Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-28
England Now Realizes the Need of a
Larger Army.
DISCUSSING The COST OF The WAR
The TransvaaI Was Well Armed
When the Trouble Began.
ALTERS OF INTEREST

army and $1,000 to the auxlnary FORCES, So
that within the next few months Great
Britain shall have within its borders $1,000
men trained to arms. This was the call
made tonight by Lord Lansdowne in the
house of lords and by Mr. Wyndham in the
house Of commons, respectively secretary
and under secretary for war, in order that
the country might be in a full state of de-
Tense should the invasion of England be
threatened. Three army corps are to be
organized. There will be thlrty-six bat
teres of field artillery and seven batteries
of horse artillery. Further. three cavalry
brigades are to be raised, representing nine
regiments, toward which the country will
contribute. Also, for permanent service
there are to be twelve more battalions of
Infantry, and to get men a claim will be
made on ex-soldiers who have already
served their three and seven years. AS to
auxiliaries, there will be increase Of pay
all around. The militia are to be placed
on par with the regular troops, and be
obliged to go under canvas in the spring
and summer. The volunteers are to be
armed with modern weapons. They will go
under canvas for a month each year
higher capitation grant will be given for
higher efficiency, and each volunteer bat
talon mastering a thousand strong will
raise company of mounted infantry. The
yeomanry are to be developed, have higher
pay and be given the opportunity Of living
under canvas three months of the year
These, in short, are the government pro-
posalS for making an army of defense
while the 20O.oO0 warriors are away in
South Africa "hammering Paul" An am
bilious program, but necessary one. The
different way in which the lords and COM
mons respectively took the announcement
was characteristic of the houses. In the
lords there fine array on those cr.m-
son benches, the Prince of Wales and the
Duke of Cambridge in their customary
- Ill. %
party and on a liberal bench to the right
elbow Of the prince was Lord Rosebery.
sitting sidewise, and, l fancy, rather bored.
Lord Salisbury was the only uncovered man
apart from the archbishop of York and the
bishop Of London, who sat uncovered on
the government side. Cumbrous and I'M
wieldy of figure he leaned in heavy, tired
attitude just behind Lord Lansdowne. His
head hung forward drowsily on his breast
and his hands lay limp by his side. Close
by was the Duke of Devonshire unusually
industrious, for he was taking notes,
whereas he generally yawns through other
mems speeches. Up in the galleries were
many peeresses.
In the Two Houses.
The gilded chamber lacks enthusiasm 1t
never cheers whatever you may see in the
bald reports Of the speeches. A soft rum
BILE of Hear. hear" is the utmost demon
stration it makes. Besides, I must say,
Lord LandSdowne is not an orator to arouse
much exuberance of feeling. A slim. I'M
notwithstanding man, rather bald. and with
a deep forehead. and affecting little black
knot of a tie, he speaks with possession
and clearly, but not unlike a chairman at a
vestry meeting explaining the accounts of
the year. and pointing out there has been
a big expenditure in providing new heating
appliances He is a business man. shrewd
as that slightly aQuiline nose and those
sharp, keen black eyes tell and he rs not
statesman who in speech ever lets himself
go. The lords was overheated. and lam
guor was in the air. The scene Was i'm
pressve and also it dull.
The commons was all expectancy to hear
the speech. The benches and the galleries
were filled. Mr.. Wyndham was in posses
sion OF crowded house, eXpoundlng the
proposed increase in the army. There was
no excitement: everybody was all ears to
drink in every word, and looking at this
trim figured, be-curled young man. immac-
ulately dressed 1t seemed but the other
day when he had to raise his voice in high
shrillness to make himself heard above the
chatter of unheeding men. and now here he
was, speaking with no effort to be heard
but in easy. modulated tones, and every
man in the house. with body bent forward,
anxious to let not one syllable escape.
Irish Tobacco.
There was an amusing little scene In COM
mons last night. Ireland has lately taken
to growing tobacco. and paragraphs are
now going the round Of the newspapers pre-
pairing the public for boom in Irish to-
bacco, which can be grown for SO many
pence an acre and sold ii at 50 many shii-
lings a pound. etc The Irish members
row happily united, have found time to
take up matters of interest to Ireland and
Mr.. William Redmond the rrepressible
started heckling, Mr.. Plunkett, who repre-
sents the agricultural department for Ire
land. the growing Of tobacco in Ire
land Mr.. Plunkett said tobacco grew lux
uriantly in ireland. At this the entire Irish
party glowed with delight. 1T is of the
English Virginia type" added Mr.. Plunkett,
and the faces of the Irishmen heightened,
as though there was some injustice here,
while the Saxon tories laughed. 1T Is
nearly twice as strong ordinary tobac-
CO.. added Mr.. Plunkctt. and presum-
be put hint that for the killing Of in
sects on plants 1t would be admirable.
''Wen,' asked Mr.. Redmond. will You put
some of 1t in the smoking room of the
house?' Mr.. Plunkett would not commit
himself. but the crowded chamber cried
OUT In horror at the suggestion.
Military Conditions.
The war is providing little news at pres
ent. The operations are not active. though
1 have reason to believe that concentra-
ton OF forces is taking place at this mo-
ment and that we shall soon hear Of de-
termined effort being made either at the
Modder or Orange river to invade the Free
State. Still things are quiet now and Bull
Ter has retired from his third attempt to
cross the Tugela.
From one in touch with foreign diplo-
matists l hear that DR. Leyds talks In pri-
vate In very different strain from his
public utterances. For instance. II Is stated
that he expects the war to be over In eight
weeks. Apparently that could be by ex-
haustion of Boer resources. Oddly enough,
this rather agrees with the expectation of
officers on the staf. who have written that
they expect to be home in May. 1t Is well
known that the Beers are fighting, not in
the hope OF being able to defeat the i'm
perial forces, but in the expectation that
foreign powers, who are envious of Britain
will intervene. Such expectation. feasible
at one time, has now ceased to have any
foundation. Italy has spoken out with no
uncertain sound on the side of England,
the French cabinet is unwilling to spoil the
exhibition, Germany has nothing to gain
and everything to lose by quarreling with
England. and Russta's car is determined
to live up to his character of the man of
peace.
Arms for the Transvaal.
We can now calculate the rate at which
the Transvaal has been arming. From the
Portuguese official returns Il appears that