The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-07-18
TURN AGAINST KITCHENER
British Papers Are Now Severely
CriticiSin9 Him.

London, July 15.-Ihe NlaktOnteln
incident has conc near to spelling
Waterloo for the government.
An apparently unimportant Incl
dent, the censorship of one of the
newspaper dispatches, has had the
effect of crystalizing all the widely
differing sorts of public disatisfac-
ton concerning the conduct of the
war in South Africa. This aissatis-
faction concerning the conduct off
the war has long been pent up, and
now finds free vent, not strangely
enough, through the columns of the
opposition papers, but in the govern
ment journals.
For months past the public belief
in and admiration for Lord Kitchener
have been waning, and now he is OPP
emily and severely criticised.
A rumor, which cannot be substan-
tiated, is current that he will short
ly be succeeded in the command of
the British forces in South Africa
by General Sir Bindon BLOOD, who
has been operating in eastern Trans
vaal. Should the change occur, it
would be probably be due to the diff
ferences Of opinion existing between
Lord Miner of Cape Town and Lord
Kitchener, and it would be announced
in the form of promotion, accompa-
MED by the statement that the OPP
erations in South Africa no longer
justified the presence there of an
officer of the seniority of Lord Kitch-
ener.
There is little doubt but that Lords
Miner and Kitchener have had sew
eral disagreements, and the high
commissioner does not want to re-
turn to South Africa SO long as the
hard, high handed General Kitchener
remains in control there.
Amid the storm of disapproval, re-
sulting from the Vlakfontein affair,
and which the governments support
ers are pouring out upon the war
Office on account of the suppression
of news and the fragrant vagaries of
the censorship, the liberal party,
through its hopeless differences of
opinion, is obliged to sit silently and
see the best opportunity probably
ever offered to pass out of their
hands.
L The extraordinary spectacle has
been presented of an advanced radi-
cal newspaper, the Daily Mail, pat
ting the war Office and Lord Kitch-
ener on the back for suppressing the
story of alleged Boer outrages to
British wounded, while the Times,
and other government, though less
radical. organs, like them, say the
feeling aroused in the general pub
lie, who have to this time blindly
and enthusiastically supported the
governments war policy, can scarce
ly be estimated.
Officials of the war department are
more worried now than at any pre-
vious time during the war, and they
are working strenucusly to explain
the mistake. The incident has awals-
ened in the public mind an eagerness,
most fortunate for the government,
to know the details of the affair, and
ever-increasing dissatisfaction with
the progress of British arms in South
Africa.
Prominent members of the conser-
vative party believe that if their par
ty had to go to the country now it
would be defeated, provided SEM
blance of opposition could be mus
tered.
In this connection there is some
talk of the possibility of new lib
eral organization, consisting of a
combination of the old liberal-union-
lists and the liberal imperialists,
many of whom would like to see a
cabinet including Lord Roseberry,
the Duke of Devonshire president of
the counciD; Joseph Chamberlain
Colonial secretary, and H. FL. AS
quith Qeader of the imperialists)
which some men believe may eventu-
ally be feasible.
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