Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1900-03-17
GENERAL BULLER IS
ON The MOVE AGAIN
His Advance Guard Has a Sklrmish
With Boer 0utposts Near
Helpmakaar.
COMMENTS ON PEACE OvERTURES
London Papers Nearly All Declare
There Can BE No Settlement On
tho Basis or Doer Inde-
pendence.

| Boer Headquarters, Biggarsburg
Friday, March 0.-Shots were eX'
changed this morning near Helpma'
kaar with a small body of British, who
retired hastily. Scouts report the
British main advance coming from
Ladysmith toward Sundays river.
Pretoria, Friday, March 9.-Presi'
dent Kruger has returned from
B~loemfontein. Joubert is expected
shortly. Fighting commenced in the
direction Of Helpmakaar his morning
Headed for T~ransvani.
London, March 10.-The only impor-
tant change in the general situation
in. South Africa, indicated in news re-
| ceived up to noon today, is that Butler
is again on the move. The news comes
in n dispatch from the Boer camp
at Biggarsburg, dated Thursday
March s:
"Twelve thousand British are en-
~trenching positions in the direction OF
Helpmakaar, while a party of British
were encountered at Waschbank on
March s."
The force is probably Hunters divi-
sion and IL is considered quite possible
an attempt will be made TO traverse
Zululand into the Transyaal, thus ef-
fecting the double purpose Of out
fanking the Beers at Biggarsburg and
threatening Vryheid and Utrecht.
The war Office is unable 10 confirm
rumors of the relief Of Mafeking.
The Beers are reported to be at Big
garsburg in considerable numbers, but
IL is said they are already sending
their stores TO the rear. Joubert APP
pears to have left active service TO take
charge OF the war Office at Pretoria.
Lourenzo Marquee stories attribute his
action partly to the alleged fact that
he has lost both control over and con-
fdencc in the burghers and partly TO
his wish TO push preparations for the
siege which il is supposed will be
made at the capital.
Military authorities are OF the opin-
ION that French must be in the neigh
borhood Of Bloemfontein. In some
quarters French is credited with the
design 10 corral both presidents,
whose exact whereabouts il is difficult
10 ascertain at this distance.
fomm,nts on Peace Ovcrtures.
In commenting on the Boer peace
overtures the Daily Mail declares that
Presidents Krueger's and Steyn's de-
mnnd for peace is a piece OF colossal
~effrontery and says:
after the Beers had invaded Brit
ish territory, annexed it and incorpor-
ated Il within their own rebel states,
ravaged Natal and committed most
wanton damage, they have now come
In. 4l... g, thnt. phnnlo IN
inform us that they were merely occu-
plying strategical positions. These
people who a month back were vapor-
ing how they were going TO take Dur
ban and add Kimberley TO the Free
State, would exact an enormous in
demnity and were doubtful as to
whether they should graciously per-
nit MS TO retain Cape Town. and who
through DR.. Leyds, instigated n vile
campaign Of insult against our be-
loved queen. now after three sound
b%eatings whine that Britain is bent
upon q war Of conquest.
AS Independent states, as states OF
any kind, the Transyaal and the
Orange Free State have ceased TO eX-
ist. They may threaten fighting 10
the last, but no British government
would dare TO yield to such threats.
The experiment Of magnanimity has
been tried and failed. 1t will not be
repeated"
The Daily Telegraph says: when
Presidents Kruger and Steyn have
made their due submission Great Brit
ain will take over the administration
of the two countries for the time be-
ing. Perhaps for two or three years
this must be n military government in
the Transvaal and Free State. They
will be treated as crown colonies or
what is preferable, as II crown col
ony. -,
"Whcn things have settled down and
the burghers have returned to their
peaceful, pastoral occupations, there
will be every disposition to grant
them exactly the same privileges of
self government as are enjoyed III
Cape Colony and Natal, but they will
remain parts of the queens domains,
exactly on the same footing as the
other British colonies in South Africa.
"On this point imperial opinion-for
il is not ONLY Great Britain which is
co~ncerned-is so fixed that il is quite
UllIltttSSuIl w NitDSi"AN ''N
ment."
The Daily Mail publishes the follow
ing from Pretoria, via LourenZo Mar
duez, which had been censored by the
Boer government:
Conversations with the highest
state officials show that the Beers
want some arrangement. They say
that If England is waging n war of
conquest they will fight to the finish.
Otherwise they believe that n plain
statement of the Boer intentions will
reveal n basis of negotiations now that
England's prestige is repaired.
president Kruger and President
Steyn, conferred Monday at Bloemfon-
tein on the incorporation of the above
representations on a cablegram 10
Lord Salisbury. The preservation of
Wll RETlIRN Tn AIISTRhI IA