Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 April 1900 — LONG WAR IS AHEAD. [ARTICLE]

LONG WAR IS AHEAD.

BRITISH UNABLE TO MOVE FOR MANY WEEKS. Roberto Awaits Winter Clothing for His Troops—Bloemfontein Put Into ; Shape for Defense Against Boers— Soldiers Guarding Free State Capital. Britons are now beginning, though reluctantly, to realise that Lord Roberto is in for a winter campaign, lasting several months. Thia is the end, In a few words, of the high hopes based upon Lord Roberts’ brilliant dash to Kimberley and Bloemfontein. Preparations are being made to hold Bloemfontein against surprises. Lord Kitchener has been given an important duty, being responsible for the protection of the railway, while Lord Roberts Is waiting for remounts and winter clothing for the troops, whose thin cotton khaki uniforms and boots are worn out. Gen. Brabant and Gen. Gatacre are both at a standstill. Lord Roberts will probably for some time confine his operations to clearing the Free State behind him of raiders and to relieving Mafeking, for which purpose apparently the eighth division, now arriving at Cape Town, has been ordered to Kimberley. Lady Sarah Wilson and other Mafeking correspondents send diaries of the doings there, showing that the Boers have tried by abandoning their trenches to lure the besieged out into a mined ambush. Fortunately the British engineers discovered the mine, cut the wire communication and übearthed ”50 pounds of dynamite and war gelatine. What the chances are for an advance to Pretoria may be judged from the fact that only from 6,000 to 10,000'horses are on their way to the Cape, and from the further fact that the military tailoring departments only within the last three wests began making woolen khaki uniforms. Fifty-two prisoners, who were captured at Boshof, have arrived at Kimberley. Only three are Dutchmen, the others being Frenchmen, Germans and Russians. Mr. Steyn’s address to the Free State raad at Kroonstad is confirmed. The Fischer-Wolmarans deputation has full power to negotiate for peace, subject to the raad’s sanction. The retirement of the Irish rifles from Rouxville to Aliwal North leaves Geh. Brabant Without communjication with the other British forces. He has 2,000 or 3,000 colonials holding a fine defensive country, but he is apparently invested, so far as London knows. The Russian and French papers are still excitedly protesting against Great Britain’s use of the Beira route in transporting troops to Rhodesia, but there is nothing to confirm the dispatch from St. Petersburg to the Aftenblabet of Stockholm saying that Emperor Nicholas is “extremely agitated” over the AngloPortuguese arrangement and intends to issue a proclamation protesting against it during his forthcoming visit to Mo»cow.