The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-17
HIS NEXT MOVES OUTLINED
Is TO ISSUE A PROCLAMATION DE-
CI-ARING NEW GOVERNMENT
For FREE STATE
ANXIETY Is FOR MAFEK1Ne
Only Point Now Giving BritOns Any
COncern-BOers Admit Their
Cause La Desperate-Media-
tiOn Out of Question.


communication to the Cape intact, Lord
Roberts Will in very few days be in a
position to begin the advance on Pre-
toria. His deep political intuition, COM
bined with his bold strategy, is having
the result desired in the southern sections
of the Orange Free State, which are
rapidly calming down.
Mafeking is now the only point for
anxiety and as 1t is known that a force
has left Kimberley, It's relief may be
announced before many days pass. The
efficiency of the relieving column is
heightened by the fact that 1t is partly
composed of regulars
In the Hobbies of parliament last even
ing 1t was rumored that Lord Roberts
is about to issue a proclamation an
nouncing that the former system Of gov
ernment IN the Orange Free State is
abolished, and promising Free Staters
who Immediately surrender due consider
alton.
1t is understood that all the continental
powers, with one exception, uncompro-
misingly refused to intervene. The ex-
ception was Russia, whose reply was
couched in less firm language, although,
1t Is said that the pope was also ap-
pealed to, but that he declined to do any
thing beyond writing a letter to the
queen, appealing to her to stop the
further effusion of blced
DR.. Leyds efforts with King Leopold
were quite futile.
The possibility of the destruction of
Johannesburg is still discussed here, but
1t is believed that the French and Ger
man shareholders would offer strong
protest.
The latest advices respecting the sur
render Of Bloemfontein show that the
approach of the British caused a
stampede Thirteen trains, each COM
posed OF forty cars, and all crammed
with Beers, hurried northward just be-
| fore the line was cut. Mr.. Steyn would
| have been compelled to surrender, bur
| he pretended that he was going to visit
one of the outposts, and at midnight took
a carriage which was waiting for him
outside Of town and thus escaped. The
Beers got the bulk of their wagons and
military stores away.
BULLER CRITICISED.
The Daily Mail publishes an interview
cured by Mr. Julian Ralph, in the course
Of which, complaining of the ''bungling
of the home authorities" he said:
Gen. Buffers extraordinary orders to
Lord Methuen were to relieve Kimber-
! ley, to take all the people away, and to
fall back to Orange river. You people
| in England have such a wonderful idea
about Buffers generalship, but such
retreat would have been monstrous.
| Mr.. Rhodes declared that there had
only been 10000 Beers in the field alto
| gether, and that the foreign mercenaries
were only about 1900. The number of
the Beers, he said, had been exaggerated
in order to explain the British reverses.
| The Mail has the following dispatch
from Lourenzo Marques. dated Friday,
March 16:
"Intrenching is proceeding on the VaaI
river at Vereeynig.
Late arrivals from Pretoria say that
| the Beers themselves now admit that
their cause is hopeless. Gen Lucas
| Meyer refuses to fight again and has
returned to his farm. Cen Schalk-
Burger has also returned and the burgh-
ers are going home by hundreds
BUTCHERS RETURN TO WORK.
Lord Roberts has sent the following
dispatch to the war office:
"Bloemfontein, Friday, March 16.-Gen.
Clements crossed the Orange river yes
terday. Repairs to the railway bridge
at Norvalspont have commenced, and it
will shortly be ready for traffic Gen.
Pole-Carew telegraphs his arrival at
Springfontein, so that Bloemfonteln now
is practically in rail communication with
Cape Town My proclamation is al
ready having an excellent effect. Sew
eral hundred burghers have expressed
their intention to surrender their arms
and return to their occupations.
1.-The resident commissioner of Basuto>
land reports that 500 Beers lately arrived
from Bolemfontein and that a further
contingent fom Aliwal North was only
waiting to know the terms of my proc
lamation to surrender. They had re-
fused to attend a council at Kroonstadt.
to which President Steyn had summoned
| them
GENEROUS TO BOERs.
Gen. Roberts reports that he found
seven British officers and forty-three
| men wounded in the hospital at Bloem-
fontein, and that they had been well
cared for. He adds:
81 rejoiced the wounded Beers by tell
ing them they will be allowed to proceed
to their homes, instead of being made
| prisoners, as soon as they can leave the
hospital"
sToRMBERG DEFEAT.
Lord Roberts. In transmitting Gen. Cat
acres report of the Stormberg defeat.
gives his opinion thus:
''The failure was mainly due to reliance
on Inaccurate information regarding the
ground to be traversed to the position
held by the Beers, to the employment
of too small a force, and TO the men be-
ing tired out by a long night march be-
fore they came in contact with the enemy.
When Il became evident shortly after
midnight that the guides were leading
the column in the wrong direction,
consider Gatacre should have halted ana
endeavored to find a proper road, or
should have fallen back on Molteno. rath-
er than have risked the safety of the en-
tire force by following a route which
brought the troops into difficult ground.
commanded on both sides by Boers."
SIGNIFICANT SILENCE.
Lord Roberts comments upon the
earlier operations of the war, in the Lon
don Gazette, and his absolute silence re-
spectfng Lord Methuen's dispatch. are re-
ia