The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1902-04-05
KITCHENER'S MILITARY CAPACITY.


Africa. Whatever regulations the,
had previously acquired in fighting bar
barous and semi-civilized tribes il
Asia and Africa have been irretiiev
ably lost. With the exception Of Metl,
uen. who is recovering from hi
wound in the thigh ut Klerksdorp, an.
who was magnanimously released b,
Delarey. the rest of them have goa
home to England. Only the Anglo
Irish generals remain behind. and the,
are but few. Wolseley and Roberts ar,
too old for active service. and the sue
cess of the campaign depends mainly
upon Kitchener and French. The lat
ter is in Cape Colony trying to keer
the Africanders in cneck, and thu
butcher of Omdurman' is safely To-
Gated at Pretoria, which is protected
by a barb-wire fence to keep out the
burghers.
The question now arises, Is Kitch
ener equal to the task of ending the
war of subiugation before his army
gets completely demoralized? How
long. at the present rate of progress,
will it take to defeat the Beers? From
present indications. the consensus of
opinion is that he can never make them
surrender except on terms they arc
willing to accept. Some months ago
he issued proclamation threatening
less they surrendered Internationally
within specified date. His "brutum
fulmen" produced no effect on the
placid minds Of DeWet. Delarey ana
Botha. Seeing that his proclamation
had not the desired effect. Kitchener
now changes his tactics. and tells the
minor Boer leaders who have been
captured that they will not he banished
ut all.
His present scheme is to make peace
with the enemy. and to help him out
in the policy of pacification. the King
has sent Lord Wolseley to South AT
RIGA. That fact is sufficient evidence
that Kitchener is incapable of conquer.
ing the brave Beers of the veldts, and
that the British government realizes.
after d sad experience. that it does not
pay to prolong the war indefinitely.
C. D. Rudd. partner of the late
Cecil Rhodes arrived in England the
other day and said the Beers had
plenty of horses. with fodder and
everything else they require. in North
west Cape Colony: and he Thought it
impossible for the British to reach
them without building railway. The
blocllllouses built by Kitchener do not
bother the Beers very much. and the
imported horses. from climatic causes,
live only few weeks after landing.
The American horses. of which so
much has been said. die like flies in
the sub-tropical regions. and the more
of them are shipped from New Orleans
for the British service the better it is
for the burghers. 1t is different, how
ever, with the American mules. No
climate or had usage can kill these
hybrid animals. The quality of stub
hornncss. however which they inherit
from their male parents. is not adj
mired by Tommy Atkins. On more
than one occasion they have played
havoc with the British army in run
ming away with the ammunition.
Kitchener has been adopting Boer
articles of late. 1t was the Beers who
first used wire to entang1e the British
Kitchener uses Wire to entrap the Beers
The Beers now break the wire by driv'
ing oxen against the fences. The Beers
use no wagons nor artillery on tho
march. Kitchener is now initiating
them by sending out troops without ar
tillery and all impediments. but the
Rocr horses cannot easily be overtaker
because of their speed and endurance
The English people, who are heavil!
taxed to defray the expenses of the in
glorious war. are anxious for peace
The kindly treatment of Methuen by
Delarcy has changed British sentiment
in favor of the Beers. Quite soon We
shall hear that the Tory administration
will grant them very liberal terms il
they lay down their arms. But the
Beers have been fighting for the main
tenance of government and will
never become British colonists. 1t i:
liberty or death with them.
Their homesteads have been dc
stroyed and their families maltreatet
by British brigands, and they will
never lay down their arms while thu
British remain in their republics.
The British agents are doing all they
can to make peace with honor. and the
Beers know the reason why. The
Transvaalers, Orange Free Staters anf
Africanders of Cape Colony and Nata
are fighting shoulder to shoulder in 8
race war, and they will never acqui
esce to wear the British yoke. 1t Il
! futile for the discounted British to ex