Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-29

isbury. The British cabinet is in no mood
to discuss enything but unconditional sur
render. and the continental cabinets are in
no position to so much dip the end of
their little finger in the South African fire.
OF course the time must come when the
Beers are finally beaten. but talks of peace
are not helping that time along Lord Rob-
erts and his men are solely responsible for
that.
Meanwhile there seems to be some dis
agreement in the Boer ranks. The report of
Gen Jouberts resignation OF the post or
commander-in-chief is probably well found
ed. Whether owing to advancing years, or
to ill-health. or to wounds received in bat
tle Gen. Joubert has ceased to take an ac-
tive part in the war for some time. Cen
Scbalk Burger was the Boer commander in
the later stages of the Siege of Ladysmith,
and Gen. Botha was the principal general at
Spion Kop. Gen. Joubert's resignation may
simply mean that he feels himself physi-
cally unfit to do the work of his post. But
it is tempting to see more in it than that.
He has been political rival of President
Kruger, and is the leader of the more lib
eral party in the Transvaal. But the meth
DDS of the Rand reformers killed the pros
poets OF Boer REFORM Domestic politics
were swallowed up in foreign dispute: and
with the fear of losing their independence
before them the Beers all naturally became
| government men,"
Gen. JOubert's Position.
Gen. Joubert was undoubtedly the ablest
Of the Roer generals, and when the war
broke out there could have been no thought
| of giving the command of the operations in
| Natal to any one but him. But he was
never a really popular man. So long as he
| was leading his army to victory his author
| ity would be unquestioned. But we can
| quite imagine that check in the course of
! success would bring him detractors. The
| fanatical supporters of Mr.. Kruger would
| remember Gen. Joubert's political rivalry;
| the Boer jingoes may have mistaken his
| ckivalrous treatment of his enemy, which
Engiishmen will not readily forget. for
| lukewarmneSs III the cause; and no doubt
| there are experts even in the Boer army
| ever ready to criticise failure. Though
| his patriotism and ability were never ques-
| toned by responsible Beers, there Is some
reason to believe that he did not have all
| his own way in the management of the
| campaign. 1t was not Joubert who sane
| toned the siege of Mafeking the disper-
| sal of the Boer forces over all the frontiers
| when the early concentration of all avail
| able forces in Natal might have carried the
1 Boer arms down to Durham with a rush
This dissipation OF energy may have been
= due to political influences. or 1t may have
| been. in the case of Kimberley. the price OF
1 the alliance with the Free State: but it was
| not the plan of master of war like Jou-
/ bert. who is known to have improved or
! the Boer aptitude for fighting by a study
| OF the best European examples of war.
| Queen Visit q Success.
The queens visit to London has been ar
| unqualified success. The enthusiasm dis
| played throughout by her people may well
| have caused her majesty the qualification
| which is expressed in the court circular. Its
| spontaneity has been its distinctive feature
Saturday the visit was brought to close
| by the queens inspection Of the I'd Bat
\ talionS of the Grenadier and Scots Guards
\ who are about to leave for the 'front.' in the
| gardens of buckingham palace. Here, OF
course. the public were not admitted, but
the queen. with the thoughtful considera.
| ton she has shown throughout for the
4 wives and families of her soldiers on active
| service. permitted the admission of rela.
\ tiveS Of officers in South Africa. The same
| queens weather which greatly favored
4 the eager crowds on the previous day
| smiled upon the loyal throngs who cheered
| her majesty out of London.
| Ireland's Welcome.
| The royal visit to Dublin Is evidently
going to be success. The queens tact has
smoothed down the stern front of the cor.
poration itself. The nationalist members
have the sense to see that It Ia an occasion
on which the traditional hospitality AND