Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-10-25
The DOWNFALL OF General Butler.

has been summary Sh i'".i wv
command Of the First English Army
Corps and General French. now en-
.rared in active service in South
Africa. has been appointed rs his sue
cessor. This action was directly due
to a bitter and ill-considered speech
which was made by General Butler at
a banquet given in his honor by the
Kings Royal Rifles on October 10Th.
Indeed. as he has been thrown into
public view by the events attending the
Eoer war. General Butler has inn
rrcsscd himself very clearly in the pub
lie c.:imate as a man of hasty judg-
mcnt and irasciblc temper.
Some people have wondered at his
unaucstioned hold upon the affections
OF the British masses. This. however,
seems easily accounted for. Men of
the Anglo-Saxo race have always
been conspicuous admirers of personal
courage and gallantry. These qualities
General Butler possesses in marked
degree. Before he was forty years Of
age he had been decorated with the
Victoria cross for saving in one day
each time at the imminent risk of his
own lie. three comrades from certain
death. He distinguished himself by
his work in the field both in India and
in the Zulu war. 1t was not su!pris-
ing therefore that the English people
confidently expected great things Of
him when he was sent to South Africa.
lie made the mistake Of going forth
upun this mission with 4 great flourish
Of .rumpets. 1t was evident that he
took n personal pleasure in gratifying
tae popular love of dramatic effects.
At that time the war feeling was run
ming high and every followc~ of the
Queens colors was q prospective
hero. Time. and the grinding process
all this The day of cXubarance is
passed with the Britis!. publc. Even
p
whose brilliant achievements stirred
the pulses of his people in the early
part of the war with unwonted en-
thusiasm now walks the streets of
London almost unnoticed. and even
King Edward has given him the cold
shoulder.
L,,1I 10 !,
Africa in 4 blaze of glory. promising
MS admirers that he would eat his
Christmas dinner in Pretoria the tide
Of war feeling was at the flood. He
doubtless was perfectly sanguine Of his
ability to redeem this and all other
pledges. At that time he was wholly
unacquainted with the fighting abili-
tbs of the Boer farmers. and doubtless
felt the contempt he expressed for
them.
His awakening came in his efforts
to relieve General White and raise
the siege at Ladysmith. He was. from
first to last, out-manoeuvercd, out
generated, and out-fought. So con-
stantly did the Beers infict disaster
upon his forces. and SO stupidity did he
play into their hands refusing to learn
anything from the lessons Of expert
ence. that the result was demoralizing
British public. 1t appeared to be alb
solutely impossible for him to adjust
his methods to existing conditions.
His ideas of strategy We're worse than
futile. His persistence in atlherng to
frontal attacks cost the British forces
thousands Of men.
When. on December l5 1899. Butler
was beaten in one Of these frontal at
tacks at Colenso. losing many cannon
and 1.054 men. including 133 killed. the
British public began to lose faith in
him. and whatever prestige his former
record had given him was soon gone
Nothing succeeds in war save. sue
cess. =,
So apparent did his lack Of ability as
a commaEder-in-ch chief become, that
General Roberts. with General Kitch-
erer as chief of staff. was sent to
supercede him. Advised and directed
by Lord Roberts, who arrived at Cape
Town On January 6. 1900. Butler finally
relieved Ladysmith. Shortly after he
returned to England. where he has
since remained
having made this kind of IA record
IN the field, and still being permitted
bJ an indulgent war Office 10 hold
'te command of the First Army Corps
General Ruller should have been wise
enough to have maintained a discree,
silence. In this respect he might have
learned a valuable lesson from General
hitchener who despite the fact tha, ba
VAS made to play second fiddle 10 Iord
f'ooerts and was rarely alluded to :,
'hat commanders reports Ia tbe ,.or
once. wisely kept his mouth sbut oo,,
went quietly and persistentlv ahou, ,,;s
I..R