The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1899-10-21
~ PARLIAMENT.

~ PARLIAMENT
London, oct 2i-The dispatches re-
ceived from South Africa leave no
doubt that the Beers failed i'm their
endeavors 10 execute q combined at
tack in Natal and that the British has
achieved a brilliant victory but at the
cost Of a heavy list of killed and
wounded.
Ii Is almost impossible to over esti-
mate the Importance of this initial vic
tory the result Of an engagement in
which, in a fairly fought field, dlsci-
pline and tictlcal skill have told heav-
ily.
Besides restoring British prestige It
has proved that the Boer artillery.
whether directed by Germans or not,
is practically valueess.
In parliament the house having gone
! into committee Of supply the parla-
mentary under secretary OF state for
war, Mr. Wynham. introduced the sup
Elementary army estimates. In the
| course of an explanation of the nature
o fthe call and Of the manner i'm which
! the nat on has responded to it, he
! said:
The British military system. If it is
worth anything, must enable us to
send an expedition abrod without de-
IRVING our homes OF protection. We
cannot BE- satisfied unless we can send
such an expedition without destroying
the machinery for maintaining our
army abroad.
Dealing with the army corps, now
going oyt. Mr.. Wynham said it num-
bered 1000 regulars, all trained and
mature men. including 5000 cavalry,
III guns. 261 wagons from 5000 to H.
600 horses and $4,000 mules. 1t had been
necessary to call a portion of the re-
serve IN order 60 bring some of the
regiments 10 their full war strength
The government therefore had called
for $4,000 men. Assuming that q 900
would be effectiye-and this eXpecta-
ton had been fully verified the British
force in the field would consist Of 26,-
600 men with the colors and q 900 res
ery.sts
This may seena large force, said
Mr. Wyndham hut we must reflect
that the TWO republics. by their Just
opposition have a strategfcal advan-
tage. enabling them to concentrate for
attack AZ any point on a frontier Of
20-0 miles. a frontier everywhere hun
dreds Of miles from the sea and when
We consider the area involved. which
IS Inhabited by $500 600 natives, 1t
is clear that considerations of human
ry dictate that the empire should dis
play an unnis taxable exhibition of
streu 9Th in order 10 rescue one Of it's
greatest dependencies from the hor-
rors Of doubtful and dilatory opera
tons.
In explaining the organizations of
the enormous transport service Mr. 7
Wyadham said me reason IN was not
mo oHizeJ earlier would be apparent
when hedeciared that the embodiment |
OF three army corps for home defense !
and the dispatch Of TWO army corps /
50 q country where facilities Of loco /
motion existed would be a grayed, yet |
a shorter and easier task BY October |
25, -4,000 men would be shipped, that |
IS IN less than six days.
The cost Of mObilizing 1900 men. !
the msix thousand miles |
equiPpinS them, maintaining them for |
four months IN a Ind destitute Cf sur |
plus supplies. Mr.. Wyndhan sid, |
would De 1000, 900 pounds.
by dispatching these 80 battalions, |
he continued. we destroy 80 machines |
fer training men and instructing offic- |
ers in their simplest duties and we al !
50 break up the more complex organ
ism OF brigades necessary for instruc-
tion - general nd tsarf officers. The |
government, therefore, propose TO en-
body thirty three battliOns OF militia. |
We should have violated a funda- |
mental principle OF our army system /
II Ne had modified without militia, |
that principle being that when all the I
bap,dlions of a regiment are sent I
abrod We must call out the affiliated |
militia battalion and form a provision |
al battalion by welding the militia and !
the men under 20 left behind
MI Wundham concluded with an
culogy OF the commander in chief Lord |
Wolseley. and Of the officers of the |
The Irish members and Henry La |
bourche alone opposed the estimates.
Mr. Michael Davitt, characterized the |
war = a ''hideous and damnable mas
sacre." He said there had never been |
such magnificent robbery by force, |
doubtless because the prize was the |
greatest that ever tempted the cupid |
Wy Of the empire.
John Dillon thought that a greaI /,
country ought to be ashamed 10 have |
10 cali out its reserves.
William Redwood, vigorously de- |
nounced the policy of the government. |
Nj Redmond DerSistad in his re- {
marks and the chairman asked him TO |
resume his seat This he refused to !
do