The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-04-27
BUTLER IN
BAD ODOR
Roberts Scores Him for
BIundering,
SHARP COMMENT AT HOME
Warren May be RecaIIed--N News from
Dalgetty--Boers Appeal to
Afrikanders.

tonight puDllsneS In the 'GaZette'
dispatch from Lord Roberts, dated Feb
ruary 18th, submitting General Buller''
dispatches describing the Spion KoT
and other operations from January 17tl
to January oath. Lord Roberts deals
severely with General Warren anc
some others Even General Butler does
not escape. Lord Roberts complains
that tne plan OF operations is not clear
ly described in the dispatches. After
sketcning General Buffers mentions
as communicated to Sir Charles War
rem, who commanded the whole force
Lord RobeI Is points out that General
Warren seems To have concluded, after
consultation with his officers, that the
Ranking movement ordered by General
Butler was impracticable, and therefore
so changed the plan of advance as to
necessitate the capture and retention OF
Spion Kop. Lord Roberts continues:
"As Warren considered it impossible
to make the wide fanking movement
which was recommended, If not actual
ly prescribed in the secret instructions,
he should forthwith have acquainted
Butler with the course he proposed to
adopt. There is nothing to show wheth-
er he did so or not. But it is only fair
to Warren to point out that Butler ap-
pears throughout to have been aware
of what was happening"
Regarding the withdrawal from Spion
Kop, the retention of which had become
essential to the relief of Ladysmith,
Lord Roberts says: II regret to be un-
able to concur with Butler in thinking
Thornycroft exercised wise discretion
in ordering the troops to retire. | am
OF the opinion that Thornycrofts as
sumption of responsibility and author
ity was wholly inexcusable. During the
night the enemy's fire could not have
been formidable, and it would not have
taken more than two or three hours for
Thornycroft to communicate by mes
senger with Major-General Coke or
Warren. Coke appears to have left
Spion Kop at $50 p. m. for the purpose
of consulting with Warren. Up to that
hour the idea of withdrawal had not
been entertained. Yet almost imme-
diately after Coke's departure Thorny-
croft issued the order, without refer
ence to superior authority, which upset
the whole plan of operations and rem
derer unavailing the sacrifices made TO
carry it into effect. On the other hand,
it is only right to say that Thornycroft
appears to have behaved in a very gal
liant manner throughout the day.
ut is to be regretted that Warren did
not himself visit the Spon Kop in the
afternoon or evening, knowing as he
did that the state of affairs was very
critical and that the loss of the posi-
tiOn would involve the failure of the
operations. He consequently was oblig
ed to summon Coke to his headquar-
ters, and the command at Splon Kop
thus devolved on Thornycroft, I'M
known to Coke, who was under the i'm
preston that the command devolved
upon Colonel Hill as senior officer.
Omission or mistakes of this nature
may be trlfling in themselves, yet they
may exercise an important influence
over the course of events, and / believe
Butler was justified in remarking:
There was want of organization and
system which acted most unfayorably
on the defense
1.-THE attempt to relieve Ladysmith
was we'll devised, and agree with Bull
Ter in thinking it ought to have sue
ceeded. That it failed may In some
measure have been due to the Difficult
ties Of the ground and the commanding
positions held by the enemy, and prob
ably also to errors OF judgment and
want of administrative capacity on the
part of Warren. But, whatever faults
Warren may have committed, the fall
ure must also be attributed to the dlsln-
clination OF the officer in supreme COM
mand to assert his authority and see
that what he thought pest WIS done,
and also to the unwarrantable and
needless assumption of responsibility
by a subordinate officer"
The dispatch concludes:
"rTha UratifuiDp faatura pf fhaaa die
patches Is the admirable behavior OF the
troops throughout the operation"
Comment in London.
LONDON, April 1s.-G:55 p. MI
Lord Roberts criticisms of General
Butler. General Warren and Colonel
Thornycroft continue topics OF acute
interest All the afternoon papers COM
ment at length on the structures of the
British commander-in-chief in South
Africa, taking the same lines rs the
morning papers. praislng Lord Roberts
for his frankness and sperulatlng upon
what the publication of the dispatches
at the present moment portends.
Some OF them maintain there Is moth
Ing left for General Butler but to re-
SIGN. The ST James Gazette Ia mar
ticularlv srathing. Referring to Gen
eral RULERS repnrt II says:
"Never N tho history of ARMIES did II
hannen that Generals scribhled their
confessions Of failnre ard defeat. NJ
useless deaths of men and NJ disrredlt
TO the Fac IN manner which suooes's
a careful SELECTION from the forced
jorular manner. tho slangv 'aneuaop NJ
the hnrseman. and the Pahh'e of the
gmottnp roor IN the evaninP"
The Globe declares that " more
pitiah,a -ecorh NJ indeeision in nlan
md confusion In evacut'on We have
Seldom rood" arh adds that "what III
tie ranntatior caneral RULER had left
has henn scattered IN the winds"
Practically no develnnmenis have
been reported SO far In todav's South
African nahIaa A haanafnh frnm War