Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-12-13
Lord Salisbury and Others We're
Not Fully Informed by Him.
NOW RUSSIA Is MOVING, TOO


Now York. Dec. IA dispatch 10 the
Tribune from London says.
The Mail publishes this morning evil
deroe u Russian activity at Ceuta and
Tangicr. and IN Central Asia and
Abyrslnia, and urges It's readers ~
watch the movements % Russia
France. AID probably another power In
the event Of any further reverse to
British troops 10 South Africa.
There are current rumors In high
clrcloa that Lord Salisbury. Sir Michael
Hicks Beach, ard other members of the
cabinet. are now angry with Mr.. cham
bcrlaln for not warning them Of the
magnitude Of what was b,iorc the gov
crnment. They cannot justly hold him
responsible. when the ministry as
LJdy fell into Dutch ambuscadc. as
We'll as the war Office. Whatever may
be the grievances ot the military stan
or Mr Chnmbcrlair'a own colleagues.
the ministry now has the united coun-
try behind IL In carrying on the war
to the bitter end.
The stormb,rg reverse causes intense
humillatltu, but there are no signs %
iiiuehing from the work which England
hus Undertaken,
The Dutch forces have not followed
W. their victory at stormbcrg By at
lacking General Gatacrc az Moitcnn.
af.i the british reverse has not inter-
rupted frcnch's cautious advance to-
ward COiesberg, aklrmiahing having
been renewed ON Monday. Gen. Cat
acres NVcD.d report oi his disastrous
battle u badly written ana ieayes tho
mystery " the capture Of portions VI
| two battnllons uuHolNcd. The unfOr-
tunatc general has NO sense OF humor.
or he would have avoided saying that
the policemen took the british army
round some miles and landed II Ia
an impossible position" ami that he
had sent the Irish rifles and the
rccupcratc, Pretoria certainly II not
an ideal c0nyalcsccnts home. while
he admits the distance was UNDER
estimated. hc acquiia his guides of In
| territorial error and thereby OF dcilbvr-
ate trcaohcry. While the report Is not
clear Il IL evident from the bclated
| dispatches that, after hnding himself
| completely cntfappvd, he collected his
| force ana had running light from
| ridge to ridge for nine miles IN the re-
/ treat. losing two guns, anu that the rN-
cclicnt handling OF the field batteiS
alone enabled the main body to escape.
The fualliers and the Irish rifles were
| probably captured In small groups at
different points. and many Of them
We're unable to Join the column when
| the retreat was begun. The number
OF missing men from the fusllcerH Ia In
creased BY sixty In General Gatacre's
report.
President steyn accounts for iss pris.
oners In one dispatch and 6i2 In an
| other.
seldom have Englishmen had a more
| unpleasant war story to read, and GER
tainly never ono that was told 10 badly
| by the British general. ~ remains true
| that. while Gatacrc was unfortunate IN
his selection OF "A policeman who did
not know the iirst turning on the right,
| he was compelled by his fccblcness In
mounted and artillery forces to attack
| by night II he were to have any hope
Of success. His reverse points to the
wcll-worn moral. that the Britist stan
was unprepatcd for the campaign. and
was very slow In sepding out cavalry
and artillery.
Gatacrc IL not alone In being ambus.
cAded by the Du-eh allies, The war Of
nee was taken I. surprise when the
war opened and an unsupported
strength of the Dutch republics IN
| krupp and Crcusot artillery and In
lighting force was disclosed. II has
been an open secret that the military
stan has condemned Mr. Chamberlain
for allowing the war to come on before
II was ready, II II a fact not generally
known that Lord wolselcy urged Lord
I.ansdownc TO mobilize an army corps
In July, but that the cabinet oyerrulcd
the suggestion, The military stan IN
| likely to be sharply criticized for It's
conduct OF the war when Parliament
meets, but Il was the ministry that
failed to look ahead and prepare FOR
the campaign In good time. instead of
allowing the grass To grow ON the vcldt
/ for the Dutch ponies,