Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-03-18
A Milwaukee War Critic.

IN extremely amusing editorial APP
peared in the Milwaukee Free Press, |
last Sunday, under the heading, Brit
ish Intlexibility." whether or not the
writer designed it ais satire upon Brit
ish methods in conducting the Boer
war is somewhat OF question, but up
on the whole the impression conveyed
to us by the article is that it was writ
ten in o serious t1ood Its apparent
guilenessness OF any intent to ex-
cite laughter makes it all the more
funny. 1t seriously blames the Boer
generals for their unscientific methods
of fighting. Here for example is a.
quotation,-"He fatty refuses to fight
in the open. Craft is his weapon,
crookedness his IIolicy He fights in
every way re can, concerned only to
win. Fair pay, that idea so ingraned
IN the EnglIshman is something he has
no conception of" Now just think of
ten thousand Boef soldiers being ac-
cuscd of not showing two hundred
thousand Britishers fair play. Doesn't
that idea jar yolg One cant help
thinking of that famous ten days battle
in which Lord Rothrts, with force of
10000, finally compelled Cronje, with
1000, to surrender Fair play, that
idea so ingrained in the Englishman,"
was not on tap then. Gen. Eoberts did
not haul off enough of his troops to
equalize things, anil make fair play"
No, he was too able a general to do
that. Then, when fair play" is men
toned one can nos help recalling how
Kitchner devised Il scheme of lighting
the Beers by driving all their wives and
children into reconcentrado camps,
where they have since been dy-
oh. "A TAra
sbeep-rot, as was to be expected,
and as no doubt was expected
by Kitchner Thai idea of fair play
so ingrained in the Englishman" seems
to be ingrained so deeply in Kitchner
that it stays there, won't come out for
se,-has become fossilized, as it were.
Here is another quotation from the
Free Press article: ''Of course this
contending with aI enemy who is hid
ing most of the time, and would as soon
retreat as advance if anything were to
b. gained by it, is disconcerting to any
general grounded in military tactics"
Again he says THE invader harried
and plundered whenever it can be done
with safety; trap set, sudden on
slaught, another grand coup. Such are
the Boer tactics" Now isn't that Just
horrid We must admit that it re-
quired the genius, the frank honesty
in short the fair play" of this Free
Press editors lively pen to make us
realize the true inwardneSs of the
Boer method of war. 1t is just simply
too awful And it looks so very like
the way Washington used 10 fight the
BritiSherS tooi And don tcher know
the ways of Washington and his times
are getting out of vogue with some peo-
MIA -HaUG HaS thn RnnrS "a
back number "Taey fight in any way
they can, concerned only to win," just
as G. w. did. Oh my Fie for them,
the nawsty things
And here is another side splitter from
the involuntary fun maker of the Free
Press; War as taught in the schools,
and practiced by civilized nations is
game on vast scale, eXacting from a
commander infinite grasp and skill.
For the game to he played properly
both sides must be governed by the
rules" However this writer is SEN
sible person, withal. He comedies that
rs the Beers won't!fight the British 'by
the rules, " and as the British efforts to
To fight by the rules have not proved
remarkably effectpal," there is prob
lem for the Britislser, wit; How to
adapt himself" And this able war
critic, after thoroughly commenting
the British methods of war, suggests
change, and the. raising of troops
trained as our American regulars
have been" That would not hurt the
sensibilities of John Bull Pat him on
the back for his fine system of lighting.
Abuse the Beers for not fighting "by
rule" and recommend the method, of
your Homerican Cousins" don'tcher
know. The fact that the American sol
diers have been trained to the same
methods of warfare pursued by the
Beers is not stated. What gentle and
delicate touch this writer has. Yes
indeed.
The Free Press writer is profuse in
his abuse of the Beers, and in his taffy
for the British. Among other things,
under the former; head, he refers to
The most glorious of British tradi-
tioDs, Waterloo, Balaclava, Omdur-
man" Well, we'll Omdurman :?
Wonder if he was serious when he put
Omdurman on the list? Wonder if he
mentioned Omdufman TO emphasize
that idea of fair play so ingrained in
the Englishman ~ Let's see; it was
4, 900 Arab women and children, was it
not, that Kitchener bravely slew with
Calling guns at Omdurman And an
EngnSn dfIlSt, ana war correspondent,
upon his return home, after witnessing
that horrid massacre, gave the unvar-
nished tale to British newspaper some
months afterward Kitchener's sense
of fair play and censorship prevented
its disclosure at the time. All English
men are not like Kitchener, thank
Heaven But the Englishmen who have
sense of honor and fair play are not
in the saddle at the present time
Waterloo, Balaklaya and Omdur-
man - "And Omdurman Gosh, yes.
On,dlrmaa Ind the Milwaukee Free
Press. Hum, yes The Free Press.
Wonder if it could have been beer !?
Maybe.
Big clothing sale now on at Seim Bros
opposite court house.