The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-15
WORSE THAN prrEATEp,


WORSE THAN DEFEATED.
England has not met such a foe for
. long period. She hes had wars IN
which occasional losses were heavy;
such as those which made the charge
Of the Six Hundred at Balaklava the
theme Of the poet and the historian.
but they have always been accompanied
or relieved by victories Even in the
terrible conflicts which took place IN
India. when small bodies OF British
troops were on more than one occasion
cut to pieces by overwhelming iiordes
of Sepoys. the imperial forces swept
everything before them.
In the Boer they have met foe who
is as full Of fight as Tommy Atkins
himself. and who Is led by soldiers
whose capacity Is shown to be fully
equal to the proud officers who are
seeking TO carry me queens standard
into the territory Of the two little re-
publics.
1t was admitted by the British au-
thorities before the war began that the
public might look for temporary re-
pulses because the Beers were known
to be In much greater numbers than
the English could muster: Not only
has that been true, but the English
have been more badly beaten since the
reinforcements arrived ct the Cape than
before. Every one Of the generals who
has engaged with the enemy. with the
sole exception Of Col. Baden Powell, has
been worsted. Gen. white has been
able to maintain his position at Lady
smith, but he must be in sorry plight.
He is simply withstanding a siege. He
cannot Get away and ID hshting like
a rat in . corner. Like Lord Methuen
and Gen. Gatacre. he has had to admit
that he was outwitted by the Beers.
besides being outnumbered.
Every time the British have attempt
ed to engage the Beers in pitched bat
tie they have found themselves in q
trsD. This has been more notifying
than the losses by death. 1t IL the first
time in recent English history that so
many crack regiments have been put to
shame by capture. With the exception
Of Northern Natal there is no prospect
of any Improvement. The British COM
manders are In q very precarious posi-
ton. and even the relief Of Ladysmith
will not help them much.
1t is very probable that II Clery can
reach Ladysmith in time the combined
forces win drive the Beers back through
Laings Mex. There they can make
stand and with q considerably reduced
force hold the pass for an indefinite
time. They win lose very little by re-
firing from Natal, and, once more in
trenched behind the Drakensbergs, q
large part Of the army can be sent back
to the west side OF the Transvaal, where
they can reinforce the divisions now
threatening Kimberley and Mafeking.
The British are now in q hostile ter
ritory. The border land Of Cape Col
ony il nothing more than Dutch set
Element, and even II the colonists should
profess to remain loyal. they will Sc
cretly do all in their power to harass
the British and aid the Beers.
No less serious than the moral effect
of British reverses in South African
dominions is that created throughout
Europe. Before the war broke out sym
pathy went with the Beers. who are
supposed to be scarcely able to take
care OF themselves. The republics were
represented all over Europe as being
almost too small for a big bully to
touch and. now that the little fellows
have soundly thrashed the giant, SYM
pathy for the Boer has been turned into
contemptuous ridlcule Of the British.