New-York tribune., 1900-12-09
uP. cHAMBERLAINs RETESGE.

Mr.. Chamberlain has wreaked swift and
crushing vengeance upon his foes On Thurs
day night they baited him for hours. with an
unsparing virulence seldom rivalled in the
annals Of Parliament. The next night he turned
upon them with disclosure Of his plan for a
settlement in South Africa, plan so temperate,
tudicOus and Statesmanlike as 10 compel their
approval and 10 extort cheers from the very
lips that twenty-fOur hours before had been
vOciferOus with taunts and denunciations. Bis
opponents seem 10 have been taken by surprise
That they were must be accounted surprising.
II is difficult TO imagine how any rational man
could have expected plan much different from
that of Mr.. Chamberlain. Ordinary common
sense would cOnstrain the British Government
10 adopt a generous and conciliatory policy. II
does not want another Ireland or a Poland on
it's hands So it formulates these three pro-
posals: First. to restore order by surpressing
the guerilla war. That is a sine qua non, in the
Transvaal, in the Philippines in Chicago rail
road strikes. Order, supremacy Of law and
submission 10 legitimate authority must pre-
cede an else That Mr.. Chamberlain expects 10
effect in a few weeks, and then, in February,
the second step win be taken, namely. the
establishment Of a civil government under the
Crown, on about such a system as that Of
Jamaica and other West Indian colonies with
equal laws and liberties for BOer and Brton
The third and crowning step will be self-gov
ernment, which win be realized as soon as the
colonies demonstrate their readiness for it.
A less rigorous programme than that could
not have been expected. or a more generous one
u is 10 be observed that the leader of the OppO-
EitiOn accepted il as entirely satisfactory and
declined 20 sanction any attack upon Il. The
only hostility 10 il was manifested by the Hon
Timothy Healy. that formidable Irish free lance
who attended the sitting of Parliament in opposi-
ton 10 the viii OF his Nationalist colleagues and
who has the interesting prospect Of being this
week formally expelled from the Irish Parlia-
mentaTy party for the sake OF union and har-
mony. Mr. Healy suggested the amiable prop
Osition that a dead Boer might he better than
live British subject, though he did not mani
fest the courage Of his convictions by promising
TO go TO the Transvaal and get killed. However.
he tempered the violence OF his structures upon
the Sassenach oppressor by saying that the CON
duct OF the British soldiers in South Africa had
not been as black as that OF the United States
troops in the Philippines. Considering how afro
cious Mr.. Heaiy and his friends have declared
the British conduct TO have been. this latest re-
mark Of his seems scarcely complimentary TO
the United States, and suggests the suspicion
that Mr. Healy must somewhat keenly feel the
reduction OF pecuniary supplies from this side
Of the Atlantic
The manner in which Mr. Chamberlain's pro-
gramme Is being executed is worthy OF notice
Lord Kitchener is making, not the protection OF
towns and railroads but the capture Of the
Boer commanders the object OF his campaign
he has SET his troopers on the trail Of General
DE Wet, with orders TO pursue him remorse
lessly until they. have captured or destroyed
nm. such were the tactics employed Sy our
most successful Indian fighters. and they ar,
the best IN every irregular campaign. il not
Indeed In al warfare As the British can n,
kept supplied with fresh horses. and as De We
cannot get such supplies the end of the chas,
Is inevitable and probably not far away. IN,
fear OF extra harsh measures does not seem /,
have been well founded. When farmheuses ar