The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-14
Circulation Statement.
The Salisbury Sensation.

The Salisbury Sensation
If we may judge from the remarkable
speech delivered by Lord Salisbury in
London last night the noble marquis in
regaining his physical strength IS open
to the suspicion Of having sacrificed his
mental health en- the Riviera, whence
he has just returned.
In the speech referred to he expa-
tiated upon what appeared TO kim to
be the benefits growing out OF the war
in South Africa. one of the greatest Of
these, his lordship thought was that
the display OF the latent powers Of the
Empire had dissipated the notion that
England's star had set; that she would
never fight again. and that any adver-
saTy only needed 10 press hardly and
boldly enough to compel her to yield
This is what we should denominate
richness! The notion. now widely prev
alent on the Continent Of Europe, and
considerably so in America, that Eng
lands star has set. did not come into
being until after the piuable display Of
British military weakness and inca
pacity shown at the beginning Of
and all through the BoeT war Before
that England was r garded as a Power
Hith an army small, compared with
European armies. but splendid in dis
cipIine. morale. armament and leader
ship This idea began to collapse when
the world discovered that the British
Intelligence Office was totally ignorant
Of the artillery which the Beers had
been smuggling into the TransvaaI and
Orange Free State by way Of cape
Town, Eliza bethport, and Durham for
five years. and that the British quarter
masters department had not the com
mon sense to send the cavalry and its
mounts and the field artillery to Natal
for Buffers advance on Ladysmith
ahead Of instead Of long after the in
fantrv battaIi0ns were landed It dis
appeared altogether when Butler com
Tnitted the frightfuI bluuder at ColeHso
Of walking into a trap which would
have been detected by the most casual
kind OF scouting, when his lieutenant,
Sir Henry Warren. made another fear
full mistake in ire attack on Spion kop.
and when Lord NethUeu allowed Gen
eral Cronje to make a spectacle Of him
at Modder River and bottle him up at
IeEaTsfontein- Then IN a general
sense, the evidence that it has taken
the last man England and her colonies
could Iaise-about two hundred and
seventy Thousand first and last-tO fight
thirty thousand armed peasants and
hunters. has strongly impressed man
kind with the idea that as q military
power on land England is in her dotase.
Other things have tended 10 Te-euf0rce
this opinion. To any tactician outside
Of the United Kingdom it would appear
idiotic in & nation. at a time when the
conditions Of warfare most of ali de
nanded the ability Of rapid enTench-
ment, to send an army into the field
without any previous instruction in the
art. and practically without entrench-
ing tools. Yet that is what England
did, and although the War Office in
London had ample notice that barbed
wire entanglements had been placed
around johannesburg and presumably
other places. not a soldier was sup
piled with a pair Of wire uippers.
Compare this stupidity with TIE pre-
vision shown by General Haywood. Of
the United States Marine Corps. when
he fitted out our first expeditionary
corps Of marines for service in Cuba.
Every tenth man had a wire cutter IN
MS boot and the barbed wire obstruc-
tons placed by the SpaniarGs at Guam
tanamo and is vicinity did not Tetard
Our advance i've minutes at any place
L these be the glorious illustrate
Of EngIand's ability 10 fight an ability
which Lord Salisbury regards demon
strated by the history Of the South
African war, the British Prime Min
lister has reason to thank God that his
country has great navy Otherwise
Denmark. or Belgium, or Portugal
might invade and subjugate the United
Kingdom at a days notice.