El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-09
AMERICANS
in AFRICA
They Are, In the Opinion Of
An English Ex-
NEEDED DOWN There
Because Of Their Business
Like Methods OfFighting
And Disregard Of
Uniform

"What England peeds in South
Africa is an American army" was the
startling statement made at thu Orn-
dorff the other night by Cecil Lswton
Simms, an Englishman, and formerly
an officer in her msjesty's service at
tached to the household cavalry, the
pick of the British army.
| Mr.. Lawton-Simms's subsequent
| qualification took any hurt away from
his first statement. He is fine speci-
men of English manhood with
blond mustsche and over
six feet in stature, erect and SOL
dierly in appearance. Formerly lieu
tenant in the Household Guards, he
left the service the year following the
Queens Jubilee, because of the great
expense entailed by continuing in the
army, and has since, as civil en-
gineer, made various investigations in
this country for wealthy En-
glishmen. He left over the Mex
icau Central for thu City of Mexico
whence he goes south to make en-
gineering reports on the new Southern
National and International railroad to
Honduras.
II do not mean" said Mr.. Lawton-
Simms, 'to reflect on the fighting
man could be more loyal than 1, but L
do mean to say that the magnificent
courage and fighting qualities of the
English solGier are hampered and
smothered by the almost criminal ig-
norance of the officers in actual field
work, by the absurd tight fitting and
inconvenient uniforms worn; and by
the strict system of purely tactical dis
cipline that prevails.
"On the con ary, see the American
soldier and his work in Cuba. When
l first came over here from my own
u edness 20 the glittsring breast plate
and snowy uniform our guards wore, 1
looked rather with miserasion ON
the dull blue of the American private
soldier, but when at Chicksmaugs in
the spring of '9S 1 saw these same boys
in blue at skirmish drill and saw them
in comfortable loose fitting
clothes. disregarding every obstacle,
have only the point of attack in view,
saw where glitter and show and dress
parade discipline did not make an
army. And l am convinced that the
same devil-m ay-care spirit, imbued by
freedom from silly restraints, is just
what is needed to meet the rough and
ready Beers.
"The war will no doubt result in our
favor, as an English officer has predict
ed, because we have q formida BILE, su
perior force, but it will cost enormous
sacrifices in men, because it is only too
true that our leaders do not know any
thing about war. and our officers do
not understand how to lead troops
against we'll armed enemy.
81 can quote q well-known English
author, who states, in a work
on the English army, how hateful the
study of the his tory of w ar is to the
English officer. The English officers
are opposed to what in your case would
be called shop talk But inssmuch as
they can learn but little from their |
wars against the Afridis and the Sou
aanese; as the drill upon the parade |
ground affords no opportunity for the
of tactical wisdom: as
the officer is eager to
strip himself of every military vestige |
as soon as he has left the hated drill
ground, and at best studies antiquated |
battles of English history, it is not at
Ill surprising that even in the man
oeuvre he plays a role which is ques-
tionsbls for military eye. 1t is even
10 that the gentlemen play at
soldier.
"They are gentlemen who, by their |
attitude and their lack of interest |
1uring the progress of a manoeuvre |
and by their conduct when not in SER
vice, evince only too plainly that they !
have donned the uniform simply be-
cause of the title that goes with it
because it is fashionable for sons of !