The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-03-20
OPINIONS ON THE SUBJECT GATH
Erred IN SOUTH AFRICA.
Even on the Very Ground No Two
Men Agree-The Privste's Opinion
Perhaps the Correct One.

correct theories and your "becauses"
are naturally the best. l feel that
way myself at times. 1t is by far the More
comforting to form ideas for yourself than
to collect the ideas of other people and
adapt your poor simple postulatory prem
Uses to their bewildering array of diverging
hypothesis.
In South Africa presumably. and in the
Transvaal most certainly, we. should know
even better thar you why the war is pro-
longed. We go out on columns or daily
meet men who do so. We are intimately
acquainted with all the conditions OF war
fare, and scarcely turn our heads to see a
mobile column go past our front doors,
for we have begun to view war as a normal
state-at worst the diathesis of a national
disease to which we grow callous daily.
We should know all about it, for we dis
cuss things with officers just in off col
umns, with officers who run up to town
for the day from blockhouses at Stinkfon-
TEN, with contractors dealing with the
army, with doctors and lawyers and spruce
civilians walking smartly and with the
mark of a chin-strap still on their shaven
chins.
And what do these people say?
There should, surely, be some unanimity
Of opinion among them. They know what
war is; they nave seen grey death, red
fire and the smoking horizon"
Why does the war drag? is 1t the heavy
transport? (By the way, who was II put
about that absurd story of nothing but
pack-mules" being used in futureD
1T is the ox-wagon and heavy transport,
said an officer to whom L put the question
Imagine a column encountered with great
heavy wagons drawn by slow-going old
opurc utipEfn0 OF ntart drift nn6 CRQFNplV
able to travel at all except by night-im-
agine these following a man like De Wet
with his Cape cart convOy-and little or
that-and his heaviest stuff being hauled
by mules. OF course, that is the reason the
war goes on as usual. We are not mobile
enough. The Beers beat us every time at
that sort OF game, and will do so till the
end of the chapter"
You would think such an opinion as here
advanced was generally held, and that no
body in their senses would question for a
and yet
Don't tell me'-this was one of Colonel
Wilson's officers. and Colonel Wilson is one
of the rapid column commanders-"don't
tell me that oX-transport is such a bad
thing. We have had oX~-transport at
tached to our column, oX.wagons carryIng
What are the advantages? Well, with a
good driver, oxen can be made to go just as
quickly as is required by the average col
umn; they pull heavier loads, and require
absolutely no feeding. The mule has to be
fed and pampered like a prize cat. Not the
least item in the convoy is the food supply
for the brute, so that when "A column tricks
for any length of time it is forced to carry
with it a tremendous amount of forage for
the mules themselves"
The war drags.
is IT THE INEFFICIENT OFFICER?
Is it owing to the ineficiency of the of
fcer?
An eminent civilian, who certainly knows
rl,ok H. - III, l1y -,-.
The officer does not take his profession
seriously. War to him is sport of a kind.
He seems to be absolutely ignorant as to
the very rudiments of his profession. Be
sides which, he is tired of the whole thing.
He wants a change and a rest. He has
reached the stage when it is no longer ex-
citing and interesting. He wants to get
back to his shooting and hunting and rae.
ing, and the spirit which animated him at
the beginning has long since f1ickered down
TO the veriest spark"
Against this l have the assurance of an
officer friend of mine, by no means inclined
to take a lenient view of his comrades
SlaCkneSS.
1T isn't the officer; ask the men them
selves. The officers are as good now as
ever they were. Take the average regi-
mental officer, and you will lind him as
keen as mustard. Just as keen, in fact, If
not keener. than he was a couple of years
ago. As to his education and the serious
ness with which he takes his profession
you must not forget that you are judging
him by South African standards. You
must understand that for the work for
which he was trained, continental and In
dian fighting, he is second to none-that is,
so far as his military education goes. Out
here he has shown a wonderful adaptable
ity."
Atkins was enthusiastic on the subject of
his officer. There amt better men in the
world, sir, than our officers. L don't mean
the young and silly ones, them that as
just come out. 1 mean the lieutenants who
have been right through with the war, the
captains and the majors. We haven't got
no colonies now; they've all got columns.
You want to see our officers in action. sir.
They give a man heart to see en-"
ARE THERE ENOUGH COLONIALS?
A gentleman I met in East London had
most pronounced views on the subject of
why the wal continues. 1t is because there
have not been a sufficient number of CO.
lonials employed.
IF you'd have employed only colonial
troops the thing would have been over a
year ago. Men who knew the country and
the Beers. Let 'em go where they like,
and have no wretched red tape to contend
with. That's the sort of force YOU want
"a force without side. without any of those
foolish chivalrous notions which character
lie the regular army"
Emphatic also was another authority.
THE imperial people should have taken
this job on and finished it themselves. The
curse of this war has been the scallywag
corps. They have unnecessarily irritated
the Beers by wanton destruction; they
have worked as much mischief as the Boer
commanders on loyalists' farms. and in
many ways have been more hindrance than
help. There can be no possible doubt that
the Beers fear a British infantry regiment
more than half a dozen irregular regi-
ments." Yet another authority held sim
liar views, with the exception that he sub
Stituted cavalry for infantry.
1 have asked close on a hundred people
from time TO time, more out of curiosity
than for any other reason, to give me what
they believe to be the reason for the con-
tinuance of the war. The answers were in
structive. In almost ever case one mans
views were in diametrical opposition to
the next, and they every one varied.
Now it was-this from a refugee-because
the refugees had not been allowed to re-
turn 10 the Rand a year ago. Against this
/ had the opinion of an officer who has
had the opportunity of making himself ac-
quainted with the conditions here, and he
was distinctly of opinion that the allowing
back of the refugees was one of our great
est mistakes.
THE whole Of the conquered territories
should have been cleared of the civilian
population, and civilians should. as far as
possible, have been kept out till the war
ended. The presence of a civilian popula-
tion in johannesburg has hampered US
considerably"
Some there were who believed that Lord
Kitchener has had too free a hand; some
there are who know. as l know, that Lord
Eitchener's hands have been too much
tied; but none seem 10 get nearer the truth
than a full private of the Welsh Regiment
who, in answer to my question, thought IL
was because the Beers would not surren-
der. and refuse to be beaten.