The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-11
LONDON SKEPTICAL
All Classes Long For
a Really Decisive
Victory.
CHANGES HIS PLANS.
Sir Redyers Butler Will
Not Eat Christmas Din
ner at Pretoria.
copyrighted, 1899, the Associated
Press }

Copyrighted, 1899, the Associated
Press.)
London, Dec. Especial Lon
don cable letter What with the
growing inclination to be sceptical over
glorious victories that leave the Beers
able to fight just as hard the next day,
with the still virulent storm Of disap-
prevail raining from all quarters on
Joseph Chamberlain and his remark
able alliance speech, and with the
dawning realization of the difficulties
which beset the task of conquering the
Beers and wiping out Afrikander dis
satisfaction. the position of the Brit
ish government at home and in Eu-
rope has by no means been strength
ened.
A really decisive victory effectually
compelling the Beers to vacate the
scene of British operations or enabling
the British to achieve their subsidiary
detectives, i. e., the relief of Kimber
ley or Ladysmith, would quickly ban
ish this feeling. That all is not right,
is the criticism which is heard even
among the governments staunchest
victory, for, by mere force of numbers,
1t seems that it must come, the feeling
of unrest is bound to increase, while
the anxiety exhibited in Well-informed
quarters, that previously spoke opti-
mistically, of Cape Loyalty. but now
regretfully admit widespread colonial
disaffection, is not likely to be allayed.
1t appears that the British forward
movement is retarded more by the po-
litical conditions prevailing in the ter
ritory through which the lines of COM
munications. pass than by the Beers,
who hang like bulldogs on the adj
vanced TANKS.
MILITARY CRITICS.
Military critics during the past week
have frequently observed that If it is
necessary to preserve the lines of com
muncations with such large forces
when operating in British territory,
how much harder it will be to do so
when the head columns have entered
an avowedly hostile country, That
Ladysmith will be relieved and shortly,
is now taken as a matter of course,
though in the same breath it is admit
ted that one of the most decisive en-
gagements of the war must be fought
before this is accomplished. Nothing
has been more prominently brought
out during the two months of the war,
than the fact that the Beers never at
tack. as Gen. Garcia said last year of
the Spaniards With their wonderful
mobility, the Beers are enabled to take
up, one after another, carefully Sc
lected positions, in every instance lur-
ing the British generals to attack them,
and retiring, after inflicting eevere loss,
to other positions equally good and,
apparently, previously prepared. II
such tactics continue, it seems possl-
BILE thatIthe relieving force will reach
Ladysmith so crippled that an advance
into the Transvaal will be impossible
in the near future.
NO AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGN.
In fact. the most optimistic see no
chance Of the British forces making
serious Roadway upon an aggressive
campaign for two or three months,
while numbers who confidently proph-
esied that Gen Butler would eat his
Christmas dinner in Pretoria, are try
ing to find excuses in the slowness OF
the transports the incapability OF the
war office or other glib palliations for
the imagination of military impossible
tiles.
Mr.. Chamberlain shows no signs of
repentance or desire to recant his Lei
ceSter speech. w men QueS lloHSu W q
representative of The Associated Press
in this connection, he replied;
~ have nothing to add to what
have already said"
ABOUT THAT TREATY.
In the meantime, Lord Salisbury has
refrained from making any public ut
terance to offset his colonial secretary's
remarks. AS The Associated Press
said at the time, Mr.. Chamberlain
spoke without the authorization of his
chief, and much to the latter's chagrin.
yet it would be a gross breach of ct
iquette for the foreign office to issue
a formal denial of Mr., Chamberlain
statements. However, frequent arti-
cles appear, apparently inspired, in
papers which warmly supported MI
Chamberlain's war policy, denouncing
his Leicester speech, both for its alli-
ance and anti-French components. The
Saturday Review, speaking on evident
authority, says:
ut is possible that a certain situation
might arise in regard to China, when
England, Germany and America, hav-
ing a common, well-defined object in
view, might conclude a written treaty
Of combination but such an event, in
our opinion. is still far off,
The storm raised by Mr.. Chamber
lam S premature announcement ap-
pears to have made a hitch in the ne
gotiations between the powers regard
ing the open door," as announced in
these dispatches.
Whether they are indefinitely shelved
or merely temporarily held in allegiance,
is at present unascertainable All the
English authorities agree in surmising
that President McKinley's reference to
no entangling alliances was slipped in
as a result of Mr.. Chamberlain re-
marks. The message itself is regarded
by the weeklies as non commital. The
Speaker describes it as IAN admirable
instance of the art of saying nothing
by allocuting great deal" The Sat
urday Review echoes this, drawing at
tention to the supineness of British
traders in allowing American friend
ship for Russia to secure for it con-
tracts on the Siberian railroad.
THE VICTORIA CARICATURES.
Premier Waldeck- Rousseau's action
in instructing the Paris news-vendors
that the sale of German as well as
French caricatures of the queen will
render them liable to prosecution, is
a finely ironical reply to British criti-
oism Of the French press. While Mr.
chamberlain was denouncing France
sor villifying the queen and protesting
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