The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-06-21
BE A HARD CONQUEST.
Have "a touutr> r"cuiitriy suited
foe Easy Defense.

Chicago, June 2O.-Lord Cecil Douglass
Compton. an English captain of lauciers,
after brief stay in Chicago, leftGor the
East last night with his wife Lord Comp
ton served in South Africa for nvc years
He did not participate in the Jamison
company raid, but he was in the country
at that time and Immediately after that
untoward enterprise he entered the Trans
vaal country and trayersed much of ~
lie knows the Beers and their country and
has considered both critically from the
standpoint of military officer and
student.
| He spoke of the Transyaal problem en-
tlrely as military man, lie said There
arc motives OF fair play aud humanity
which make Great Britain exceedingly re-
4 luctant to interfere IN South Africa Wy
! force. But II is only candid 10 aay thai
! considerations of a military character also
| operate to make Us chary about fushih6
/ into a campaign which must present inc
! most formidable obstacles and mover ques-
! tons of transport. supply ana strategy
| that might stagger military eNPor"
tho first place the Beers OF me iran Nall
are magnificent guerilih hshlerS, hel,
| history has proved Il and they are luliy up
ia their stand rd today fheY are Sood
lr,erksmen. born rough riders, sucp as your
COWBOYS and their courage ahi ienHNl'
Is undeni.ble. Individually they are as
good military stun as he world possessSs.
they are also thoroughly convinced OF me
Justice OF their cause and "ouu ule " T"
man at the order OF Dom Paul
But aside from their morale and lheir
6tness ire TransVaal country IS one 70
mirably adapted for the purposes OF ue-
Tense. II Is inland, with largo uninhanll-
ed spaces. An army invading IL must nave
distant base and its supplies must ho
brought up through semi-tropleal cguh
try under serious Disadvantages. NApe
Town is 1000 miles from the Vaal river ana
II an attack were made from Natal there
, MD he mountains TO work through ana
much tropical growth. The question Of
| TRANSFORMATION would be serious ono. "t
would necessarily have to use muies
J which must be brought from SCUM Aiher
lea. The ocean distance anu INC auNe ~,
, climate would XIII the animals on oy lh'
bundrcds and The actual work would en-
tail ever greater loss
"There is the question OF strategy o.
we'll. The Beers would be inclined 10 NJ
in mass. Indeed they might not be mo
bilized Ia European sense ~ AZ ~
/ rocky country filled with splendld shols
! with no real objective point to capture
: with a disaffected hostile population OF
ySur flank the conquest OF the Transvaa
would be one of the most arduons under
!, tDkings we ever entered upon IN M
opinion no less than 10000 men would D.
required. Your Philippine war Is not s.
diffcult Indeed, It Is folly 10 under- esl.
= mate the military strength OF INC itan9
I vaal which proceeds not alone from IN
y martial character of the population ou
also from the nature of the country itse ,,I
And the Beers are armed TO the TEEN
A The money raised by the taxation OF ~
. Uitlanders has been spent in arming IN
4 populace. so that the military represent
: only on small scale the mlllta ,,!t e a.,
which the continental powers exhinit on
iarpa spalen