The Irish standard., 1903-12-12
Perils That Confront the Nation at the Present
Time as Described by w. T. Stead,
the Famous Journalist.
The Boer War Sapped the Resources and
Contributed More Than Any Other
Cause to Weaken Empire.


crime nearly caught up John Bull il
the South African campaign. Th,
full significance of the terrible ARA,
of facts accumulated by the patien
inquiries of the royal commission are
now slowly but steadily burning theil
way into the consciousness of "oul
imperial race" and when the rea
truth is clearly apprehended by the
average citizen there will be re-
action in public sentiment which will
effect a pretty considerable revolrl-
tion in the management of the affairs
of the British empire, wrote w. T..
Stead, the famous English journalist.
The salient facts briefly stated are
very few and very simple. In the
last seven years the iingo govern
ment. which was installed in Office in
1885. brought England to the verge
of war with Turkey. Germany. the
United States. Russia and France. 1t
escaped from actual war by leaving it's
proteges. the ArmenianS. to be mas
sacred with impunity by the Turks.
by conSenting to remove the VeneZu-
abandoning Port Arthur to Russia. by
accepting the assurances of Germany
and by securing the submission Of
France on the question of FHShoda.
For a whole month peace and war
frembled in the balance in 1898. If
France had refused to recall Captain
Marchand from Fasloda the British
government would have gone to war
with the great republic from which
she is separated by only IL score Of
miles of sea. The French could have
put 2.00O.O0O of trained soldiers into
the field. If any great reverse had
,oyertaken the British fleet nothing
could have saved London from cap
ture by the French armies
Fortunately for John Bull the Rus
sian emperor used his utmost i'll
fuencc to persuade the French to give
way. They did give way and tho
British government scored it's solitary
success in foreign politics by sheer
bluff and the pacific counsels of the
Russian emperor.
In 1899. after having thus escaped
by the skin of it's teeth from w;l
with the greatest military power OF
Europe. the British, government at
! last embarked upon IL war with two
of the tinicst states in the whole
world. The total Dutch population of
the Transvaal and the Orange Free
States. men. women and children,
would scarcely exceed the number
of scholars who are in daily at
tendance in the common schools of
Massachusetts. The whole of the
Isoers in the two republics could be
comfortably housed in single section
sof the city of London.
The total fighting force of the little
;states. even when swollen by recruits
from beyond their frontier. did not
-mOrnt up to 100000 men and boys
odd graybeards Of 10 and boys of II
were included in that force 1t was
mot only undisciplincd-it was averse
from the very conception of discipline
Not 10 per cent of the Boer farmers
had ever taken part in any campaign
more serious than that of local Kaf.
fir war. Many Of them had never fired
II rifle before the war broke out. They
1,ad no allies, no seaports, no navy
80 credit. They had only one thing
in their favor. They happened to be
:in the right and they loved their cOun.
FRY, and they believed in God. These
sthings. however. did not bulk large
jim the eyes Of the directors of the
s1olicy of the British empire
Sons Of Belial swollen with inso.
bence and pride, the British jingoes
ssInited for war; They believed that an
opportunity had at last arisen when
tflrey could wipe out the shameful
Inemory of defeat at NIajuba by over
,yhelming the little republics with the
whole armed resources of the ..great-
asasaas