The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-13
TROOPS ARE Starving
LONDON NEWS CORRESPONDENT
SAYS, WHILE FOOD RIOTS IN
CAPE TOWN
RED TAPE OF WAR OFFICE
1T IS SCORED IN A SENSATIONAL
LETTER FROM A WRITER
AT THE FRONT
SOLDIERS TOO WEAK TO WALK
While Provisions Intended for Them
Are Not Forwarded on Account
of the Incompetence of
London officials.

London officials.
LONDON, Aug. 4-Mr A. G. Hales,
representative in South Africa of the
Daily News, is the latest war CORE
spondent to attack the methods and red
tape of the British war office. He says:
Let me tell you how our army in At
rica is treated by the incompetent peo-
pie in the good city Of London. 1 pledge
my word as a man and a Journalist that
every written word is true 1 will add
nothing nor detract from, nor set down
aught in malice. If my statements are
proven false, then let me be scourged
with the tongue and pen of scorn from
every decent Briton's home and hearth
for ever after, for he who lies about
his country at such an hour as this is
of all traitors the vilest. 1 will deal now
particularly with the men who are acting
under the command of Lieut.. Gen. Sir
Leslie Rumble. This good soldier and
courteous gentleman has to protect a
frontage line from Winburg, via Sen
akal, almost to the borders of Basuto-
land. His whole front, extending nearly
hundred miles, Is constantly threat
ened by an active, dashing, determined
enemy. an enemy who knows the coun-
try far better than an English fox hunt
ing squire knows the ground he hunts
over season after season.
'sro hold this vast line intact, Gen
Rundle has to march from point to point
as his scouts warn him of the movements
of the tireless foe.
MEN ARE STARVING.
Gen. Rundle's task is a colossal one,
and any sane man would think that gi-
gantic effort would be made to keep him
amply supplied with food for his SOL
diers But such is not the case. The
men are absolutely starving Many of
the infantrymeu are so weak that they
can barely stagger along under the
weight of their soldierly equipment. They
are worn to shadows and move with
weary, listless footsteps on the march
People high up in authority deny this,
but he who denies it sullies the truth.
This Is what the soldiers get to eat, what
they have been getting to eat for long
time past, and what they are likely to
get for long time to come unless Eng
land rouses, herself and bites to the bone
in regard to the people who are respon-
sible for 1t: One pound Of raw flour,
which the soldiers have to cook after a
hard days march, is served out to each
man every alternate day. The following
day he eats one pound of biscuits. In
this country there is no fuel excepting
little ox-dung dried In the sun. If a
soldier is lucky enough to pick up lit
tie, he can go to the nearest water, of
which there is plenty, mix his cake with
out yeast or baking powder, and make
some sort Of wretched mouthful. He gets
one pound of raw fresh meat daily,
which nine times out of ten he can not
cook ard there his supplies end.
vICTUALS STAND ON SIDINGS.
What has become of the rations of
rum, of sugar, Of tea, of cocoa, of gro
ceries generally? Ask at the snug little
railway sidings where the goods are
stacked and forgotten. Ask in the big
stores in Cape Town and other seaport
towns. Ask in your own country, where
countless thousands of pounds worth Of
food stuff lie rotting in the warehouses,
bound up and tied down with red tape
bandages. Ask-yes ask; bslt don't stop
at asking-damn somebody high in power.
Don't let some wretched underling be
made the scapegoat of this criminal state
of affairs, for the taint of this shameless
thing rests upon you, upon every Briton
whose homes, privileges and prosperity
are being safeguarded by these famishing
men.
RUMBLE CAN BE REACHED.
"The folk in authority will probably tell
you that Gen. Rumble and his splendid fell
lows are so isolated that food cannot be
obtained for them. 1 say that is false
for 1 recently, in company with another
correspondent, left Gen. Rundle's camp
without an escort We made our way in
the saddle, taking our two Cape carts
with us, to Winburg railway station
leaving our horsefiesh there, we took
train for East London. Then back to the
junction, where we remained for forty
eight hours, and then made our way back
to Winburg, and from Winburg we came
without escort to rejoin Gen. Rumble at
Hammonia. If two war correspondents
could traverse that country and get
through with winter supplies for them
selves, why cannot the transport people
manage to do the same? These trans
port people affect to look with contempt
upon war correspondent and his opin-
ions on things military but If we could
than they do, most of US would willingly
stand UP and allow ourselves to be shot.
FOOD LIES ROTTING.
"Our men upon the fields of war are
famishing whilst millions of pounds worth
of food lies rotting on our wharves and
in our cities, food that ought, with ordi-
nary management to be within easy
reach of even fighting generals. Britain
asks of Rumble the ful1llment of a task
that would task the energies and abilities
of the first general in Europe, and with a
stout heart he faces the work in front
Of him, faces it with men whose knees
knock under them when they march,
whose hands shake when they shoulder
their rifles-shake, but not with fear trem-
Bile. but not from wounds-but from weak
ness, from poverty of blood and muscle
brought about by continued hunger Are
those men fit 10 storm kopje? Are they
fit to tramp the whole night through to
make forced march, to turn position
and then fight like their fathers fought
next day?
II tell you no, and yours be the shame
If the empires flag be Iowered-not
theirs, but yours, for you, what do you
stand in your music halls and shout a
song full of sentiment, of pride, for your
soldiers, full Of praise for his patience,
his pluck and his devotion to duty; and
you let him go hungry. SO hungry that
have often seen him quarrel with a