Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-19

St Louis Republic The English must
change their military tactics in South Africa
IL they hope to escape final and complete
disaster at the hands OF the Dutch
Globe Democrat: Keeping his own artil-
lery silent enabled Joubert to get eleven
fine British cannon under his rifles. The
Beers have remarkable gift of guessing
| what their adversary will do next aud lay
I ing snare to fit the case.
Chicago Tribune. Dom Pauls ominous
words: England may win, but 1t will be at
! terrible cost" seem already verified. He
! has given England the saddest Christmas
/ it has had this many a year The emblcms
OF death are strangely mingled with the
/ holly and the mistletoe.
Cleveland Plain Dealer: With its forces
! iu South Africa either checked or routed,
with its supply of available regular troops
/ exhausted, with its best fighting generals
] beaten to standstill in their first en-
counters with the enemy, II is easy to
imagine the dsmay with which Great Britain
would hear OF such a crowning disaster as
last nights dispatch makes it seem probable
has overtaken General Butler and his army.
Springfield Republican: 1t does not seem
an eXaggcration to say that at this moment
the British empire seems nearer to another
dismemberment than before since the sur
render of CORVALLIS at Yorktown. And for
this situation the British people have to
thank some imperialistc statesmen who
plunged into an unnecessary war without
apparently, any conception of the r. al pro-
portions it would assume, or the cost in
men and treasure
Kansas City Star: 1t would appear that
nothing can avail in South Africa except the
reconstruction of the British army. Its mere
reinforcement will not answer If General
Butler had possessed twice the guns at
Tugela he would have lost them, with the
same management. The same results would
have attended the efforts Of General White,
General Gatacre and General Methuen, under
like circumstances, had they been twice as
strong in men and gune
Chicago Chronicle: Every British reverse
has been due in great part to the bumptious
ness of officers who deemed it matter of
course that the Beers would run at the eight
Of redcoats-and this, too, despite memories
of Majuba and Laing's Mex. The British
officer is still of the Braddock model and
though his self confidence is we'll enough |
his reasoning powers are just as certainly
defective. 1t is the historic case of the bull
that tackled the locomotive: your courage
is admirable, but d-n your discretion"
the staggering effects of this bow to the |
British nation. Beaten at Stormberg, beaten |
at Modder river beaten at Colenso-the !
center, right and left all forced back-the re-
lief Of Kimberley no longer pCssible-the re-
lief OF Ladysmith apparently equally hope /
less! month ago Englishmen held it i'm
possible that the strongest military nat on
in the world could so lower the British
prestige. Yet these blows have heen de-
lvered from the hands of a handful of
despised Dutch farmers who we're not even
recognized as possessing an independent ma
tonality! 1t seems incredible
indianapolis News Some years after the
end Of the civil war the predecessor of Gen
eral Butler wrote a book in which he DEM
onstrated that the campaign of the union
generals in the war for the union were con-
Quoted in violation of the science of war,
and declared that if the war had been other
than a series of skirmishes Grant and Sher-
man would have been beaten. The science of
war Of that writer was developed in Europe
a century or more ago. When applied 10
the present time, with the present equip
ment and in different country it is no
longer science, but the reverse.
Detroit journal: When General Butler left
England for South Africa a biography
printed OF him from information furnished
from London led the world TO believe that
his first recreation on landing at the scene
of his operations you'd be to eat Beers three
lines daily with cold Beer for lunch. 1t was {
said of him that he would not give any :
quarter; he was to be pitiless. We were led
o believe that all the rules of merc!ful war
'are would be disregarded by this warrior,
who had been given the permission to cut
he wires behind him and go to any length Of
;laughtering to let the world know that |
Great Britain not to be defed by a {
,oarse people who seldom washed and never a
shaved or mancured their hands. 1t seems, G
however, that there were two Buffers and |
hat one escaped in transit through incorrect :
Of the shipping label. The one !
1t least, who turned up at the TugeG river :
lad all the quarter for the Beers and little G
or his own men; he disregarded none of :
he rules Of war except that Of knowing al
ways where the enemy is; and he proved
hat he to whom the word retreat was sup
,osed to be unknown knew it as well as the
nen who first tried the movement.