The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-02-14
mattbman ( Journal.
ARTHUR ROPES. General Editor.
England in South Africa.

South Africa is watched by all the
world with intensest interest and
anxiety. The week opens with
new movement under way that
promises success to the British forces.
The development of the Boer plan OF
defense against the movement Lord
Roberts is directing for the invasion OF
the Orange Free State may bring its
surprises, to the foes of the farmers
and to the world The world could not
understand when the war began that
the Beers would be able, for four
months, to hold Great Britain at bay,
and on her own soil; that a little
army, given a maximum strength of
some $4,000 men, would successfully
defeat greatly outnumbering forces, in
Aict heavy losses upon its enemy, shut
up large bodies of troops in garrison
towns and with Oh iron grip hold them
imprisoned against the best of efforts
of England to effect their release, out
general and outmaneuver the British
commanders, outmarch their troops
and outrange their guns.
These events have all been in the
nature of surprises. The English COM
mauders have not eaten their Christ.
mas dinner in Pretoria. They are no
nearer their enemy's boundaries than
when they started out for his capital.
England has successfully doubled,
trebled and quadrupled her military
strength in South Africa. Never be-
fore in all her history, even when figut-
ing organized Europe, has she put
such forces in the field. An army OF
over 200,00 men, heavily equipped
with artillery, supplied with modern
weapons and embracing in all arms the
best troops of tie Empire, is now
gathering up its titanic energies to
crush the puny republics whose de-
tenders seem endowed with the powers
of demigods.
Three times General Butler has been
flung back from the Tugela, worsted
by his willy opponent and crippled by
the havoc of his enemy's fire. Methuen
recoiled from the shock at Megersfon'
tein and for weeks on the Modder has
been nursing his wounds. French and
Gatacre have tasted the bitterness OF
the common sorrow. Now these brok'
en- and disordered armies in the wesl
and the north, reorganized, reinforced
strengthened with cavalry and artil'
lery, marshRlled by the Empires most
famous military chiefs, are preparing
for spring at the heart of the Orange
Free State. In the various columns
ready to take the field and hold the
communications, it is estimated thai
there are now under Roberts $4,000
mounted troops and 10000 infantry
with 1872 guns. In Cape Colony every
district has been summoned, through
the organization of volunteer corps, tC
the local defense, TO maintain order
and to watch the disaffected Afrikan
ders. Butler will keep the Beers OPP
posite him busy. To the outsider it is
not clear that Joubert will be able tt
detach any considerable force to resis
the pending movement in the nortf
and west. 1t is critical time for tht
republics. The combinations and thu
extent and power of the invading for
ces promise success for the British
God help the Beers.
The natural difficulties in the patti
of the invaders of the Free State arr
not 80 great as in Natal, but there arr
difficulties, and they will increase will
every mile the British advance. Rob
erts is dependent entirely on Wagon
and mule transportation for supplies
Gen. Macdonald's movement last weel
from the Modder to Koodoesberg
against the Boer right flank, distanc,
of only fifteen miles, consumed nearl,
two days. Thus it can be imagined how
encounter when the distances stretcl
into hundreds of miles, with an en-
envy such as the Boer has shown him
self to be contrasting every inch o
ground Furthermore, it is under
stood, or it may be safely assumed
that both in the Free State and tn
Transvaal, every natural position for
stand against the invaders has beef
prepared for defence, and events a
Magersfontein, at Stormberg, al Colen
30, and the affairs of Spion Kop an
Vaal Krantz, among many others, ex
plain what this signifies for the Brit
ish. If Providence is always on tn
side of the heaviest battalions, th
British should win. But in this wa
Providence has been upsetting the Ma
poleonic maxim.
To illustrate the difficulty Genera