| Show AIR fUll OF RUMOR London Has Many Stories About Peace Proposals I HOW SOON WILL IT COME Foreign Office Official Says There is a Popular Misconception Regarding tho Importance of the ImaginaYy Appeals for P ceTho Most Submissive Sub-missive Message Kruger Might Send Would Not Alter Situation Peace Can Only he Accomplished After British Occupy the Transvaal 1 1 London May 26 Copyrighted 1000 I by the Associated PlcssThc outlook I for peace how soon will it como and tlio slops by which It will be procured I iro the foremost topics of tho hour here The air is full of rumors about messages from President Kruger the 33oer delegates and other formal steps looking to ii cessation of hostilities but these KO far I have proved to be without with-out any foundation According lo the opinion of one of the highest olllcials Qc the Foreign ofllce there is a popular misconception regarding tho importance I import-ance of these imaginary appeals This authority Is Inclined to believe that the most submissive telegram President Kruger could compose would not alter the situation In the slightest TRANSVAAL WILL BE OCCUPIED Peace ho declared can only be accomplished after tho Transvaal has undergone the same process ns the Free State The cases are or will ho in a few days analogous The most forcible illustration of my meaning can be gathered by supposing President Steyn now sued or had sued for peace What difference could such action make < < to uis Neither Krugers word nor oteyns word are any guarantee that their people will submit Kruger might surrender Pretoria might be In our hands yet in other parts of the Transvaal we might have a recurrence cf such a thing as the siege of Wupener or widespread uprisings which would necessitate tlio presence of thousands t of troops A thorough occupation having hav-ing now become tho object oC the war it cannot terminate until a disarmament disarma-ment is completely effected among all tho Boer forces MUST TELL ROBERTS When the Boers want peace they must tell Lord Roberts and take him their arms This may perhaps occur at the instigation of President Kruger but tho only importance we could now attach to any of his appeals or utterances utter-ances Is the extent with which they will be observed among his own people My personal opinion Is that It will be II found that tho extent Is small though I this fact should not delay peace or more properly pacification Lord Roberts Rob-erts should be able to subdue the Transvaal almost as easily as he did hc Free State MAY BE GUERRILLA BANDS I If cs I i hear Is likely bodies of Boers will take to the hills a lot oC them will be kept there till they arc tIred With tho bulk of the Transvaal disarmed these guerrilla bands ore not likely to be a factor 41 fall to see how matters will be nl tered oven If a foreign power say the I United States consented to transmit the unconditional surrender of our Coos 1 could not see it would be worth tho paper It is written on though the action ac-tion wo would take is too hypothetical for mo to attest iL NO NATION TVILLINTERFERE Others who havo given the matter study echoed these ideas while a well known member oC the diplomatic corps told a representative of tho Associated Press thaic thought It most Improbable Improba-ble that any nation would transmit even unconditional offers from the Doers or that such a method of attempting at-tempting to stop the war would do the Boers any good except us salvingtheir pride HERO OF THE HOUR The Queens birthday was made an I excuse for prolonging the Mafeklng celebrations MajGen BadunPowcll naturally enough Is the hero of the hour While Col Mahon is the reliever oC the town he is i almost as much a nonentity as when the name of the commander of the relieving column was disclosed Qol Mahon Is said to be Lord Kitcheners favorite officer and the Sirdar is reported to have telegraphed tele-graphed to him to come from south of Khartoum to South Africa To obey this mandate it is added Mahon drove to death no fewer than five camels while crossing the desert lie is a member mem-ber of an old Galway family and a relative of Sir Edward Henry Carson the new SolicitorGeneral STARS AND STRIPES DISPLAYED Parades of students and others that would do credit to the Latin quarter of Paris continue to make the house of MajGen BadenPowells mother their objective A noticeable feature of the rejoicings Is the prevalence everywhere pf the Stars pd Stripes which were never btfoiv displayed to such an extent ex-tent and which is almost always in terwined with the Union Jack Com menting on thIs fact the St Jamess Gazette says This Is aslt should be The proprietor of a weekly I paper adopted a novel experiment in cele hrallng and advertising combined by buying 30000 Hugs and distributing them gratis YOUNG MAJORGENERAL It Isf Interesting to note that with tle exception of Gen Hunter Baden Powell Is the youngest MajorGeneral in the British army |
