New-York tribune., 1900-01-14
BRITISH PUBLIC ANGRY.
FLOODGATES OF CRITICISM LOOSED
UPON THE MILITARY AD-
MINISTRATION

London, Jan. 13.-The fr1vonty displayed IN
his recent speeches by A. J. Balfour, the Gov
| ernment leader in the House of Commons, has
landed what has been known as the strongest
| Government Of modern times in the slough
from which extrication is both doubtful and
! difficult His light hearted remarks. which were
| pleasantly accepted by the nation when times
were good and all well, are offensive TO
| people mourning for lost sons and deeply an
| gered by unprecedented reverses. Mr.. Balfour
| If he had tried could not have more success
| fully put his countrymen on edge, and when
| Lord Salisbury speaks he will have much to
atone for. The memory of Mr.. Chamberlain's
| alliance" speech was scarcely dying away be-
fore Mr.. Bafour put his foot still deeper in the
| mire The Conservatives devoutly hope Mr..
| Balfour will follow Mr.. Chamberlain's example
| and keep a discreet silence. AS "The Saturday
| Review" one Of the Governments stanchest
| supporters, puts It:
The Administration is face to face not
with the Opposition but with the nation.
| 1t is a crisis cut of which several must come
with regulations smrched and may possibly re-
suit in the wreck of the Government. In any
case a reconstruction of the Cabinet seems
inevitable
THE Spectator" protests against making Mr..
Balfour the scapegoat, and declares that though
Lord Sasbury's is still the wisest mind in the
empire it is impossible for him TO continue
much longer both Prime Minister and Foreign
Secretary. It advocates his retention at the
head of the Foreign Office and the appointment
of Mr.. Balfour as Premier, the Marquis of Lans-
downe being succeeded at the War Office by
H. Arnold Forster. The same paper gravely
reviewing the serious military conditions of the
country, advocates elaborate plan for home
defence, including volunteer army, recruited
from civilians and former soldiers, which would
ha lied N Of
vasion, but which would form a nucleus to
able the standing army to be sent abroad with
out qualms.
MEANS MUCH FOR KITCHENER.
In the mean while so The Associated Press
learns, Lord Salisbury does not mean to be in
active. He believes the salvation of Great Brit
aims military system depends General Lord
Kitchener, in whom he has long had implicit
faith. 1t has already been planned that If Lords
Roberts and Kitchener bring the campaign to
a successful termination the latter will be
brought home to honors almost equal to those Of
the Duke Of Wellington. He will be put into
the War Office and will have free hand to
brush away the cobwebs which clog the British
Army. Lord Roberts, Of course. will not be
neglected; but by then he would be too old for
such work as is outlined for Lord Kitchener.
Perhaps before this can be accomplished Lord
Salisbury will be out of power and Lord Kitch-
ener be dscredited. But. upon such rehabili-
tation by means Of the young and brilliant
agent has the heart of the British Premier been
set. It remains to be seen whether fate will
enable him to carry it out
Mention of Lord Kitchener is inseparably con-
nected with Khartoum, where it was announced
this week, the first train from Cairo had ar
rived. The Associated Press learns that this is
not quite correct, for there still about three
hundred miles between those places on which
no railroad has been built Until the Nile dam
is completed 1t Is impossible to construct road
between Assouan and Wady- -Halfa. The way
the first trainload of pleasure seekers arrived at
Khartoum by disembarking at Assouan
into river boat, travelling by water to Wady-
Halfa and then boarding military train, for
mery used for the conveyance Of wounded
soldiers which took them to Khartoum. The
hotel there is not ready. but the visitors were
accommodated on the old Gordon steamboat,
which has been fitted up a sort of house
boat
Reverting to home politics and the Balfour
ruddIe the extremist view is we'll voiced in a
public letter written by Henry Broadhurst Glib
eral-Labor), Member Of Parliament for Leices-
ter, formerly Secretary Of the Parliamentary
Committee of the Trades Union Congress. He
says
The amazing confession of Ignorance, inca
pacity and almost indifference made by Mr..
Balfour makes the stoutest hearts feel that in
the hands OF the present Government the safety
Of the Empire is not worth SIX months pur-
chase.
Mr.. Balfours statement that three army
corps were placed in the field without hitch
has given the critics excellent and not wasted
opportunity of pointing out that though enough
individuals to make up three corps are on their
way to South Africa. they only have the artil-
lery requisite. according to the British regu-
lations. for one corps while in cavalry and
army service components they are almost
equally deficient proving the very lack of or
ganization so frequently laid at the door of the
War Office.
AN IRISH MEMBERS VIEWS
Edward Blake, Nationalist, Member of Par
lament for South Longford, formerly Chan
cellor of Upper Canada, has been speaking very
plainly on the subject of the rumors that mem
bers of certain Irish societies contemplated an
invasion of Canada. He said to the people of
Longford that If he believed it true he
would have borrowed a Mauser have learned
the new rifle practice and have taken passage
to Canada to help defend my wife, children
and grandchildren from my brother Home
sympathy with the more advanced sections of
his party.
What chiefly marks the passing of the British
from a period of passive discomfort to most Sc
we're faulthnding is the outspoken abuse of
their generals in the field. There unpleasant
stories Of fierce service jealousies, and in short,
all the army's shortcomings, which heretofore
have been secretly whispered in clubs, are this
week finding their place in print and not in dis
rel utabe journals but in organs that a month
ago would have fercely denounced such tales
as unpatriotic. whether they were true other
wise. II is now well known that General Butler
despises Field Marshal Lord Roberts and hates
General Lord Kitchener; that Lord Woseley,
the Commander in Chief, shares General Bull
lars nd WOlSQlpV on