Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1900-02-02
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS
FACTS AND OPINIONS GATHERED
FROM CONTEMPORARIES.
GLENCOE TO sPioN KoP.

llOSt tlOtutul VI biC Oiuohihs Swung |
of the blow.
The British public will blame the war
office and the generals. The generals
will blame the inexperience and incom-
petence of the under officers, as Butler
does in one of his official reports pub
lished In the World this morning. But
none of them seem as yet to see the real
causes. Indeed, they remind one of
what Holmes once said about the bigOt-
that his mind is like the pupil of the eye
in that the more light is poured upon it
the more it contracts.
There are deeper causes than British
Incompetence behind that unbroken
series of disasters with England's best
and bravest dashed against the stone
walls of the republics only to be broken
in pieces.
One of those causes is moral: "Thrice
armed is he who hath his quarrel Just
Another is physical: The soldiers of
the republics are fighting for home and
freedom in a country which they know
as one knows his way about his own
home and which is an almost impregna-
BILE natural fortress. A third cause is
Mlldl may Dt Cdlitu NIit intNllNNluoi
The development of the military art and
science has made attack difficult to i'm
possibility and defense easy where there
is any sort of equality in arms and in
telligence-numbers being a minor
factor.
What then is 1.-THE lesson of British
disaster? Is it that "Roberts and Kit
chener will soon make the Beers sit up:'
Is it that pouring huge armies into
South Africa and hurting ever greater
masses of "cannon food" against the
impregnably intrenched soldiers Of the
republics will insure ultimate triumph?
Is it that in any probable circumstances
victory can come in that vast land of
precipice and desert, where man and
nature vie each with the other in show
ing hatred for the British qggressor and
in plotting his undoing:
No, the lesson of hopeless and ruinous
disaster ION Glencoe to Spion kop is
that this war upon the republics is even
more colossal as a blunder than as
crime that persistence in it means vain
outpourings of blood and treasure
means going on from folly to folly,
from disaster to disaster, from humilia-
ton to humiliation.
Melancholy indeed is Britains plight.
To withdraw Is to invite those sneers
which would cut for a time almost as
deep into national vanity as defeats at
the hands of the farmer. soldiers of the
republics. TO keep on is to press to the
nations lips the bitter draught of defeat
to be drunk to the dregs. And yet in
country governed by democratic forms
and having two parties, one strenously
opposed to the war, may there not
presently be offered way of escape, not
easy it is true, but still not impossible of
acceptance?-NewY York World.
THERE'S NEED OF AN INVESTIGATION.
There was introduced in the house at
Washington yesterday resolution pro-
viding for the appointment of nom
PARTISAN committee to look into the
relations between the treasury depart
ment and the National City bank OF
New York. The correspondence given
out by Secretary Gage in his reply to
congress appears to Justify such an
investigation.
We have already printed the letter
from Vice-President A. B. Hepburn of
the City bank to Secretary Gage. This
letter was dated June 3, 1897, and called
the secretary's attention to "our list of
directors" which would show to the
secretary "that we also have very great
political claims in view of what was
done during the canvass last year AS
this letter was addressed to Mr.. Gage
personally, general wonder is being ex-
pressed that the secretary gave it out
with the other correspondence. One ex-
PLANTATION is that in the mass of cor
respondence which came upon him it
failed to impress him particularly and
went to the files along with other
correspondence on the subject where il
became lost to his attention. Another
explanation is that the secretary was
driven into his course of special favorit.
ism toward the City bank by the
Republican leaders and campaign man
ayers of 1896, who had incurred the po
litical obligations referred to by Mr.
Hepburn, and that he purposeIy gave
out the letter in order to throw
in the administration.
This is not all that Is revealed by tn,
correspondence. The City bank appears
to have brough to bear other influences
to turn the tide of government deposits
its way. Here is letter from Senator
Thomas c. Plat to Secretary Gage
under date of December % last, whicl
will assist in renewing public acquaint
ance with that persons brand of states
manship:
My Dear Mr. Gage: Kindly read attaches
letter from Mr.. James Stillman, the presiden
of the National City bank, which is sell
explanatory. 1t is unnecessary for Inc T.
say that it would be very gratifying to me
his wishes could be respected. You know
without my mentioning 1t how reliable an
important a banking institution the NatlOna
City bank is. / will be pleased to hear froI
Won NJ vOur convenience reQardinp fin