Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1901-09-27
BRITISH LOST TWO GUNS
The War Is Far From Being Over, as
Was Supposed-General Botha
Keeps British Guessing-Claims OF
Americans VIII BE Settled-BOers
to Petition President Roosevelt.

New York, Sept. Accommodating
upon the South African situation, the
London correspondent of the Tribune
says:
The situation in South Africa Is in
tensified by Lord Kitchener's latest
message announcing the loss OF two
more British guns. The war is not
over, and even some of the unionist
papers are blaming the government
for the manner in which the country
has been Gellded into the belief that
the Beers were at the end of their re-
sources.
General Botha has for week past
been meditating raid into Natal, aud
no doubt ne is acting in cooperation
with other Boer leaders. Whether he
has enough material at his command
to enter upon a campaign on a large
scale in northern Natal Is open to
doubt, but at the same time LORD
Kitchener may not have enough men
successfully to oppose the Boer com
mandant, unless he considerably re-
duces the number now employed IL
chasing commanders throughout the
length and breadth of Cape Colony.
Natal is almost the only position in
South Africa which is beginning to
recover from the misfortunes of the
last two years, and it offers tempting
prey to the raider. A fresh invasion
of the colony would be regarded here
as a real calamity.
The financial outlook is also far
from satisfactory. On the stock ex-
change rumors are current that the
chancellor of the exchequer will ulti-
mately have to float another large
issue of consols.
Claims Of Americans.
London, Sept. 22.-The foreign Of
flee is disposed to settle the claims
of Americans for deportation from the
Transvaal without troubling the Unit
ed States embassy to collect more
testimony or bring over witnesses for
examination by the claims commits
sion, as agreed upon in August.
The demands of the Americans will
be voluntarily scaled down by the
United States embassy from the large
sums at first asked, while the foreign
office intimates that it will readily
concede reasonable payment for losses
of property and for personal incon.
venience.
While President Kruger and DR..
Leyds are drawing up petitions to
President Roosevelt and the car, ask
ing them to intervene, the fighting
Beers are helping themselves in South
Africa by celebrating the expiration
IF the period in which Lord Kitchener
proclaimed they must surrender by
four notable successes, killing 6S Off
Gers and men. wounding SO and captur.
Ing guns and 300 men.
The situation is singularly like the
opening of the war two years ago, the
names of the same places recurring in
the dispatches. Utrecht, where Major
Cough was entrapped, was the scene
of similar ambuscade 10 months
back. Acton Homes, where the Beers
yesterday reappeared, is IS miles
southwest of Ladysmith. prominent in
the early kostilities. and the Natal col.
onies are mastering for the defense
of the Tdgela, as when General Joubert
invaded Natal in 1899.
In Cape Colony fighting is again go.
ing on south of Stormberg. in territory
traversed by raiders and their pur.
suers half dozen times. The govern
ment's publication of these reverses
caused an outburst of evaporation
against the conduct Of the war, not in
South Africa, but by the ministry. The
great ministerial journals accuse the
government Of trying to run the war
on the cheap" by not providing Lord
Kitchener with sufficient resources.
The Times, while it has no misgiv-
ings as to the final issue, accuses the
home authorities of lack of organized
sustained effort, and of failure to
grasp to moral and intellectual damage
which the prolongation of the struggle
infiicts upon the empire. Other min.
isterial supporters aver that precious
months which should have been spent
in preparing for another campaign
were wasted in electioneering, and
that Lord Kitchener has not been sup
piled with the requisites of q sue
cessful campaign.