The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-09-09
o00
HEvALIER. when viii
the Rner war end?"

~ The Inquiry was d.
N rected to Lieut.. Henry
w. Powell, soldier of
fortune. now In Seattle.
He II nephew OF the renowned Baden
Powell and was himself a man OF active
service In South Africa until his part In
the Jameson raid caused his expulsion
from Great Britain.
Yes. when will II be over" unused the
soldier. Let us see now. for instance,
what IL causing the Beers TO keep up
the resistance 40 long. II has been a
remarkable campaign In many respects.
Let us look over what II has proved:
First, the defensive has mighty adj
vantage to what II had In the old days.
Essentially II is the first big war that
has been fought with the latest improved
arms, II has made ana lost a great
reputation. Scornful as some people are
about the big empire fighting little re-
public. they do not know what they are
talking about. IL was big task. and
experienced soldiers knew II and laughed
when Butler. smart officer that he is, but
insular and vain. started TO break
through the Boer defensive works on the
Tugels. with nothing hut British regu-
lars. the fines, trobps on earth for GER
tain purposes. but not for everything
The Job called for men that could carry
without difficulty one weeks rations on
their backs. There was lots of that ma
terial already at the Cape. But oh. no;
the war office pet could not think of
using the rough eolonials. He gave his
superb regiments job TO do that they
had never been drilled to do.
Tho Boer works were laid by an off,
Ger who knew his business. II was not
the Bocr general. but vnlebois Mareuii.
q Frenohman. and Butler could have
broken them. Just AS later they were
weakened by Lord Roberts successful
strategy The reason liz obvious. II Bull
Ter had but recognized H. You never
again can drive the enemy out of an In
trcnched position by an assault " his
ammunition holds out That Is mainly
the reason the Beers never captured
Kimberley, Mafeking or Lsdysmtth. A
successful general these days must he
here. there and everywhere, and hustle
his men with him.
''Rniier sat down on the railway track
AZ one place, why. the Beers had n
snap. and II took him about two DAYS
Co develop his attacks He thought he
was on Salisbury plain doing things as
per rule, All, my lad, war In theory and
practice are two different things gen.
erai In battle must be as cool as ice.
whilst hts hrain works like a trip ham
mer. The British government saw some
thing was wrong and sent down. not .
drli master but a man who learned war
In actual practice. and little nohs' took
the beat transport organiser IN Europe
along with him. yeu know the result.
Instead az the railways boing blocked 70
confusion. a dying column was tearing
across the country az fast as the enemy
could The BoerS realised that man
was after them who knew what practical
war meant 1t was simply this Lord
Roberts and his stan measured this
enemy and measured HIS country and
knew what was wanting, Remember
my Lad. that in every action general
faces ne Il sAckling problem tina; has
never been solved
The plan % campaign even was 4
hard ono. not thu mere lighting abilities
81 the foe bat THING a campaign de-
ponds upon Tor succrss or failure the
transportation dWaeai,ies An army
moves on It's belly. II mus, b. fed and
supplied the same as anything else
Thus. when the British had h. erine
everything thousands ~ miles scross the
ocean and their communications hundred,
% piiea Ions which had 60 BE- protected
yuu see the British had sfupendaus ioN
a. the Roer country presents create,
dgsncaties - The Invader than most caun.
tries Chisay FOR this reason an invader
cAMNot i've On ANN country Nnt pNs1tE tiin
bored. he must advance right through
thu eNen; q Is rocky htlly ana inheepita
hle; water r. not Just where vou want e
forage hardly anywhere. snd the whot,
male population Pot -hup,ing yoU every
where And I may say. Lord Kitchener
deserves sreat credit for the sUccessfu
advance.
"Aithough the backbone - the struegis
81 broken. and areariSea resistance AZ an
end. 70 does NOT show that the campaign
ss all over Tina pner Is not
Ercat city man, Il does not hurt hirr
much O. espsirc his cities. should fuaS1
thaf intermittent hghtne VII last SIX
month"; trnccr Or anil Roberts car
'Winc hia steel Gordon entirely arcnuA
thsrt ard drew The noNes tsut FOR tht
country in witch irun'ofiatr operation.
$50 heirr ce-s' a NN tr e~f~aeae'v df~i.
cult owing e. Zee rrnrh and mountain,
otis aspect TN~ Norr 20 ip Mis- natural
stronghold tV,terhugE e. IN the hear
~ the mountains, almost Inaccessible &c
tho invader. II is here that the Colonial:
ER Esf " thssS nna xsgk 81 taak *