Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-03-20
RELIEF NEAR NAFEK|NI
Practically Certain That the seige
Will Be Raised Within a
Few Hours
London War Office Receiving But
Meager News From the Thsater
Of War.
British Press Laughs at Suggestion
Of Intervention to Protect
johannesburg.

OOu0AAOooAt6s
London, March 20.-For all the news
that reached here yesterday and today
Great Britain might almost as Well be
at peace. 1t is reasonable to believe the
relief of Mafeking will be heard of any
hour. Kitchener entered Prieska, Cape
Colony, without opposition, the insur-
gents laying down their arms, which
merely confirms the previous reports OF
their Willingness to submit. Roberts
and Butler are still inactive, pending de-
velopments at the theater of war.
Considerable interest is attached to.
the fate of Johannesburg Commenting
on the reported consultation between
Secretary Hay and the German amhas-
sador at Washington. DIR. Won Holleben,
as to the proposition that both the bell
ligerents be urged to leave Johannes
burg alone, the Pall-Mall Gazette says.
This time DIR. Leyds has, as we may
without impropriety assume, put in cir
culation a tale TO the effect that the
German ambassador at Washington and
the American consul at Pretoria are
concocting Z: little scheme of German In-
tervention. That is really q giorious
yarn and one which SHOWS to what des-
perate straits the enemies of this coun-
try are reduced. Just imagine a govern
ment which has formally declined all
outside intervention permitting Ger
many to dictate the course of Roberts
march to Pretoria. The German foreign
Office knows better than to invite the
snub 1t would infallibly receive II 1t
ventured to whisper so p.eposterous u
proposal in Dowing street.
Lord Methuen is on his way north
ward, but he seems not to have adj
vanced much farther than Warrenton,
and 1t is believed he will get a chance
at Mafeking TO repair his somewhat
shattered military reputation.
The Orange Free Staters continue TO
surrender. Gen. Gatacre is encamped
now two miles north of Bethulie bridge.
the Beers have retired out of touch with
4 Gen. Clements and the whole of the
D southern Free STATE is rapidly assuming
peaceful aspect. There has been a
trifiing engagement at Fourteen
Stream. but all signs support the be-
lief that the British will meet no de-
termined resistance south of the Naal
river.
There are some reports to indicate
that Gen. Butler is about TO move
against the Beers position al the juno
ton Of the Drakensbu.g and 1;ggars-
berg ranges. The move may be to turI
their TANKS but 1t is the general cpin-
ion, nevertheless, that he will wait til
the enemy shall have been maneuvereC
out of its position by Lord Roberts ad-
tf,h ayvr hat
the Transvaalers are intrenching al
yereenining where the Bloemfontein-
Pretoria railway crosses the Naal river
from vil1oen's drift. 1t is hoped tha'
Lord Roberts may be able to turn thi!
position. passing to westward by way o
Potchefstroom and to eastward by va.
of Heidelberg.
The storm of Indignation aroused b.
Cecil Rhodes utterances alleging stu
pidity and neglect of duty on the part o
the British generals is still raging. New
ertheless, certain persons With Il likin:
for hard facts are asking significan
questions. Where, they say. is the larg
number of Beers represented as arraye,
against the British? Where are TIL
long-range guns? Have men and gun
vanished into thin air? Conviction j
forcing itself OIL all minds open to con
viction that there has been q deal O
oyerestimating OF Boer numbers ar
equipment and Il deal of underestimate
ing of the comparative strength of tn
imperial army. II is admitted that t'e
ell Rhodes may have been aictatoral
that he may have got his deserts IN be
ing suppressed; Yet the facts. whereve
they have appeared. seem to hay. born
out his affirmation that the tDts
strength of the Boers ~ the .iAlA neve
exceeded 10000. The census of the vot
ing population of the TransNaal and Or
ange Free State reveals unmistakabl
that the Boer force never could hav
numbered anything Alike the Vast arm
the British commanders originally re
ported. Mr.. James Bryce declares tina
the British people have been wretehedi
served by the newspapers in London
tn matter of presentation OF facts dt,
ing the war. and 1t would seem that IL
charge had much to support it.
ROoru blow I'm n KriaUc