The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-12-02
SCANT PRAISE
FOR ROBERTS
General Do Wet Says Butler
Was the Best British General.
BOER TRAITORS DID IT
Lays Tho Defeat Of fhs South African Re-
puhIIcs 10 1rsaehsry NIihn Their
Ova Lines

London. Dec. 2-"Had not 30 many oi
our burghers proved false 10 their own
colors England. as the great Bismarch
foretold. would have found her grave In
South Africa"
That Is the keynote of Gen. Christian
De Vets book. entitled Three Years
War;" published by Archibald Constable
& Co.. In London. and dedicated by the
Boer general. ITO my fellow subjects OF
the British Empire
DE Wet declares that whatever the
English people may have TO say In dis
credit OF Gen. Butler he had to operate
against stronger positions than any other
British general Throughout the WORK
the Boer general has but slight praise
for Lord Roberts and little mere for Lord
Kitchener. Gen. Knox IL almost the only
British general who seems TO have struck
DE Wet as a commander with real MILL
tary genius.
AS TO DIVINE INTERPOSITION
or Tommy Atkins he says many kind
words and declares 1.-The British were far
immunity OF the Beers from harm De
Wet constantly and most fervently at
tributes to the interposition OF God.
II any reader. he says, lis eager to
know how / kept out OF the enemy q
hands. can only answer although | may
not be understood. that ] ascribed IL TO
nothing else than this-it was Gods will
that / should not fall into their hands.
Let those who rejoice at my miraculous
escapes give all the praise TO God
Nevertheless the book teens with ac-
counts OF military and other stategies by
which De Wet outwitted his pursuers.
Frequently he recounts cases OF deser-
tion and panic among his own men, when
his entreaies and sJamboking were all or
no avail
De Wet pays a tribute to Gen. Cronje
for his bravery. but declares he host AZ
Paardeberg only on account OF hts fatal
advised to do by Boths and by the writer
himself
Resarding his own forces. De We.
against the great English army th.t1
against treachery among my own people.
and an Iron will was required to fight
against both.
LORD ROBERTS SCORED
once. If only our orders had been car
ried out little more strictly. and II only
the most elementary rules OF strategy had
British lines OF communication, Lord
Roberts and his thousands OF troops
would have found themselves shut UP in
pretoris: ~ h where they would have persthe,d nee
commander-in-chi that saved them"
OF the block houses De Wet is frankly
contemptuous The block house policy"
he says, might equally well have been
called the policy OF the blockhead." He
emphatically defends the right to blow
up railroad lines and trains as the usage
OF war and he declares he never missed
an opportunity to do so.
The so-called war against women and
the misuse Of the white flag by the Brit
ish Is sternly denounced by the Boer gen
eral. who says: THAT such direct and
indirect murder should have been COM
mitted against defenseess women and
children is thing would have staked
my head could never have happened In a
war waged by the civilized English ma
tion, and yet II happened"
LOYALTY PAYS BEST"
His last word Is an injunction to his
fellow countrymen to be loyal to the new
government. Loyalty" he says pays
best In the end. and loyalty alone is
worthy of nation which has shed Its
blood for freedom"
The book contains a magnificent por-
trait OF the author by the American
painter John &. Sargent
The government has thrown further diff
fculties In the way OF intending emil
grants to South Africa. The colonial Of
fee announces that after Dec. ] no per-
mits to proceed to the Transvaal or to the
Orange River colony will be issued in
England or anywhere. except at South
African ports. Intending passengers are
advised to ascertain beforehand by writ
ing whether they are likely TO obtain per-
mits