The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-12-13
De Wet Escapes From British
Trap and the Heavy Fight
ing Continues.
COMMONS DISCUSSES TERMS.
Unconditional Surrender Is
Now Regarded at War Office
as Improbable.

London. Dec. 12-Lord Kitchener cables
the War Once from Pretoria. under date
| of December Il. that General Knox reports
from liclvctia that he IS engaged I'm a run
ming fight with General DE Wet. and that
| the enemy is moving toward Redersburg.
where there is column ready to COOPERATE
with the other British forces.
Lord Kitchener. In another dispatch. re-
ports that the Beers attacked the post near
Barberton. The British casualties were
three killed. five wounded and thirteen
taken prisoners. The captured men have
since been released.
The Beers raided the Riverton road sta
tion December IL. They are being followed
up.
General Kitchener's message indicates that
De Wet has again evadei Knox. After the
latter had foiled the Raer General at Coo
massie Drift. the Beers seem To have dou-
hled back. crossed the Caledon River else
where ana turned thence northwest, in the
direction of kedrrshUrc. the memorable
scene Of the british disaster I'm April when
DE Wet captured the Irish I.ifies
DEBATE on WARS EXPENSE.
London. Dec. r. considerable irritation
was aroused during to-day's debate on sup
ply in the House of Commons. Sir Robert
L. Reid. q. G. Liberal member for Dunn
friHshurEh. painted a gloomy picture of the
conditions In South Africa. He said that
after fourteen months of war costing So
Wo"o per month. anarchy was prevalent
and famine threatened and this may he
followed by native rising
An attempt to place the colonies under
military rule. he said would impiril the
very existence Of the Empire. He thought
the time had arrived for offering the Eoers
terms not inconsistent with British do
minion All ideas Of unconditional surrender
should be discarded.
James Bryce, Liberal. followed on similar
lines He suggested granting general am
nesty TO the Beers now in arms as leciti-
mate combatants. The regulations MIR.
Bryce also said. should not he entrusted 70
SIR Alfred Miner. who was the object of
almost universal distrust. including at least
half of the Queens subjects in South
Africa.
Mr.. Broderick the Secretary for War.
hot!y challenged Mr.. Bryce's statements re-
gardiny Sir Alfred Milner.
willing to Offer Terms to Beers.
Sir Robert Reid's speech. Mr.. Frederick
asserted. was impr1cticabe. unwise and
inischievous. Tho Government was perfect
ly willing to offer terms for surrender SO
long az it could not be interpreted as proof
Of weakness and thereby cause prolonga-
tion of the guerrilla warfare.
After further recrimina tions. the report
Of supply was agreed to.
During subsequent discussion in Commit
tee OF ways and Means, the Chancellor of
the ExcheQuer Sir Michael HickS-Beach
promised that considerable proportion of
the cost of the war should be obtained
from the Transvaal. He added that a Treas
Lry Committee was about to proceed to the
TranSvaal to ascertain its assets and their
taxable capacity.
Sir David Barbour, continued the Chan
oellor of the Exchcquer had been selected
for this task.
The resolution was then agreed to. and
the House adjourned.
Sir David Miller Barbour X. c. NJ G.,
was member Of the council Of the Gov
ernor General Of India. 1s.7-lS93 was royal
commissioner to inquire into the condi-
tions and prospects of sugar-growing COL
onies. 1896. and latterly commissioner to in
Quire into the finances OF Jamaica.
ROBERTS on FARM BURNING.
London. Dec. 12.-Forty-one proclamations
OF Lord Roberts have been published They
have been mostly summarized In the news