The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-01-03
SITUATION SUMMARIZED.
Adoption of BOer Tactics Again
SucceSsful-feyer Raging
in LadySmith.
BY MILTON V. SNYDER.


REPUBLIC SPECIAL.
London. Wcdresday Jan S-Copyright.
800, by James Gordon BennetU - Colonel
Pitcher. another British officer who has
adopted Boer tactics. has gained a small
but strateSically important success. 1t has
oeen known for some time tha: there was
q considerable Boer force at Douglas. a
small village on the VaaI River. fifty miles
west OF the Nodier River portion of
this force advanced TO Sunrysde twenty
hVe miles from Gras Pan. and were I'm a
position to threaten General Methusr's
lin" Of communication. Pitcher, with the
Australian mounted infantry and some
Canadians. completely defeated the Beers
and captured forty prisoners az very slight
loss.
fi!cher then pushed on to Douglas. which
he occupied. In this position he is on the
extreme Of Crorje'S right flank and with a
mobile force. his command is apt to prove
considerable annoyance to that General
especially as il is reported General Meth
uen's mounted troops are already in COM
mUn!cation with him.
From reports of the fighting. there IS one
prominant, dominant fact-that mounted
infantry, and this time c0loniaIs. can fight
the Beers in their own way an their own
ground, with good chance Of success.
Aside from this encounter, however. there
appears to have been no o-hcr move.
The official report from General French
shows that the fight at ColesDerG was =
stiff one. His night march from Rensburg
with cavalry and mounted infantry. and hts
seizing the heights overlooking Colesberg
10 the west o: the town, took the Roers by
surprise il was amarch possible only
with very mobile column.
Butler and Joubert are engaged in a great
game Of war before Ladysmith Like two
experienced chess players. neither Is max
ing any decisive moves, but trying to find
out the others intention.
The Two Commanders.
Butler is anxious t" ascertain the force
left by the Beers on the HlanCWanc Noun
tain and the exact positions Of their guns.
Joub"rt, thinking th., This exclusive at
t"ntiOn to the left center o: his position is
suspicious. has strengthened his right.
II is unwise to refuse TO face facts and
Notwithstanding the optimistic dispatches
from some correspondents on the Tgg@la
about the eagerness Of the troops to en-
gage the Bners and preparation for A COM
piete advance, the facts are that Butler has
before hru task Of the utmost difficulty
with force which lacks mobility and Is
dependent upon one line of railway with a
cross the Tugea and march to Ladysmith
in the face of an enemy Of much superior
mobility and little inferior numbers and in
sr,itcd by success. He has either 10 turn
rf- ,.ile intreEcEments ur 10 take the bull
.,. i,~ horns and deliver a fresh frontal
/, e ,,r,,-r obvious how the slow moving in
10" 80, -.,.t- to get round the fast moving
Hanna, ar. ntry. such as the Beers are.
lIrp committed p'sSiuIe 70 HdiI diI"'iicl NJ
ward still furth- xth Division with more
corporate few at oops, AN arm in which
many. The shlppii weak. will be avail-
purely Il monopoly srIery than that new
announcement indica may succeed in a
probability of lis pasS.'' can LadESfii'h
tiOnal Congress has its - NJ fond a,,.
yancing effect upon the ste. of the troops
corporations into whose tribe War Ohice
pour direct the Sl00.oOo0oO p. ptE an 90 90
from the people. Every influ ijseas% IS
siile to be exerted by these coDysentery
now being felt in the lobby work and the
subsidy bill.
1t is also undeniable that the g.
ment of such measure into law seTi-
maryelOusly inspire and solidify ar,
the support extended 10 the Republican
party 10y combines and syndicatcs. AE,
a cost to the people Of $100,oooo0o the
Republican administration will again
testify to its willingness 10 serve those
interests regardless Of the consequent
sacrifice and betrayal Of the public
good. Fresh proof of this spirit of de
yution 10 the combines on the eve of Il
national campaign cannot fail TO
strengthen Republicanism, inasfar as it
is possible for corporation money and
corporation effort to uphold and per-
petuate 4 government Subservient 10
corporation ends. The passage cf the
subsidy bill will place Il strong card in
Mark Hanua's hand when he begins the
active work of re-electing Mr.. Mckinley
10 the Presidency.
The iniquity Of the high protective
tariff is now unanswerably shown in the
fact that the protected" American
manufacturers are selling their pro
tected' goods at profit in European
markets Mt prices lower than are pos
sible to the European manufacturers
against whose competition in this c0un-
try the American manufacturer is pro
tected" at so great cost TO the con-
sumer. The iniquity of the shipping
subsidy hill is rs apparent upon its face
as was ever that of the high protective
tariff The passage of such measure
by Congress will mean that the COM
hines. the combine-administ-at the
combine-tool, Mark Hanna, and a COM