The Portland daily press., 1900-02-02
Majority May Be Larger
Than Usual.
Sir Henry Bannerman in a
Tight Place.

Commons today the government pafrisd
most Of the questions In regard to the
war In South Africa. Mr.. George wynd-
ham, the parliamentary under secretary
OF state for war. maintained that the In.
formation furnished by the intelligence
department. was generally accurate and
he added that information In regard to
the forces remaining In the United King
dom would be included In the statement
which the government would make short
ly. Relative to the speech made ty Gen.
Lord Wellesley, explaining the British
reverses In South Afrina, Mr.. wyndham
said that Gen. Wellesley merely intended
to convey the impression that the mill
tsry qualities shown by the Beers were OF
higher order than had been anticipated.
At this remark the Irish members
oh .ered.
Asked II he had any war news to com
municate to the House, Mr.. "A. J. Bal.
four, the government leader, replied In
the negative. Mr.. Balfour. in answer to
another question, said that while The
military operations were proceeding he
could not answer any inquiry as to the
slau ghter of the highlandsrs at Mayors
fontein. Regarding the Dispatches Of
Major General Sir william Butler, who
was in command of the British troops In
South Africa until August, 1899, when
he was relieved by Lieut.. General Sir
Frederick william Forester Walker, Il
being intimated that General Buffers
synpathies were in favor Of the Beers,
MIR. Balfour said there was no reason tc
present them to the House. General But
ier's opinion on South African affairs, hs
added, was we'll known. The general had
never sugge sted to the war office. either
publicly or privately, that the number Of
troops required would be any thing Like
the number actually SAINT.
In regard to the suggestion that Indian
troops should have been used In South
Africa, the House, MIR. Balfouf said,
would understand the impossibility ol
this.
Replying to questions relating to thu
letters of MIR. b. II. HAwkesley. counsel
for the British South African company
ana other letters published by the Core
spondencs Beige, the secretary Of stats
for the colonies, Mr.. Cham berlain, ad.
mitted that those of which he had per
sonal knowledge were published substaa-
TALLY correctly. The letters, he added,
were stolen frem MIR. Hawkesley's offio,
by q clerk who was summary dismissed
In 1897. MIR. Cham bsrlain declared that
he was only aware Of the existence OF the
letters few days before they were pub
| lished.
MIR. Balfour. replying to another ques
ton, by MIR. John Gordon Swift MsoNsil
Nationalist, IN regard to the letters pub
lished by the Independence Beige snd
what the government proposed to Dc
W hen the cabinet ministsra were "dslib
erately charged with personal dishonoI
and public falsehood," said that. accord
ing to his view OF the case, suoh ACCUSE
lions ought TO be treated with contempt.
| Sir Charles Dixie, advanced radical, re-
sumed the debate on Lord Edmund Fitz.
maurice's amendment to the address In
reply to the speech from the throne. He
said he thought no one could deny that
the net result had been to kill me BELIEF
Of the world In Great Britsin's ability to
conduct war. The country's military
reputation, he added, was never lower.
and even now the government failed to
grasp the seriousness Of the war.
MIR. George Wyrdhsm, parliamentary
secretary for the war office. who followed,
nd pitted the war office had not been i'm
psccable. but he argued that the gov
erpment had done Its best considering the
limitations of the military system, ant
welcomed criticism. as the country would
be thus enabled to turn to best account
the tide OF patriotism and the lessons Of
the war. II the government had dons
wrong. he continued, 10 had done 1t with
RI hit motives The two cardinal points
In the campaign were. firstly desire t.
give diplomacy chance. secondly, th'
dscis ion Of General Butler to relisvs
Ladysmith. 1t must not be supposed thA
he criticised General Buffers decision
General Boiler was on the spot and oouls