New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-20
.JOTREPT'S PLAN OF CAMPAIGN.

Either "The ST. James's Gazette" has found
mares nest or General Joubert Is far more
of n rainbow chaser than any other hardheaded
Pennsylvania Dutchman Oh record. That news
paper. which Is by no means an untrustworthy
sheet generally speaking, prints from an alb
solutely reliable source what purports TO be
the plan of campaign to be pursued by General
Joubert In case Of war between Great Britain
and the Transvaal. He will have an army Of
twenty thousand men, exclusive Of fine Euro
pean artillery force, and with 1t he will take the
aggressive. He will first take Kimberley and
blow up the hated Mr.. Rhodes's diamond mines.
Then he will push on TO Cape Town, occupy 1t
In triumph within a fortnight of the declaration
of war, and from that point of vantage dictate
terms Of peace to Great Britain. That Is the
amazing programme.
The first question that arises is where on
earth General Joubert is to get his twenty thou
sand men. He cannot look to the British and
American colonists, that Is sure, but must de-
pend upon the Beers. The Boer population OF
the entire Transvaal is about sxty-three thou
sand of whom at least 40 per cent are women.
The entire number OF male Beers OF fighting age
that u.s. between the years OF eighteen and sixty
is certainly not more than fifteen thousand. so,
chen, If General Joubert took every able-bodled
man in the State leaving only boys and women
10 keep the seven hundred and fifty thousand
negroes in order, he would have an army only
three ourths as large as that on which he
counts In the mean time what would the Out
landers be doing? There are some eighty-seven
thousand of them, of whom about thirty thou
sand are able-bodied men. They alone outnum-
Der the Beers two TO one. Would they be play
ing checkers while Joubert was marching on
Kimberley? And the ten thousand or more
British regulars who just now happen to be In
Cape Colony and who do not seem to be in any
hurry to get away before the Transvaal ques
ton Is settled: what would they be doing while
Joubert was taking Cape Town? 1t is not
necessary to inquire further about the people
OF the Cape, the better part of whom would
certainly side with the British Government nor
about the further forces which could be rushed
into the country at short notice.
The fact Is the whole scheme is utterly fan
tastic IL II Is not the invention OF some ro-
| uancer, II indicates that General Joubert who
has been credited with far better sense actually
out Kriigcrs Krtger in ignorance and vanity.
The scheme is worthy of place beside the be-
| lief which seriously prevails among many Beers
that the British flag is white. because as they
say. that Is the color II was at Majuba Hill. II
| may be that General Joubert thinks Majuba
Hill could be repeated against any force the
British might send Perhaps. too, the Khalifa
| thought he could deal with Kitchener as he or
mis- predecessor dealt with Hicks and Gordon
1t is deplorable if it is so, for, of course such
| fances are vain and worse than vain for they
can have no effect except to entice their dupes
! into most disastrous conflict. 1t would be