Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1901-10-13
BRITISH GENERALS;
SOUTH AFRICAN WAR
Subjects Of Much Talk Across
the Water.
BULLER's/ LOST PRESTIGE

Society All Agog Over the Action of
Another General, Aged 90 Years,
Who Has Engaged Himself to an
Irish Woman of so.
LONDON, Oct. 12.-The South African
campaign has a curious effect on British
generals. Public attention is centered
on General Buffers extraordinary exhi-
bition, while society is gossiping about
the remarkable action of another gener-
al This one is knight commander of
the Bath, holding a high command in
South Africa. He is over go years of
age, has been a widower for two years,
and has engaged himself by letter TO
marry a woman of 80, whom ne has not
seen for 90 years. The bride elect, who
is an Irish woman, is preparing to go
out to South Africa.
As for General Butler. he seems to
have forever shattered every vestige of
his reputation.
A representative of the Associated
Press learns that previous TO General
Buffers speech of Thursday he had re-
Ceived several plain hints from the Office
expressing the hope that he would not
accept invitations to make speeches.
His appointment to the command of an
army corps was made in a spirit of gen
erosity. 1t was thought that General
Butler could not do much harm in the
two years remaining before he retired.
Would Have Been Public Disgrace.
Failure to appoint him would have
signiied a public disgrace. which the
war Office was not willing to inf1ict on
him, believing that General Butler had
done his duty to the best of his ability.
One of the highest officials connected
with the administration of the army
said to a representative of the Asso-
ciated Press:
"The urihtarian spirit of the age has
taken away those sinecures, such as the
governor of Tilbury and commander-in-
chief of Berwick, with which, 100 years
ago, Butler might be saved, and at the
same time rewarded. We had no al
ternatlve but to reward General Bull
ler's long and conscientious period Of
service by kicking him out or giving
MIN a command which his rank de.
mands. OF the two evils we chose what
we thought was the least. Our iustifi-
CdI1OA Is, perhaps, sOmeWndG s6utl"
mental, but no army can be run without
a certain amount of sentiment.
"As for the public dissatisfaction
with our progress in South Africa,
| fear that Lord Roberts and other opti-
mistic prophets, are. unintentionallv,
more to blame than any one else. No
one got up and said the Burmah affair
was over, or that it would be over in a
foolishly short space of time. IL lasted
nearly four years, and the British pub
lie took iC as matter of course The
South African war has probably got an.
other two years TO run, developing, like
the Burmah affair, into a subalCerns'
| campaign.
Continual local disturbances are
being put down by the small garrisons.
To supervise such work we knew of no
| one better than Lord Kitchener His
chief difficulty, which seems TO have
| missed the attention of the critics, is
| that having non-combatant natives in
the war area, he is prohibited from de-
stroying supplies to any degree of mill.
rary thoroughness. If we could concen.
rrate or deport the natives l think an
effective devastation would quickly end
the camDaipn -