The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-08-26
wANTED-A KITCHENER.

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Britain hasn't u little pacificution war
on hand In one or another OF her
numerous protcctorates scattered over
the face OF the globe. Also In this con-
nection 1t may be remarked that
British cocksurcistn and slaughter
and scuttle" policy In dealing with
barbarous and semicivilizod tribes and
nations die hard
! Tho latest evidence OF these facts Is
found in the recent "hghting' in
British Somaliland, which Is a strategic
stretch Of territory. running back
from the waters Of the far-ofr Gulf OF
Alden to Abyssinia. Tho reverse" out
there, as the official dispatches phrase
II, only illustrates anew British failure
to learn from disastrous expcriencc
not to say that 1T cxemplihes British
contempt for the lesson of experience.
! as written in letters of blood all too
frequently, especially in the record OF
British "pacification" in the Soudan
and the Red Sea littoral
The Somaliland affair now reported
merely links up with series Of eff
forts to pacify the protectoratc. run
ming back to 1899, and which failed to
pacltE, owing to the confidence and
policy we have noted. Between that
year and 1903 various small punitive
columns were sent out from Bcrbera,
the chief seaport, and Sheikh and Blu
rae closely inland posts, to suppress
uprlsings under Mahdis or Mullahs
only to leave the bones of most of
their numbers bleaching on the sands.
and without accomplishing anything
beyond checking native advance.
In 1904, however. after a partcu-
larry disastrous dash into the interior,
during which in one engagement
(April. 1909 no less than eight British
officers were killed, Major-General
Egerton, at a cost Of $4,000. 900 TO the
government, led a force OF 1000 British
troops against the Mullah then in
power, and defeated him nj Sidbalu.
INJECTING upon his enemy loss OF over
1000 in killed and wounded. Then. as
had been the case In the Red Sea lit
torai and In the Soudan prior to the
Kitchener expedition. after the slauEh
ter the British scuttled, leaving the
country TO the prey again Of NIahdist
fanat'cal following. The late reverse
was to camel corps OF $50 men and
officers, dispatched to punish some
raiding tribes, and which lost over
fifty In dead and wounded at point
not over thirty miles southwest OF
Burao. The corps was utterly de- |
feateG. and the survivors were barely !
saved from massacre by a small heroic !
band that went to the relief But that /,
is not tho worst OF it, for II is Cravelv |
apprehcnded that the moral effect" of
the tribal success viii be to encourage |
general uprising in tho hnterland,
and jeopardize the existence OF the en-
trio British Somaliland force, before
adequate reinforcements become avail
able
AS to the final outcome there can be
no question. Great Britain is in Soma
liland 10 stay. She must stay The
geographical AND strategic position OF
the country as n back door approach
TO other British possessions and spheres
of influence IN Africa render this be-
You'd dispute. as a glance at the map
OF East Africa will demonstrates More
over. she must open up and exploit the
country with railroads extending from
the coast. Meanwhile, however. there
are those, we are told, who, in the light
of the situation and menace caused by
The fresh reverse" have come to think
that Somaliland cannot have Kitch-
ener too soon. And it would appear
that they are thinking wisely.