Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-03-19

There is a gleam of hope for England
| in the news from South Africa. The
| number of fighting Beers under Botha is
unknown. Neither is it known whether
| he has authority to accept terms for all
! the Boer forces in the field. 1t is not be-
lieved that he can speak for such leaders
as .Wet and Delarey. Louis BOtha
was appointed commander-in-chiefo of the
| Boer forces upon the death of General
! Joubert a year ago. He is only SO years
old, and, like most of the BOer leaders, is
not a professional soldier although he
! had had no little military experience be-
| fore the beginning Of the present war.
And yet, in spite of the reckless daring
of De Wet as a leader, Botha is perhaps
the greatest soldier the war has pro-
duced on the Boer side. In Dec. 15,
1899, General Butler, with 10000 men,
| the flower of the British regular army,
attempted to cross the Tugela River. He
was defeated by superior tactics but by
a smaller force led by Louis Botha. This
was the battle of COIenso, in which Bull
ler's army was shattered and driven back
with a loss of guns and men unprece-
dented in the history of the British army
for more than three-quarters of cen
fury. Again, when Butler finally crossed
| the Tugela in February, 1900, and cap
tured SpiOn EOp, it was Botha who per-
sonally led the BOer advance, drove War
ren's forces from SpiOn kou, and, after
administering n disastrous defeat, COM
PEELED Buffers army to recross the river.
Botha defeated Butler in every battle
the latter fought in his efforts to cross. the
Tugela River and relieve Ladysmith, and
he only retired when Buffers INVASION of
the Orange Free State threatened to split
the Boer armies in twain. Then it was
that he gradually withdrew his forces,
saved every gun, every camp kettle, and
permitted Buffers troops to enter Lady
smith unopposed.
Sagasta is, again at the head of the
Spanish government. This does not nee
essarily mean that Spain is to be relieved
from the weight of the burdens which
have long crushed the people into abject
poverty, but it is evidence of at least a
gleam of enlightenment. Sagasta is the
ablest man in Spanish public life to-day
| and probably the most unselfish. He is
| liberal in his views and whenever he has
been in power has endeavored TO insti-
tute genuine reforms in public admins
tration.
Sagasta tried to save the Philippines
years ago by proposing to curb the grow
| ing interference of the friars in the gov
eminent of that colony and by suggesting
numerous concessions to the FilipinOs.
Sagasta tried to save Cuba to Spain by
| Offering autonomy to the island. His
l., hn llIt n
resulted, and Weyler's reign in Cuba be-
gan.
Left to his own purposes, Sagasta
| twenty years ago would have saved
Spain the humiliation Of a defeat at the
hands of the United States and the loss
of the colonies. But he was always
| thwarted by the non-progressiye classes,
who had grown more arrogant. more cor
rupt. and more eXtravagant, as Spain
| had grown poorer.
The new italian ministry seems 40 have
started right In the Chamber of Depu-
| ties ON Thursday Premier Zanardeli an
nounced that the government did not in
| tend to add to the public debt by raising
| a new loan. He further asserted that
tion the present year by the sum of 3d.
| OOO,O 900 lire (S6,000000. In round num-
hers the public debt of Italy is S2.38S,-
| 100000. The figures are stupendous when
contrasted with the ability Of 31,000,000
| IMPOVERISHED, tax-burdened inhabitants
| to pay. Again, contrast the enormous
| debt with the debt of other nations. The
| United States, with a population of TO-
! 900. 600, owes in round numbers $1.05G,-
| 600. 600 less than half of the Italian debt.
| Germany, with a population of $1,000
| 600. owes S2,573, 100000, with an i'm
| mense army to support, an eXtrayagant
naval program. and an elaborate system
of canals and internal Improvements I'M
| der construction.
Gratifying progress seems to have been
made in the pacifcatiOn of the Philip
pines. Chairman Taft of the Philippine
| commission has assured President Nc
| Kinely that the revolt was practically at
an end. Civil rule has been welcomed
wherever it has been established, and
| new provinces will be brought kinder the
new order as rapidly as the commission
can visit them. Dispatches from Wash
/ 1nETOD stare that t[AtAIIldu All Will De
| appointed Civil Governor of the islands
under the provisions of the Spooner reso-
| luton. No little dissatisfaction exists in
Manila over some of the provisions Of
| the SpOoner law. especially the clause
/ prohibiting the issuing Of licenses for
cutting timber on public lands.
/ -:
Russia has given an official assurance
to the British government that the Car
has made no treaty looking to the CON
tinued occupation Of Manchuris. Count
| Lamsdorff. the Russian Minister Of For
/ eign Affairs, has made 70 the British
| Foreign Office the categorical statement
that all Russian forces wonld ne with
drawn from MaBehuria - coon as cir
| cumstances would permit
The young King Of Italy celebrated his
birthday recently by releasing 1900
prisoners incarcerated in different parts
OF his kingdom for oferses which be con-
4 ~f4.-oI h.d boar uf7cieutfv nuufzhed