The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1899-06-24
CONQUEST Of TRANSVAAL.
COMMENT OF AN ENGIIsHMAH,


Chicago, June 20.--Lord Cecil Dougla.
Compton, an Engiish army captain Of Ian
caster, after brief stay in Chicago, left iol
the east last night with his wife. LORD
Compton served in South Africa for five
years. He did not participate in the jaime
son raid but he was in the country at that
time and Immediately after that untoward
enterprise he entered the Transyaal eoun
try and trayersed much of it He know.
the Beers and their country, and he eonsid,
cred both critically from the standpoint Of
a military officer and student. He spoke
OF the nansvaal problem entirely a. nal.
itary man. He said.
There are motives of fair play and hu-
manity which make Great Britain exceed.
ingly reluctant to interfere in South Africa
by force. 1t is only candid to say that
considerations Of military character also
operate to make US ehary about rushing
into campaign which presents the most
formidable obstacles and involves questions
OF transport, supply and strategy that
might stagger military experience.
I'm the first place, the Beers from the
Transyaal are magnificent guerrilla sol.
diers, Their history has proved it and they
are fully up to their standard today. They
are expert marksmen, born rough riders,
such as your own cowboys, and their eOur-
age and tenacity are undeniable. Individ-
ually they are as good military stuff as the
world possesses. They also are thoroughly
convinced Of the justice of their cause, and
would die to a man at the word OF Dom
Paul.
But aside from their morals and their
fitness, the Transyaal country is one ad-
mirably adapted for the purposes of de-
Tense. 1t is land with large uninhabited
spaces. An army invading it must have a
distant base and its supplies must be
brought through a semi-troPical country
under the most disadvantageous eondi-
tons. Capetown is a thousand miles from
Naal river, and ii an attack were to be
made from Natal there would be noun
tains to work through and much tropical
growth. The question of transportation
would be serious. We would need thou.
sands of mules, which must be brought |
rom South America. The ocean distance |
tuu inc duNeIsc GllEldtS NOulu XIII the i
animals of by the hundreds, and the act |
nal work would entail even greater losses
There is a question Of strategy as well. |
The Beers would be difficult to hit in q
mass. Indeed, they might not be modified
n an European sense at all. In an arid,
oeky country, filed with splendid shots,
With no real objective point to capture,
nth a disaffected or actively hostile pop
Ilation on your flank or rear, the conquest
i the Transvaal would be one OF the most
rduous undertakings We ever entered
pon. In my opinion, no less than sixty
men would be required Your
wn Philippine war is not 50 difficult. In
eed, it is folly to underestimate the mill
airy strength of the Transvaal, which pro
eeds not alone from the material character
the population, but also from the nature
I the country itself. And the Beers are
rmed TO the teeth. The money realized
y taxation of Uitlanders has been spent
4 arms and artillery, so that the republic
ePresents on a small scale the military
imp which the continental powers exhibit {
n a great scale"