Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-17
How the English Acted After the
Relief of Ladysmith.
WILD SCENES In LONDON STREETS
Discussing the Terms Upon Which
Peace Will Be Made.
THE COST OF THE WAR

LONDON, March 6, 1900.
Never in the history of living man has
London seen such excitement as was arous-
ed by the news of the relief of Ladysmith.
The overlooking enthusiasm that burst
forth when the Kimberley siege was raised
increased into a waterfall at the surrender
of Cronje, but swelled to a Niagara at Cen
eral Buffers success. Staid,- quiet London,
which usually takes its joys as phlegmat-
ically as it's sorrows, suddenly developed
Mysteries that lasted full twenty-four
hours. New York election night,
New Haven and Cambridge after foot
ball match. the three together can perhaps
be mentioned in the same breath with Lon
dons condition last Thursday. The an
nouncement was made early in the fore
noon, so that there was lots of time for
preparation.
o'clock in honor of the day, and at that
time the crowds began to gather. Out
side the Mansion House and about the bank
and the royal exchange clerks, city men,
fnanciers, laborers, everybody massed into
one dense crowd. The lord mayor appeared
and made speech. The crowd sang, cheer
ed. raved. swayed back and forth and ev-
erybody was actuated by desire to increase
the general din. Traffic was stopped, the
buses were diverted and all business was
brought to a standstill except the business
of cheering for General White, General
Butler, Baden-Powell, Tommy Atkins, ev-
erybody, everything and nothing. Princi-
pally were the cheers for the last. No one
would call for the cheers, but out they
came, not intermittently, but in one con-
tinual stream. They were as spontaneous
as were the gatherings themselves. The po-
lice were absolutely overwhelmed. They
could not do anything and wisely made no
attempt. The crowds kept possession of the
squares in ever-increasing numbers. and the
11,,,co I, t1 a. i
down that, lodging away from the out
spreading crowds. So roundabout were
the detours that many of the buses were
forty-flve minutes in getting from Mansion
lily a ten-minutes run. The police stood ev-
erywhere, like liveried lackeys at recep-
ton, bowling the buses along the right
way. I asked one driver what the route
had been changed to.
''Lor' bless yer, SIR he answered, Hi
don't know. We goes a. new wye hevery
time we comes along todye. London'H
never see the like Of this yer again
Like a Wild Carnival.
He was right. London couldn't stand
the excitement more than once in genera
ton as 1T finally became when night fell.
From all over the city, from the surround
ing districts, from north, from south, from
east. from west, humanity rolled into the
Strand and along to Piccadilly Circus.
sters produced horns. paper bladders on
sticks and British flags. There were thou
sands on thousands Of them. Everybody
had one or the other. Confetti was in
abundance. The scene resembled a wild
carnival minus the fancy dresses. Small
detachments came marching along. fifty or
hundred strong, singing Rule Britannia"
God Save the Queen and Wen Hang
Old Kruger to a Sour Apple Tree" this last
to the tune Of John Browns Body" Sol
diers IN uniform were by no means scarce,
and as the mobs came across them they
were invariably hoisted on shoulders and
borne triumphantly along. Men In evening
dress fraternized with cockneys, and, in
fact. led the cheering and singing. One Of
band. beating a small toy drum as If his
life depended on 1t. Following him came
a crowd Of girls wearing cardboard helmets
and carrying tin swords. Along the Strand.
young fellows. their bodies entirely en-
veloped in huge posters announcing, Gen
eral Butler enters Ladysmith." Cabs drove
along. their occupants shouting fiercely and
American flag was carried aloft, causing
some of US to join in the cheering.
Mad Scenes in the Streets.
In Piccadilly Circus the crowd was more
clamorous than elsewhere. Fully three
hundred people were in the Criterion Amer
lean bar and twice that number were out
side trying to force an entrance. 1t be-
came necessary to close and lock the doors
after while and to send for policemen to
keep the place from being entirely overrun.
College students played an important part
in the celebrations. About one hundred
and nifty men and women Of the kenSing
ton Art School marched through the streets
In their studio clothes, and sang patriotic
songs in front of the residences of Mr..
Chamberlain, Col. Baden-PoweIl, Lord Rob-
erts and Gen. White. They passed down
Piccadilly, shouting at the top Of their
voices until they reached the French en-
bassy., The word was passed along and
the noise suddenly ceased The procession
mournfully filed silently by, and not until
the last one had passed did they recon-
mence singing Another crowd Of students
hauled big wagon through the streets, in
sisting that every soldier they saw should
get in. They came to a tobacco show,
where, instead of an American Indian, a
beckoned night and day to intending pur-
chasers This. too. was placed in the wag-
on and given a seat of honor The saloons
did a rushing business, one firm in the
Of champagne. This place was patronized
almost entirely by the stock exchange
brokers', who could afford to celebrate in
s msner styie than the ordinary person. In
iact the brokers did most of their cele-
brating with the aid of liquids. A crowd
OF them captured passing beer wagon,
and after spreading flags over the barrels
ordered the driver to take them about
town, which he complacently did.
AS II was In London SO 1t was through
out England. To Americans the only thing
needed to make the demonstration home
ike was a display of fireworks with q
torchlight procession. In some of the pro-
vincial towns however, torchlights were
used The next day. Friday, England again
became sober and sedate and the one
nights pandemonium had gone, perhaps
never to occur again
Terms of Peace.
Thoughtful men are now considering upon
what terms peace can be made with safety
good many have already come to a de-
cision publicly. perhaps without knowledge
of local conditions. All agree, however,
that the South African Republic and the
Orange Free State must be merged in the
British empire, and that the inhabitants
shall have as much freedom as can safely
be granted. How much that shall be is the
crux. 1t is argued that while the Dutch
retain such great preponderance in Cape
Colony-about two to one-while they are
almost equal in Natal. to grant the Beers
the franchise would be rash, unless they
are disarmed. If all weapons were sur
rendered and vigorous system of licenses
enforced local freedom might be restored
without danger And to that course the