The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-06-05


Lord Roberts advance into the Trans
and foe alike, and once more establishes
his reputation as one of the greatest
of the worlds commanders. lie waited
long and patiently in Bloemfontein get
ting remounts for his cavalry and
mounted infantry, accommodating stores
of ammunition, fodder, provisions and
resting certain portions Of his troops,
while others were used to keep the Boer
forces on the move, first cleaning them
out of Cape Colony, and then gradually
freeing the Orange Free State of all
Boer Commands.
During the period of quiescence there
was much murmuring in Great Britain,
and considerable criticism on the Con-
tinent of Europe. But Lord Roberts is
a man like the Duke of Wellington, and
is utterly unheeding of criticism He
makes his calculations, provides for
every possible contingency and then
advances. 1t was this power of organi-
cation and calculation which enabled
him to make the famous march to Can
enabled him to make the wonderful
dash upon Bloemfontein, which resulted
in the relief of Kimberly, the capture of
Cronje and the occupation of that ca
pital. For weeks after Lord Roberts
arrived in Cape Colony nobody knew
what he was doing, and he even sent
General Hector Mcdonald on an ex-
petition westward to keep the Beers
amused till he was ready to strike, and
when the blow came, it was with the
speed of lightning and with sledge ham
mer force.
So it has been with the present attack
on the Transvaal, the period of quie-
scence has been followed by one of I'M
precedented activity. The army which
was supposed to be so slow, shows a
mobility as great as that of the Beers
themselves. His cavalry and mounted
infantry are close on the heels of the
retreating Beers, and give them no
rest, while his infantry has developed
powers which are simply surprising.
To move infantry at the rate of twenty
miles a day and have them fit for fight
ing duty, argues the perfection of COM
missary detail.
In point of fact the strong point of
Lord Roberts is his organizing power,
and his wonderful strategy. What the
British commanders in the early part
of the war attempted to do by brute
force, and the useless sacrifice of men,
Lord Roberts obtains by his skill. Both
Kruger and Stevn are reported to have
said that Roberts strategy was unfair
in that he has not given them a chance
of fighting in the positions that they
have chosen, but has been constantly
turning them by flank movements.
AS the situation now stands it appears
that the peace party in the Transvaal
is getting into the ascendant, and that
the war party is diminishing both in
numbers and in influence. The latest
rumor from the front was that General
French with cavalry and mounted In
fantry had occupied johannesburg and
that the threats to destroy the mining
property in and about that city had not
been carried out. The probability is
that French was too quick for the
. Beers, even if they ever really intended
to carry out the threat
We may take it for granted that peace
will not be considered by Lord Roberts
until he is actually in possession of Pre-
toria. That is his objective point, and
should anything happen to the aged
warrior, Kitchener would pitilessly con-
tinue the program. There will be no
time given to negotiations till the OBJ
jective is gained.