The times., 1901-04-18
The Boer War.

The BOer War.
The London letter published in the
Times of yesterday morning IS worthy
of careful attention. Its text is caIcu-
lated to show us that the intelligence
and business sense of the United King
dom are not by any means satisfied
with the South African situation, ana
that public opinion is forming which,
i'm the course of a little time, may be-
come powerful enough to bring the Sal
isbury Government to a change OF pol
icy or overthrow it
Treating of the military conditions,
cur correspondent states that there are
rumors of a very dlsquieting nature
about the state of the army in South
Africa. making it look he says, 'as if
we should practically have TO replace
the whole lot of troops and that soon,
on account Of the condition of fatigue
they have all been reduced to by their
prolonged operations" When IL is re-
rnembered that the limit of British re
sources has been reached in placing two
hundred and fifty thousand soldiers IN
the South African field, the gravity of
the suspicion that they, or most OF
them must be soon replaced Is at once
apparent Assuming the fact TO be
true. there is not a little reason for ap-
pretending that the replacement could
not be effected through voluntary en-
listment. and that the Government
might be compelled to resort to high
bounty system. or to conscription.
What effect the latter recourse would
exert among the British masses is not
hard to guess. ConscriptiOn, in the eyes
OF the English, Scotch Welsh, or Irish
middle and lower classes is the iron coll
lar of Continental slavery, and some
thing never to be submitted to by those
whose proud boast is that "Britons
never Will be slaves!" But needs
must when the devil drives" and if the
quarter of a million men in khaki who
are making a heroic struggle to over
come the fifteen thousand Beers op-
posed TO them should not bring the war
to close without further delay, there
is trouble in store for the Salisbury
ministry if not for the Empire. our
correspondent reviews the situation
tersely and interestingly in the follow
ing paragraph. in which he says:
The fact really Is that war, under the coBdi-
tions under which xe fighting in South
Africa. is about the siiiiest anachronism in the
world. AL the c0nquerorS of past days who have
been great conquerors have owed their success TO
the determination OF their enemies We are car
Tg3ng the Of limited moral
liability. so that We have actually got into this
ridiculous position-that there are now in South
Africa about fifteen thousand Boers in arms in the
field against, say seventeen thousand in various
prisons OF special settlements like Ceylon and
Hole yf We viii of two
dred and fifty thousand men occupying their
country (or such parts Of il cover
ami are at our own expense maintaining the
whole OF their women and children. Would not
TameFlane Alexander the Great Attila, Ma
pole0n have smiled at these childish tactics? To
profess bsrtsric policy and to carry It out as
4 you were civilized men is too ridiculously in
consistent for anything"
II we may credit many accounts Of
bsrbarities practiced on the veldt, it is
perhaps questionable that the British
have carried on their share of the war,
as "A war OF limited moral liability" In
many instances we are afraid that the
limit has been sadly exceeded, if not
altogether removed. But probably on
that score there is something 10 be said
on both sides. Our correspondent calls
attention TO the paradox Of a Govern
nent unwilling to make the concessions
10 brave but hopeless foe that a brave
and stern old soldier like Lord Roberts
would advise and the reputed merciless
Lord Kitchener would endorse. He
says:
In The meantime we have Government at
home heToicaiiy dehant-yet, having proclaimed
IN August last that the war oyeT-hndiRg
itself now six months behind in finding tie
Necessary ships and munitions OF war for carry
lfE IL 10 a successful termination; admins
trstive general in South Africa the agent o. the
said Government, much more anxious 20 make
peace and willing 10 offer better terms than
the Government itself. and finally the stern and
unbending soldier, silent and uncomplainng-
the c0mmander-in-chief Lord Roberts, still more
sAzious 20 make peace and Offering better terms
still. The British public, with characteristic
iog-bound minds, having been filled with the be-
fief that the over IN August, ss quite
incapable Of realizing that II IS still going on,
and consequently il shows neither enthusiasm
for the new preparations nor lmpsticnce at
their iuadequacy, but watches with delighted
wonder the dextegity Of Mr.. Chamberlain in scor-
ing Of his opponents instead OF tacklng the mat
ter ia hand.
The death Of the Queen and the new access
sion have been such a splendid theatrical sue
cess that all weightier matters are delayed
Russia Is not slow 20 improve the shining houTs
and Germany having entered into d bond OF
perennial friendship and brotherhood with US, IS
protesting Yolubly 10 the world that the bond
Is not worth the paper on which IT is written
Ne have not even got Aguinaldo to put in
cage and carry around"
The quotation speaks for itself. and
does not demand comment. except that
e feet at liberty to remark that if
treat Britain is without "an Aguinaldo
o put in a cage and carry around" it is
principally because il also is without
7unstons TO capture the game.