The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1899-12-27
MARTYR or TRAITOR


Ni'W YORK. Dtc. pa dispatch
g. ,hc Herald from London, slys.
u appears thai storm is brewing
.n the subj-ct Of the c0urs. of the
government toward Grn-ru SIR Will.
! iIam Ruucr whose condu-t al the out
set of the war mt with much criu-
,ipu It is said that General Butler.
Pre-, lois 90 the war. sent a series Of
/ dispatches warning the government
aEainst attacking the Beers. giving
details " ih.ir condition for war
which have been verified By recent
cvu.ts But his dispatches We're very
dyulstriul u The government and
were put away out Of s. ght and Gem
cral Butler WAS harshly criticised.
General Rutlvr. 4 seems. drew at
Icn,l5n to the way In which the Eng
llsh were misl-d by the blindness Of
%, Intelligence department which
from what has taken place. was to-
tally unaware Of. or purposey misln.
formed by he Boss as TO their arms
and uumrrill strength.
II b. well known that the British
agents u the intelligence department
wore selt out from time 70 time 10
nnd out what the Boars were doing In
the way ~ armament The Beers
l,'-'W aIl about IT, but simulated mai
N,ttc and conducted the yisigurs round
for-s which they chose FOR their own
purposes, where old guns were set up
and shown with an Iffectaion Of pride
ly president Krug'rs men. who were
cunning enough TO inspire strangers by
thrr plauslbility.
Thus 10, British Intelligence depart
m,m received The most minute reports
oi ,hr caubra range aud number Of
the cannon poSs ss,d by the Beers,
but wc,e merely sulled by the Willy
butb1er> The gca. guns with which
Ihc war rs conducted. the Creusots
and Krupps wrr. So carefully hidden
that scarce u soul outside the mmed-
ate circle OF ,he government knew OF
thcm
rAy English government sent out
guns equal in calIbre 10 what the
agents had hoal allowed to s5e.
IN the sam, view it is thought that
thy Beers unders,a:,d their numerical
forces aud small arms
Il is understood that Al these things
werc told To the home government by
General Butler with the result that
Butler was called disloyal and pro.
Eocr ana rabid papers demanded his
degradation.
Rut since tl.c war began people VIII .
know the contents ot General Buffers F.
dispatches have como forward and f.
asked that they he published, The at .
ten,on of members Of parliament has /
been called to the matter and when
the commons ass ,mbes 1t will proba- /
bly, order the publication OF the dis |
patches II II bee asked why General /.
lutlyr did not spank out, il must be .
remembered that he is military man
In Il high position and says; My lips .
lle sealed but the subject is now .
occupying the club gossips,
one very clever club man remarked /
that the question really amounts to
this.
is he Il traitor or u martyr?"
Another said;
lis General Butler the Dreytus OF
this war and has he been snubbed by
the queen?" for It will be remembered !
that when the queen visited Bristol he
was withdrawn from the chief COM
mand OF the western district and it .
was stated that he would have been .
hooted had he APPEARED Has he been
Insulted by the prass in the order L. !
shield the war office. which believed .
he intelligence department rather
than the chief Of the South African
forces? Some one else said:
Remember Lord Wolseley's speech
we have been grossly misIntormed
as to the strength and resources OF
the Beers" The public naturally asks
deceived by whom?"