness,
traits responsible for the supremacy
he has attained. He refused to accept
the command unless guaranteed from
$4,000 to 10000 men and allowed the
selection of his own personal staff, as
he suspected that, without such guar
antees, Lord Wolseley would attempt
to pay off old scores. His control will
be supreme.
The Armored Train.
London, Oct. 15.-The following Of
fetal dispatch has been received from
Cape Town: The engine driver and
one native escaped from the armored
train, the former being wounded in the
hand. He reports that Captain Mes
bitt was slightly wounded and the
party in the train, whose number he
does not know, was captured by the
beers. He believes the prisoners were
unframed. The armored train sent
to Vryburg from Kimberley with two
seven-pounders returned in safety
having transferred it's guns to the train
that was destroyed.
Sir Buffers Plans
Sir Butler is pretty certain to cut the
wires behind him to be out of touch
with London at critical moments, for
fear the cabinet might change it's mind
1t is this man, then, whom some of his
own officers do not hesitate to call a
brute, however much they admire his
determination who holds the destiny
of the Transvaal and the Orange Free
state in his hand. He known the beers
and he hates them. He has cam
paigned over the whole present battle
ground and is, above all, a soldier from
head to foot. AS soon as he reaches
south Africa he will inaugurate cam
paign of such aggressiveness as the
world has seldom seen, but which he
believes justifiable by virtue of his
own superior force. Gen. Buffers
mission is nearly in keeping with the
spirit of the colonial office Rightly or
wrongly he believes war to be the only
possible method of solving the Trans
vaal trouble. England may or may
not have justification for her conten-
tions, but the government organs,
which must know the real feelings of
the anti-boer party in England, have
made pitiful hypocrites of themselves
in printing jeremiades upon Kruger's
perverseness in sending an Ill
timatum. The only thing that
surprises the impartial observer is that
the Transvaal president did not adopt
this course weeks ago, before the
British achievements arrived. The
only explanation of his failure to do so
lies in the report that he over-esti-
mated the strength Of the British
peace party. Once Gen. Butler gets to
work, it is believed here, the beers will