Evening star., 1900-04-11
GOSSIPFROM LONDON
Disappointment at the War News
From South Africa.
A POSSIBLE POLITICAL CONFERENCE
Part That Cecil Rhodes Has Played
at Kimberley.
PROPOSED BEAUTY SHOW
A POSSIBLE POLITICAL CONFERENCE
PROPOSED BEAUTY SHOW

| LONDON. March q. 1900.
| At length we have news of the northern
relief column, which, it was hoped. after
| the good reports of a week ago had by
| this time relieved Mafeking and Joined
| hands with Colonel Baden-Powell. Unfor-
| tunately this is not so. and relief. so far
| as Colonel Plumer and his gallant little
| band of Rhodesian Horse are concerned, is
/, as far off as ever. 1t is. in a word, a case
| of 'as you were" Colonel Piumers ad-
! vance from Gaberones is at an end, and tho
! situation of Mafeking, in fact, now seems to
resemble that of Ladysmith on the eve of
| its final relief. General Butler had failed
| in his three successive attempts to clear
| the hills to the south of Ladysmith and
| surrender seemed inevitable, when Lord
| Roberts brilliant move on the Modder COM
pletely disorganized the whole Boer plan
of campaign. The Free Staters, who
| formed the bulk of the investing force be-
gan to break up their laagers and stream
off homeward through Van Reenans pass,
and Lord Dundonald was able TO make MS
entry into Ladysmth unopposed- Similarly
now the direct attempts to reach Mafeking
from the north and the south seem checked.
Plumer is back at Ramutsa, and Methuen,
or whoever is in command at Warrenton,
has found the Naal another Tugela, across
which he has failed to find a way. Again
all eyes are turned on the veteran field
him that the next move is to be expected.
He will not move till he is ready, and when
he does move it will be in irresistible force.
Whether the Beers make stand at Kroon-
stad, where Mr.. Steyn is still hard al work
manufacturing and issuing bulletins and
proclamations. or whether they fall back
across the Vaal, they will find themselves
pressed by a superior force from two sides,
If not from three, and as there Is no posi-
tion open to them that cannot be turned
the result is not likely to be long in doubt.
The longer they can be induced to play
Lord Roberts game by keeping their forces
Scattered-part in the Biggarsberg, part ut
Fourteen Streams, part at kroonstad and
part in the Transvaal-so much the better.
but as soon as the advance begins they
will no doubt concentrate for their final
struggle before Pretoria In the south of
the Orange Free State all goes well. Cen
eral Gatacre, whom Mr.. Steyn-at Pretoria
had already captured. with all his staff
and twelve guns is steadily working north
from SpringfOntein. Commandant Olivier,
who gave so much trouble to General Cat
acre around Stormberg, is the only Boer
leader in the south who has kept his conn
mando together, and he, with a large con-
Voy of wagons, guns and stores, is trying
TO make his escape northward. General
French yesterday returned with his cavalry
brigade to Bloemfontein from Thabanchu.
where he has done little else than establish
photographic communication with Sir Cod
frey Lagien. at Maseru. This is the mill
tary situation at present and ii will prob
ably remain unchanged for some little time
TO come
4 Conference Likely.
It is possible that a conference will be
held shortly between representatives of the
liberal section. headed by Mr.. Labouchere
and Mr.. Lloyd George, aud the liberal i'm
perialists typifed by Sir Edward Grey and
| Mr.. Asquitn. The idea of the proposed
| meeting is to endeavor to secure some
measure of unity among liberals on the sub
| ject of the South African settlement before
| the government definitely announce their
resolve to appeal to the country. Mr. AS
| quith believes there are certain lines upon
| which both divisions can work tOt.ct her in
| harmony. and efforts are being made to ar
| rive at some sort of an understanding. To-
| rorrow's meeting at Nottingham may show
what policy the National Liberal Federati ,n
| as rejecting the bulk Of liberal opinion in
| the country is prepared to advocate for the
| settlement of South Africa.
| One thing absolutely certain is that the
| extremists who are in favor of restoring
| Independence to the tTo republics will find
| themselves in a decided minority at Not
| tingham. A circumstance likely to bring
liberal imp@rialists and mod crate liberals
| together is the move Mr. Rhodes is making
| to secure indep' ndeTce for the Rand. 1t
| transpires that the African Colossus is not
| in favor of annexation of the TrausVaaI in
| its entirety. Annexation will, in his eyes
| mean future attempts the part of the
| imperial parliament to so tax the Rand
| mines as to take d large portion Of the cost
| of the war out of the pockets of the mil
| liOnaires. Accordingly Mr.. Rhodes is op-
| posed to the proposal, and is said to be even
| ready to cooperate with the Africkand
| Bond in order to defeat it. Nearly all the
| pro-Boer extremists attribute the war to
| the evil influence of Mr.. Rhodes and his
| fellow millionaires. They are likely when
| they understand Mr.. Rhodes position, to
| accept annexation as the lesser of two
| evils.
Gradually the true history of Mr. Cecil
| Rhodes extraordinary behavior during the
siege of Kimberley is being unfolded to the
| public. The worst part of the story has,
! however, to be yet revealed. 1t will be
| found. when the war is over, that Sir AL
| fred Miners difficulties in Cape Town. which
are said to have aged him considerably.
| have been enormously increased by the
| empire-building millionaire. He was forced,
| through the influences Mr.. Rhodes is able
| to exert in South Africa. to suggest altera-
| tions in the original military plan of cam
| paign.
Mr.. BaIfour, when questioned on the point
| IN the mouse OF commons. declared there
was no interference" with Sir Redvers
| Buffers plans but certain representations
came from the high commissioner which
Sir Redvers felt bound to heed. 1t was Mr.
Cecil Rhodes Who added enormously TO Sir
Alfreds difficulties and It was he who
drove Col Kekewich almost crazy in the
interval of the siege. AT the same time II
should be remembered that it was Mr.
Rhodes means which enabled the town tc
hold out for such length of time.
Feeling About Cecil Rhodes.
Views about the African settlement move
a little more slowly than do the financia
masnates here who, it is said. have alread,
mapped out among themselves the chic
posts in the Transvaal new style). On thu
liberal side they develop on two lines-stron,
objection to crown colonies and a willing
ness to intrust Lord Roberts with iarg,
temporary powers during a short militar,
occupation. Another suggestion which
gathers shape is that if. when. a higi
. commission is appointed it should hav,
. upon it one Australian and one Canadian
representative The point on which there Il
growing agreement among both parties Il
that Sir Alfred Miner would not have a di
recting hand on any such body, and tha
Mr.. Rhodes would be kept absolutely cleal
of it. 1t is curious that this temper abou
Mr.. Rhodes frds strong expression among
| imperialists and military men. The pros
pect. for example, that Mr.. Rhodes, on com
ing to England, might be entertained IL
I very high places is horrifying to many wht
disclaim any doubt to the justice or tn,
inevitable character of the war. One come
q