The Irish standard., 1900-06-30

The Beers have evidently heard of
the complications in China and realize
the predicament in which England finds
itself. They are determined to fight
the invaders to the bitter end and with
greater activity if Roberts and Kitche-
ner are ordered to the Orient with ten
or twenty thousand men to grapple
with "the bear that walks like man.
The latest reports from British sources
is that $50 Highlanders surrendered
gracefully to the Free Staters on June
4. The news was of so depressing a
nature that it took three weeks for it to
reach London. Immediately on its
heels came dispatch saying that 200
Basutos working for the British on the
railroad were captured and that 20
others were killed. 1t is said that this
will lie likely to arouse the Basutos
against the Beers, but if it does, Eng
land will be held responsible before the
civilized world.
The South African campaign is be-
coming an exceedingly complex puzzle
for England and the end of it is far off.
The Beers are very mobile and will
harass the British and capture them in
small bodies wherever they find them.
1t will take thousands of Roberts
troops to guard thousand miles OF
railroad from Cape Town to Pretoria,
and Tommy Atkins is apt to go hungry
when supplies cannot reach him. "a
dog-biscuit day" is already the ration
of great part of the British army, &C
cording to reports from the volunteers,
and the day may come when the biscuit
cannot be had. What then? Starva-
ton or surrender.
Michael Davitt has thrown consider
able light on the Anglo-Boer war,
though five of his letters to the Dublin
Freeman's Journal were intercepted by
the British and destroyed. The British
authorities knew that Davitt would tell
the truth, and took care that the world
must be kept in the dark. They them
selves had the ear of the world through
control of the postoffice and cable and
they falsely reported that the Beers sus-
tanned defeats when they had gained
victories. In recent letter Mr.. Davitt
says:
The British cavalry Excepting the
Natal and Cape Africander mounted
men) were worse in the field than even
the British artillery. The infantry, on
the contrary, fought well, and General
SHUTS bore handsome testimony to the
bravery of the Dublin Fusiliers and sew
eral OF the Scotch and English foot
regiments which had taken part in most
OF the battles from Dundee to Paarde-
berg. He was emphatic in the opinion
that the Lancers were the most arrant
towards in South Africa. All the Beers
have been after them, with vengeance,
since the pig-sticking at Glands Laagte,
and the knowledge that this amiable
purpose turks behind every Mauser rifle
may have something to do with the alb
sence of pluck seen in all the Lancer
fighting from that engagement to the
present day. Statements confirmatory
of this estimate have been made to me
in every camp have visited, and by all
classes OF combatants. Fifty Lancers
taken prisoners by ten Beers; one hun
dred and fifty fought and mostly cap
tured by twenty burghers; patrol of
couple of hundred shot back from
Brandfort few weeks ago by Com
mandant Kobe and seven men who
happened to be in town making our
chases when the Lancers rode across
the plain"
Though the Beers are few, like Mar
ions men they are ''true and tried"
and eventually they will drive the Brit
ish forever from their shores. Men
actuated by love of independence can
never be conquered or subjugated when
they have adopted for their motto Glib
erty or Death" We predict with un-
wavering confidence that the British ere
long will be glad to make peace with
their gallant foes, and that Salisbury
will take back his words that shred of
independence will not remain in the
Boer republics.