Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1900-01-18
MOVEMENT FOR AN
HONORABLE PEACE
kdminent English Men and Women
Have Formed a Conci|ia-
ton Committee.
TOTAL ABSENCE OF WAR NEWS
Even Rumors Are Shut of--Evi.
IDENTIFY No Decisive Blow Has
Yet Been Struck on
Either Side.

London. Jan. 1S.-Even 1rlmors are
no longer telegraphed from Natal. The
conclusion deduced from this silence
by the military experts generally is
that no decisive blow has been struck
either way, as in such an event there
would be no necessity for silence.
The South African Cancellation COM
nittee. quietly formed to represent
the peace minority. announces itself to
the country today and asks for sup
port. Among the members are Lord
and Lady. Coleridge, Herbert Spencer
Sir Robert Threshe Reid, George John
Shaw-isefevre. Frederic Harrison,
Stephen Gladstone, the Countess of
Carlisle and other notable persons.
Leonard Courtney, unionist mem
Der of parliament, is president of the
committee. This movement should be
distinguished from the stop the war
group of extremists, of which William
Il. Stead is the most active member.
Its program, summarized, Is to wait
until Il proper opportunity arises for
some peaceable settlement. Mean
while, it will gather and distribute
correct information and sound views.
The manifesto atfirms that las the
war was begun amid misunderstand-
ings on both sides Il pacific settle
ment is possible.
There is no Indication that such an
arrangement would be tolerated by
any considerable portion of the public.
National emotion is now in Il state OF
disquietude over the reverses to Brit
ish arms; dissatisfaction with the con-
duct of military business is intense,
and there is an almost universal deter
mination to see the thing through.
The war office has issued orders for
the formation of five new batteries.
Some idea of the extent of the ar
tillery resources to be drawn upon
may be gained from the fact. accord-
ing to the statement OF military eN-
pert yesterday, that an old practice
howitzer at Lydd, in Kent, with which
it is impossible to do accurate shoot
ing, but which for some time has been
solely used to test shells, has been
laid under. req,isition for the front.
Orders have been received at Lyd,l
to pack this venerable relic with as
much dispatch as possible for em-
barllation. Seventeen more militia bat
talions will be embodied i'm the course
of fortnight. All the regulars are
now out of the country except four
teen infantry battalions and eleven
cavalry battalions. The war Office has
placed am order for 100000 cart
ridges in cases.
The yeomanry committee announces
that it has accepted 5000 out OF the
10000 which it wishes to raise and
still has 10000 applicants left to be
examined.
The Daily Chronicle asserts that the
committee was goaded into this state.
ment blythe reports that there was
no hope of getting the full number.
The war office was wired to counter
mand the departure from Egypt OF
number of soldiers who were previ-
ously ordered to South Africa. The
Daily Chronicle. commenting upon
this and upon other news says:
There are some curious reports in
circulation, apparently with some att
thority behind them, which point to
the stoppage of the dispatch OF fur
Their reinforcements when the troops
now modified shall have embarked.
The new cavalry brigade is not to
leave England at present."
The military and civil authorities at
the Cape are in conflict over the tiea-
son cases. A dispatch to the Daily
Mail from Sterkstroom says, ON thus
point:
"Keokomans and Mel, two Dutch
men who were tried by court-martial
during Christmas week. with General.
Buffers sanction. were committed on
January 10 for civil trial, the court
martial proceedings having been
stopped by the intervention of the at
torney general of Cape Colony,
The Times publishes the following
from Pietermaritzburg, dated Tues
day:
every heavy artillery firing was
heard yesterday in the direction OF
Sprngfeld.'