Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-25
No News Is Received From
the Front.
WAR OFFICE IS SILENT
AS to the Latest Dispatches That May
Have Been R~eceived--A Parody
on Kipling'S P0em-Speech OF
John Morley.

OV4AAA /
London, Jan. %. AIS a. m.-The assem-
blage in Pail Mall. outside the wal office
and those privileged to wait in the lobbies
reluctantly dispersed at midnight after
the final word that nothing would be an
nounced. The morning papers went to
press with conjectures and forecasts of
all sorts. striving to guess out something |
from Spionkop.
Topography maps show that Spionkop
is the highest part of a rocky plateau.
Eastward, about eight miles, are the
Boer positions along the Tugela. North
westward from Spionkop the plateau runs
gradually up to a great spur of the Dra-
kensburg.
General Buffers infantry to reach the
summit Of Spionkop must cross a natural
glacier, three-quarters Of a mile wide
climb 500 feet up a steep slope. Nobody
here seems to know, not even the war
Office, what Lord Roberts has done with
his large reinforcements. Six thousand
troops awaited his arrival at Capetown
and since then six thousand Others have
reached there. Military critics are all
hoping that a good share of these Il, 900
have gone to help Genera Butler, and
they argue that a few days wait may
make him strong enough to overcome the
deadlock.
There are $4,000 troops at seat and this
heavy weight on the British side is ex-
pected to destroy the equilibrium now ex-
listing on every field of operation.
The British losses up to date in killed,
wounded and captured, according to Gen.
eral Buffers last list, totals S.a16 men.
F. w. Reitz. the Transvaal state Sec
rotary. has written a parody on Mr.. Kip
ling's 'Recessional." It is entitled
"Mudyard Hipling." The first stanza
follows:
Gods of the lingo, brass and gold.
Lords of the world, by right divine.
Under whose baneful sway they hold,
Dominion over mine and thine
Such lords as these have made them
They rave forgotten! They have for
gotten!"
United States Ambassador Choate call
ed twice on Lord Salisbury yesterday,
which was the regular diplomatic day.
London. Jan. 25.-A dispatch to the
Times from Spearman's camp. dated
Tuesday, $3.50 p. NJ, says: The Beers to-
day had more guns and are preparing to
fight almost internlinably. having en-
trenched their ridges, which stretch in an
almost unbroken line from the Drakens-
burg many miles eastward.
Firing continued throughout the day.
We have not advanced any further. but
we threw up entertainments during the
night from behind which the musEetry
continues from exactly the same position
as yesterday.
London, JAM. 25.-The Capetown cores
pondent of the Times. telegraphing Tues
day, says: 1.-THE bandites are preparing
to seize the first decisive British victory
or the invasion of republican territory as
the signal for a violent peace agitation.
They will ~ccoinpan their appeal to
~magnanimity by covertly limiting that
they are unable to restrain the Dutch COL
onists from rising"
London. Ia .25.-The correspondent OF
the Times at Lorenzo Marques. telegraph
ing Yesterday and dealing with the law
lessness of the low class of Beers, VINO
are getting beyond the control OF the gov
ernment and the better class of officials
who are honestly DESTROYS OF protecting
life and property says: my informants
are convinced that the only way to a v
the rand from the fury of the rabble is to
cut off the retreat of the Beers in the
direction of johannesburg. The hot
hoods among the Beers are convinced
that the war is due to the capitalists. and
that the only revenge possible is to dyna-
mite the mines"
London, Jan. 25.-A correspondent OF
the Times at Modder River, telegraphing
Tuesday, says: The reports Of deserters
agree that the situation of the Beers at
Ma gersfontein is becoming unbearable
because the camp is ~unsanitary, enteriC
fever is spreading n vegetables are
wanting. On the other hand the health
of the British camp is satisfactory, al
though the ground a been exhausted
by the long encampment n trees have
been cut down by insect pests and dust
storms.
London, Jan. 25.-John Morley, ad.
dressing his constituents at Forfar
made but little reference to the politi.
cal aspects of the war in South Africa
combining himself chiefly to a renewa
OF his indictments Of the policy which
led to hostilities."
He ridiculed 1.-THE notion that a few
Boer successes entitle the Transvaal t.
be described as a first class militar,
power" and declared that "the fact o
the Beers sending the ultimatum NJ
more disposed of all other question,
than the defiance of the American col
onists in throwing the tea into Boston
harbor disposed of all the questions O
the war of America and independence.
"It is quite certain" continue d Mr.
Morley. that had the government ap
preciated the temper Of the Transvaa
people and foreseen what was comm,
what we all know in these black an,
gloomy ~days-there would have beeen n
war. 1t is dreadful but true that
wan of foresight and decent information
led the government to stumble into wa
In the dark. Lord Salisbury's -menacin,
speech Of July %. If applied to a grea
power. could only rave meant war.
was absurd. if the government really be
lieved in a Dutch conspiracy, to spen,