Durango semi-weekly herald., 1901-07-08
Big Demands of a Little War.
(St. Louis Globe-Democrat) .


AS far as the number of combatants
on one side is concerned the war in
South Africa can never be called a
great conflict. But it has put heavy
strain upon the worlds most power
full 'empire. 1t has compelled the
assembling of an immense army on the
aggressive side Wellington had less
than $4,000 British troops at Waterloo
and his total force of all nationalities
was 62,400 Lord Kitchener's army In
South Africa on May ! was composed
of 250.416 men, including 100, 900
mounted. The total number of troops
placed in the field on the British side
is. s.otficially reported at 347.6S1. Up to
May l the British casualty list was
4622 killed and 200 wounded OF
these there had died of disease or
wounds 1886, and 47.739 had been
sent back to England invalided. The
number in the hospitals on March Is
was 1897. This is plainly the big
gest little war on record In point of
cost the distinction is well maintained.
The British have spent several hun
dred million dollars on the war, and
the weekly outlay is over six million
dollars. OF course England can stand
it. That country has the men and
the money to crush out the Is, 900 or
10000 men who are still to be reck-
oned with as hostiles scattered over
vast territory. but the score to be
paid is large beyond all expectations
The magnificent distances in South
Africa have much to do with the diff
culties of the situation. In protect
ing the long stretches of railway Lord
Kitchener has learned that strong
block-houses are necessary at vulner
able points lesson mastered by the
combatants in the civil war while that
struggle was at it's height 1t is now
mfdwinter in South Africa, and the
British will make great effort to
wear down the Boer forces before the
grass begins to grow. Lord Kitchen
er's policy is to seize horses, cattle
and sheep. and to place the resident
population of the most troublesome
districts in refugee camps. But he Is
dealing with numerous small bodies
of hardy men used to arms, and who
know how to live off the country
without a fixed base of supplies of
any kind. They can concentrate and
melt away at will. and often strike at
weak place with the larger force.
The war has taken the shape of guer-
rillaism but Just the same It compels
the employment of an undiminished
British army
While the end is not In doubt, 1t is
not yet in sight. Probably the main
lesson of this long and costly war re-
lates mainly to statesmanship. Mr..
Gladstone. a man of peace and gentle
philosophic temperament, avoided n
war with the Beers by concessions
He said he saw a serpent was about to
bite. and put himself out of harms
way. The war he avoided was simply
postponed. The Beers perceived that
they were feared and proceeded to
arm themselves with mastery fore
sight. When the war came 1t was with
an intensity far beyond anything pos
slble In the time of Maluba hill The
destinies Of this world have been shap-
ed by men who killed the snake that
threatened to sting them. The score
Gladstone would not pay has been paid
tenfold or twentyfold. Divisions rend
the party of which he was leader.
Gladstone was good man for budg-
ct, but a fearfully poor leader for
the Anglo-Saxon race. The giveaway
statesman is terror in the problems
he tumbles upon the heads Of his sue
cessOrs.