The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-01-01
Army Held at Bay by Two Small
Republics.
Finances at Home Are
Unstable.
All Europe Yelping at Heels Of
Of the Empire.

lCopy right 1899 By the Associated Press.)
London. Dsssmbsr %. Ii IL strange 70
note thas a. the new year dswns for
Great Britain, ths srsatsst army she hes
ever pus In the field rsmains passive In
south Africa. hsld ct bay By two Of the
smallest republics on the face Of the
earth. whils ~ homs,i - spite Of the large
volume OF trade and apparent prospssity,
bar financial interests ere In . state Of
instability mot sen sinoe the Barring
crash. All Europe IL yslping a hsr heels
and the necessity Of Americas friend
ship 10 recognised on all sides. Papers
and people who for years have been ready
with . jibs for Americas good will NO
longer IN AXE any atssmpt to bsiittls the
desirabiIity Of securing her friendship.
"Amsri,A," says the Globa usually
humorous at the expense Of all things
trAns-Atlastic, with . crop Of $4,000.
900 bushela. 10 especially in . position to
help uA
The eoonomie shoe already begins to
pinch the military foot-not very serious
~, but enough 10 suggest grave oogita-
tions ~ to what would happen II Great
Britain wsrs ct war with . great power
The fast that the gsvernmsnt has char
tered 20 many Transports has resulted In
. riss In tbs price Of bread. while coal II
rising By isAps and bounds 10 famine
prices. II IL such unpleasant results as
thoss that silence the sooiYer at things
American and iaducss such . vitupera-
tive publication ~ the Saturday Review
TO say; "The Americans have had their
eyes opened 10 the possibilities Of . for :,
sign policy and are taking SCUM der, be-
cause . osolsr, view Of the situation. They
are net less friendly to us than before,
but the sinoere element has been elimi-
mated and has left reliable substratum
Of good WILL"
which conoatenation the Saturday Re-
visw, under different circumstances,
would doubtless have construed into
damning evidence Of the insincerity Of
American friendship.
II must not be Inferred that this view IL
held BY many Of the sincere English
friends Of America who now point to
what they are pleased to term Its great
a. proof Of what they have
always maintained.
with such q serious outlook for the
coming year. 1t IL hardly surprising that
articles appear under the heading care
We Dscadsnts" and similar strains. On
the other hand. there IL still D small SEQ
ton Of the press and public which de-
votes it's energies to ssnselessly abusing
the Beers and prophssying the speedy
entry Of the British into Pretoria. Yet,
on the whole, the organ In voioins the
better olses Of opinion face 1900 and Its
sventualities In South Africa with an
even-minded. unhysterioal determination
that oompels admiration. That there will
be q day of reckoning for someone IL u
certainty that even the most guarded and
do not try to- conceal.
Whether 1t BE- Lord Lansdowns. Lord
Wolsslsy or General Butler. Il is impossi-
BILE to tell. But all the information OBJ
at present and the gist Of oriti.
cism point to Lord LAnsdown having to
the onus for the terrible mis-.
While Great Britain feeds contentedIy
upon long special gables showing Amer
loan friendship, the Bosr agents In Eu-
rope believe sentiment In the United
States 10 gradually turning Boer-wards
until the time 10 now ripe to develop 1t
Into material effect. Under this impress
sion. the A ssooiated Press learns that
they are contemplating despatohing .
special missiou TO the Unitsd States for