THE WAR.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 9939, 10 December 1900, Page 4

THE WAR.

The Salisbury Government have achieved a splendid triumph. Their opponents in the House of Commons moved an amendment to the Address-in-Reply in which it was set out that in order to promote pacification in Africa the Goverument should give a guarantee in regard to the lives and property of surrendering Boers. The debate incidentally raised the larger question of the Government's policy in Africa as a whole. But instead of embarrassing Lord Salisbury and Mr Chamberlain it resulted rather the other way, for after Mr Chamberlain had pointed out that the policy of the Cabinet was embodied iv Lord Roberts's proclamation, published some weeks ago, he went into details aud showed that everything the Opposition professed to believe necessary was conceded when that proclamation was issued. The masterly statement by Mr Chamberlain left the Opposition but one honorable course, and we | are pleased to see that they adopted ' it. Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, with an honesty which does him credit, but which would have been of greater value it displayed when the evidence upon which he now acts was placed before him prior to the commencement of the general elections (for Lord Roberts's proclamation was published before that time), admitted that afttr Mr Chamberlain's explanation there was iio difference of opinion between the Government and the Opposition. Mr Asquith, who during the elections was sneeringly offensive with regard to Mr Chamberlain, also had to admit that what he had previously denounced—that is, Lord Roberts's proclamation as a basis of settlement —was when explained and pressed home by the Secretary for the Colonies a reasonable modus vivendi to precede the granting of a fuller measure of selfgovernment for the annexed territories. And when Mr Asquith finally went so far as to suggest that the Liberals should unite with the Unionists in an appeal to the Boers still in the field, an appeal based upon Mr Chamberlain's long-expressed views, the Salisbury Government scored the greatest triumph it is possible to conceive What we have is an admission by Mr Chamberlain's most pronounced foes tliat he has been iv the right all along. The fact seems to he that the Opposition are compelled to relinquish the positions they formerly took up because these are undermined by those whose cause they befriended. Letters ■11-.-? those written by Mr Elignauit,

with its fear lest Mr Chamberlain, by his pacific attitude, should "cheat" the Boers out of a war they had dcV termined to wage if possible, blow *-# fragments the absurd charges of tba pro-Boer element in British politics. If further proof were needed that the Boers declared war against us because they wished for war, and were confident it would be successful, it is found in Mr Kruger's querulous whine to the Kaiser, in which the latter is asked why,if he will not intervene now, did he encourage the Boers four years ago? And finally we have in to-day's cables the ex-President's threat to publish correspondence implicating " the Powers which encouraged the Boers to go to war."