Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-05

! turn the capitals of both the allied states.
preserved his communications throughout
| a rapid advance through the enemys coun-
| try. cleared very large area OF his Toes.
| and now has forced the Boer armies into
| the mountains in which they are expected
| to make their last stand.
1t has been a most brilliant campaign.
shrewdly planned and smoothly executed
| OF course Roberts has had from the outset
| superior force But his earliest tasks re-
quired him to face the Beers In positions
that with less capable generalshp than
| his confronting them, would have enabled
/ them to hold the British back Indefinitely
| Methuen and Butler made almost similar
mistakes al the two wings of the great war
field by persisting in frontal attacks
Methuen's bunder was worse than Buffers,
for he operating a plain where he
could choose his ground. while Butler was
forced by the roughness of the country into
a comparatively narrow channel of action
But while they were ineffectvely pounding
at a securely lodged enemy Roberts gave
both a lesson in war by employing cavalry.
thanking the enemy. and making his army
more mobile even than that of his oppo-
nent.
Just what the advance to Pretoria means
politically. what 1t foreshadows to the
lellStH OF the campaign, can only De sur
| missed. 1t is at least believed that hence
forth the British military task will be rela-
lively easy, while proclamation by Rob-
erts annexing the Transvaal will soon ap-
pear. simplifying the peace negotiations.
Temporary Victory for the c. & p. Co.
The bill to charter new telephone COM
pany has evidently gone by the board
for the session. Yesterdays brief debate in
the Senate seems to have shown clearly
that the influences exerted in behalf of
the Chesapeake and Potomac company are
at least powerful enough to prevent action
at this fag-end of the legislative year And
so the people of Washington must continue
to pay the extortionate charges of the
present company for six months longer at
the least calculation, with no more tangible
ground of hope for relief than the declara
ton of Senator Gallinger. who appeared to
speak authoritatively for the old company.
that the reorganized corporation proposes
to employ the summer months in meeting
the wishes of the people.
OF course. one who has studied the
case at all closely will be deceived by such
a ''glttering generality The company
can not redeem itself in one short season
in the esteem of outraged community.
1t can not cure the record OF obstinate re-
tention of obsolete rates in the face of
congressional command to adopt more
reasonable schedule. Obviously, what is
proposed is a further exploitation of the
so-called measured service. the inequalities
of which have been pointed out already by
The Star. No one expects that. after yir-
tually winning the fight at the session now
closing. the company will refute all of its
strenuous arguments about the great cost
of the service and the Smallness of the
profits by voluntarily reducing the general
rate scale.
No. yesterdays assurance to the Senate
that the company intends to notify the
people was evidently designed for the very
purpose which 1t so well served. that of af-
covering the forced retreat of the baffied
friends of the pending bill and of possibly
impressing the more sanguine people of
Washington with the public spirit and
generosity of the new management. 1t
does not. however. change the main situation
in the least. save to the extent of accenting
the demand for new Incorporation to af-
ford permanent relief and to punish the old
company for its contempt of Congress and
of public opinion. The Chesapeake and Po-
tomac company has had its chance. 1t has
failed utterly to redeem its obligations to
the community and Its temporary success
in preventing regulation-first by defying
the law and by forcing "a postpone
ment of a rival incorporation-will ulti-
mately avail nothing.