Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-10-12

London, Oct. S.-Most important
news comes from the Transvaal,
which, if true. probably indicates that
the south African republic is about to
yield or in any case that the beers
have abandoned all idea of invading
Natal. This news is comprised in a
cablegram from New Castle, Natal,
which says that farmers who arrived
there Saturday from Buffalo river
state that the beers are returning to
their homes, leaving patrols along the
river. The dispatch also says that the
feeling at New Castle now is that the
beers do not intend to attack that
place and that the evacuation of the
town was premature. A dispatch from
Durham states that the excitement
there has abated, owing to the beers
holding back from the frontier This
retirement of the beers is what the
British war authorities have expected,
as their defective commissariat would
prevent them from long remaining
along the borders.
Say Britons Are to Blame.
London, Oct. S.-The Green Book is
sued Saturday contains Kruger's reply
co Chamberlain's didspatch referring
to the petition of the outlanders to the
queen. The Transvaal objects to
Britain's interference in its inter
national affairs and explains that if
the outlanders had first addressed their
grievances to the Transvaal instead Of
the British government their COM
plants would have been Immediately
needed. 1t also alleges that those
complaints emanated wholly from a
small body of British who are breed
ing race hatred and revolutionary
movement and whose membership and
newspapers openly boast of the in
fuence exercised by them upon the
policy of the imperial government
Another View of 1t.
London, Oct. S.-Judging from re-
ports from south Africa, state of war
practically exists between Great Bri-
tain and the Transvaal. This seems
the fact that Brush Diplomatic Agent
Conyngham Greene still remains at
Pretoria, and with the further fact that
negotiations continue. The solution of
this apparent paradox probably lies in
Britain's understanding of the rela-
tons between the two governments.
Great Britain is not likely to make 4
formal declaration of war against what
she considers a dependent nation her
process being the mere issue of orders
to her military forces to restore a state
Of sovereignty which she alleges orig
inally existed 1t is this legend of
suzerainty that enables her to palaver
without loss of self respect, and at the
same time, run good chance of plac-
ing the Onus of beginning hOStilitieS
upon the beers, or, failing in that, 10
delay action until she has in the field
sufficient force to Overrun the Trans
vaal. This is the only explanation
possible to reconcile the governments
utteranceS with it's passive reception OF
palpably hostile acts upon the
part of the beers, for it is
impossible to believe that the Trans
vaal forces are massing merely for de-
fensive purposes. Thus, war appears
to be the only possible outcome. If
the beers are determined to precipitate
it, hostilities are only a question OF
days. If England is allowed to take
her own time, two months may elapse
before the first blow is struck. AL
though the week has produced no ne
gotiatiOns tending to throw light upon
the merits of the case, it is evident that
negotiations have not ceased so far as
diplomatic correspondence is concerned.
This goes to show that there is no
cause for immediate hostilities. The
pith of the whole dispute, however, is
daily becoming clearer. The beers are
thoroughly convinced that their free
dom is menaced and England is con-
WINGED that her supremacy in south
Africa is threatened. AS the POSSIBLE
ties of war increase, British conjecture
as to the unfriendly attitude Of other
Europeans powers grows. Reference
is frequently made to probable Russian
aggression in Asia, while it is thought
that France, in the event of hostilities,
is sure to become active in northern
Africa
Atrocities Of Beers.
London, Oct. S.-The Evening News
publishes the following from Cape
town: Reports Of barbaric excuses
committed by the beers on refugees
caused a thrill Of horror here. One is
reported of seventy women and chill
dren being packed in a cattle truck so
tightly they were unable to sit, being
kept side-tracked thirty hours, without
food or water When they attempted
to leave the truck they were driven back
with blows. Every trainload of refu-
gees brings narrowing accounts OF the
barbarities of the beers An Orange
Free state train arrived Saturday, hav-
ing been ninety hours en- route. The
sufferings Of the women were draedful.
Several births occurred on the way, one
in an open cattle truck containing
twenty men.