The Washington times., 1901-10-20
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
increasing Anger Manifested To-
wnrd the War Ohice.

| 'hcrehsfhS anger Manifested To-
wnrd the War OHce.
| LONDON. Oct. 19.-Lord Salisbury viii
return to London from Beauiieu on
( Wednesday. Lethargic by age and tenn
| perament though he be. he cannot fail to
I he influenced by the manifestations OF
| anxiety and anger with the Government
on every hand. Tory papers like the
/ "1imes." the STANDARD" and the Morn
ing POST are perhaps the angriest of all
| The Spectator" today plainly warns the
Ministry that public temper is rapidly
! rising which asks; Had we not better
| try palmer men?"
1 The War Office primarily is responsible
for this state of the public mind. Mr..
| Brodrick means well, but events are
| proving that the task OF bringing the
war to an end and clearing out the barna-
cles of the War Department is quite be-
yond his strength. 1t is difficult TO recall
time in living memory when such cpl
thets were hurled at the Ministry as have
been expended this week. chiefly by polit-
zeal supporters, upon the War Office
treatment of the unpaid yeomen returned
from South Africa, whom the officials left
to starvation and destitution rather than
forego their red tape regulations as to
the proper procedure before payment
After weeks ofangry agitation. the War
Orliee this morning issUes the calmest of
notices insisting upon the production be-
fore payment of the very official proofs
which are unproduceable because OF the
confusion of the South African campaign,
proofs which, as one paper says, often
have gone to light Boer campfires
The plain man asks in amazement, see
ing that the muddle 10 of Government
making, why not accept the same proof
of good faith as is accepted in the case
of prisoner on bail-namely, his recog
nizance by two householders?" He goes
on to ask with more wrath than amaze
ment. why. in such fragrant cases of
War Office failure, the responsibility Is
not brought right home at once to the
offending official in order to prevent re-
currence.
This is done in Admiralty cases. The
torpedo boat destroyer Cobra was
wrecked September Is. This week has
seen the end of the public court-martial.
which thrashed out the whole question OF
responsibility and brought in a verdict
which satisfies the public. In the case of
the War Office. muddle has succeeded
muddle from the beginning of the war till
now. without the smallest effort, so far as
the public knows, to trace the RESPONSE
bility. Behind this dissatisfaction with
the War Office lies, of course, the su-
preme public WEAKNESS at the protraction
of this war and uneasiness over such dis
closures as are made this morning of the
mortality in ~the Boer concentration
camps. The official returns show that
LOLA white children died In September in
the Transyaal camps and SS5 In the
Orange River Colony camps making l S99
deaths among 5l,7Je children. The oppo-
nents of the war base upon these distress
ing figures ths gravest indictments
against the Government for not moving
the camps to Cape Colony or Natal, near
the sea. where children can live.
On the other hand, it is pointed out
that heavy as the death rates look, they
are not enormous as judged by South
African peace standards. The rate in
Middleburs, Cape Colony. before the war
was 100 per thousand. The increase in
the population Of the Orange Free State
between 1896 and 1900 was only II per
thousand per annum, though the race is
proverbtaHy prolific. Moreover, the evil
dence of English nurses in South Africa
accustomed to the slums of London is
quoted to prove That the mortality in the
camps Is due to the great uncleanliness
OF Boer habits. They say that to ordain
that Boer babies shall be washed once a
week and Boer women once a month
would raise a storm of indignation. 1t
would be misleading to close these notes
without adding that indignant and anx-
no substantial signs OF any weakening
of his determination to close the, war on
the lines OF a complete subjNgation of the
Beers.
The greatest interest has been awaken
ed by the results. this week. OF the expert
ments OF the Armstrong and Orlong sys-
TEN for the wireless transmission of elee-
tricai energy. The Marconi system works
through the air. The English inventors
work through the ground A correspon-
deh OF the Manchester Guardian" who
was present at yesterdays experiments
says that he went to a small wooden
mousse, where a spike bearing the tele-
phoatng apparatus was driven into the
ground In q field 400 yards away was a
slmiiar apparatus. unconnected. He press
ed the button four times and there were
sounded four taps as an answer He
pressed the button seven times and seven
taps were sounded. Through the game
apparatus he heard the human voice but
the apparatus certainly was not working
Wen, the ground being sodden with rain.
out after preliminary and unintelligfble
muttering and buzzing came the words,
repeated again and again ..Ts N ali
right?"
Mr.. Armstrong has a plan for varying
the pitch or tone In which the radiations |
are sent. There are 900 pitches or tones |
different tones pass harmlessly by one |
another. Thus the chances of one tone |
meeting or nullifyfng another tone are |
to 1900. Other experiments gave wire |
less control to torpedoes from land 500 |
Yards away. A development OF this inven- |
ton might render obsolete the finest forti- |
hcations, and the new submarines need |
ing no crew, would be converted into tor |
pedoes. Again Mr.. Armstrong presses |
button in the house, and an pnconpectsd |
lamp two miles and a half away. instant !
ly lights. When he presses the button |
again the light Is eNtinguished. Unlike |
Tesla s experiments, Armstrong; fea1s !
are accomplished with very low VohaRe