Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-20
LONDON WAR SCANDAL
The Government no Longer Tries
to Conceal Fact OF Crooked
Work.
Will Have the Matter Thorough.
ly Investigated and Incom.
petents Suspended.
The Army Officers Not Believed
to Have Profited by the
Contracts.

London. Feb. 20.-The war office
steadily grows in volume. Lord Roberts
ae commander in chief has now
Stoned into the breach and will Wig
orously support the searching investi-
cation reluctantly granted by the gov
ernment after strong parliamentary
pressure.
The first move by Lord Roberts
strikes to the core. He has called for
the resignation of Maj. Gen. Truman.
inspector general of the remount de-
Observation-Disclosures that he resign
is the diplomatic manner in which the
announcement was made in the house
of commons.
Gen. Truman has accepted the "sug-
gestion," but will continue on duty un-
Til the court of inquiry completes its
Investigation into the entire conduct
of his department.
The attitude of the government on
this scandal, which is said to have cost
the taxpayers from S30,000,000 to $50
100000 in wasted funds. is now entire
ly apologize. Attempts at whitewash-
ing have ceased. In behalf of the war
Office Lord Stanley, speaking in the
house of commons, has entered a plea
lof guilty with eXtenuating circum-
stances. BY revealing the whole facts.
he says, the government will clear it's
skirts of official responsibility and
place the guilt where it belongs.
Gen. Truman is aimed at solely as the
head of the department. 1t is not
charged that he has profited financially
by the dishonest traffic between army
purchasing agents and army contrac-
tors, but reorganization of the Depart
ment Is imperative and certain, and it
is more than likely that in this case 1t
will be from the top downward
Much credit is being given Sir J..
Blundell Maple for his revelations on
the scandal, and for his insistence upon
official investigation and his refusal to
accept the whitewashlng report of the
parliamentary committee.
He gave Balfour and Brodrick many
days of anxiety, during which they
kept up bold and defiant front but
render Internationally, and the en-
pire Is to know the truth, however I'M
palatable it may be.
In view of the recent development
the following extracts from the report
of the first parliamentary committee is
interesting. If not enlightening:
We think 1t right to say at once,
that having examined number of
witnesses and considered the docu-
mentary statements laid before us. we
believe that there is no justification for
any charge of bribery or corrupt deal
ing against any British officer employ
ed in connection with the purchases in
question. Whatever errors of judg-
ment may have been committed, we be-
lieve that the officers concerned were
solely actuated by the desire to do
their best for the pubic service"
Gen. kitchener's details of the OPP
erations in South Africa during Janu-
airy are published today in the Official
Gazette, referring to the Tweefontein
mishap. he says court of inquiry was
held on the affair, which. lin my opin-
ion, was not satisfactorily covered by
the explanations put forward Con-
sidering the warnings this force re-
ceived directing them to be on the
alert, the preparations made by them
TO meet a night attack seem, so far as
! can judge at present. to have been
most defective"
incidentally, Gen. Kitchener men
lions that Maj. Colenbrander met a
party of natives under Chief Linchwe,
1000 strong, marching IN an endeavor
to recapture stock that had been stolen
the previous month by Commandment
Kemp. AS there Were Boer women
and children in the neighborhood, de-
plorable results might have occurred
Maj. Colenbrander ordered the natives
10 return, and they obeyed much to
the relief of the Boer families scat
tered in the district