El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-10
LIGHT ON
SALISBURY
How John w. Foster Views
the British Situation
SOME STRIKING WORDS
Grave UpheavaIs May Follow the
Present Mar In South Africa.

A special to the Herald, New York,
from Washington, says:
That disaster threatens Great Brit
ain as u result of the war In the Trans
vaal is the belief of John w. Foster, of
Indiana, for mer secretary of state.
Mr.. Foster mas followed the military
operations in South Africa, making
close study of them and at the same
time giving keen scrutiny TO affairs in
Europe. To . reporter MIR. Foster
sald:
1T is much to be feared that Eng
land Is engaged in prOtracted and, In
The cad, an alarmlngly costly enter
prise in her armed contention with the
Beers.
II. Ia to be anticipated that in the
end, through the weight of numbers
and superior resources, England will
win, but I'll al will by no means end the
struggle. AT the present. rate progress
Is not only slow, but every days delay
must increase the difficulties of the
situation, from military point OF
view, and the same may be ssid with
respect to q solution by diplomacy.
rs has been the history of ali such
Struggles, and England has been no ex-
ceptlon, that the distur oance of COM
mercial relations and other questions,
more or less involved, very soon make
nations restlve. There might be no de
sire to inter fere on general principles
but the influence of the financial, In
dustrial and CONNER cial interests often
cOmpels governments to act from eco
nomical consider Atone.
mo one can tell what Is going on At
this very moment among the maritime
and military powers of Europe. AT any
time there might be surprise. They
surely can not be looking on simply as
spectatorsof possibly difficult interna-
tlonal problem.
The transportation of the largest
army England has ever bad in sim
gle theater of warlike operations NOR 9
tnan half the distance between the two
poles of the earth is in itself an eXpen-
sive undertaking and very difficult
one. But tnis is the least element of
considera ion. The supply and mainten-
Lance of such large force in the field
over 5000 miles awsy from home, in q
region d. fficult Of access and with most
inadequate means of transportation, is
| q proD.em to occupy mature military
minds.
Then there is the element of
| waste and destruction incident to an
army In the field and in action. This
necessitates constant replenishment,
adds to the cost. AS military en-
,erprise the end is evidently not in
sight.
there would be q Disconnected people
to keep in subsection, which would
require an expensive military estab-
lishment.
The experience of the war thus
far has very effectually established
the prestige of the Beers as fighters.
They may be able to continue. If they
n f0n
ments are not improbable. England,
not, perhaps, exhausted, but embar-
raised by protracted demands upon
her fighting material in men, supplies
and munitions of war, her army
thousands of miles away, might find it
difficult to head off foreign interference
by suostantl al methods.
"They might be in the nature Of
overt acts of military aggression or
up of forces would be difhcult to
engage.
1.-THE navy of England, it is true,
ia free to act, but what would become
of British commerce Crippled, what
would become of British manufactures,
which signify industry and means Of
living? The time for diplomatic
settlement in the first stages having
passed, it is difficult TO see how it can
come in now without great loss OF pres
tige. The British governments is
naturally sensitive. Some decisive
action might open q way, but that way
is not now in sight.
"The United States would be she
most natural Intermediary. The
leading Europe an nations have their
'spheres' in Africa. For that reason
any suRges tions from that quarter
would be out of the question-in fact.
have been warned against.
This war in such q remote quarter
of the globe is a more momentous a.
fair than the casual observer sup
poses. 1t may result in some very
grave upheavals in the worlds cOndi-