Show KITCHENER SAYS THE WAR HAS BEEN BADLY BUNGLED berlin jan 2 the neu este publishes a sensational interview given by lord kitchens r to dr ehll naubert prior to his departure for south africa you ask me tho is reported to leavo said what will happen after my arrival in the cape well in the first place it will ba our aak to concentrate the force as much as possible above all it will be necessary to relieve for whom I 1 entertain the utmost respect ilia march close up to elmber ley was a performance which would have earned universal admiration liefl it only been crowned with success b tt the general who was invariably hw is a blunderer in the eyes of the world almost without exception our generals are capable experienced and not they but alo writers of tha jingo of great britain are responsible tor our defeats these people headid by certain ministers depicted the war in south africa as a military promenade and they well n gh stoned brave sir william butler when he referred to the gravity of tho situation and admonished hem to moderate their foolish shouting they brought our brave generals into contusion and drove to death our heroic officers and troops who were compelled to achieve forced successes for the sake ot a clique of stock exclia tors troops babp h an howled at south africa without any but the barest pre pa rations tor harmonious operation cooperation co and it was supposed wo had to deal with savages whereas we are confronted by the terrible opponent having a perfect military organization eil by prussians it Is ridiculous to imagine that the people of london cluid know nothing of the armament of the transvaal they simply neglected to read the reports sent from ano cape it is the same spectacle which preceded the tall ot khartoum alien as now there was a failure to appreciate the strength of the enemy and a self deception that lasted until gordon had been killed and the black hag of the prophet was floating over the ramparts ot khartoum 1 I am confident however that it 3 not too late to mend matters in south africa when the concentration of troops has been effected my main task will consist first in accustoming the men to a reflective cautious manner ot fighting in this way alone will we ic achieve success against a toe so mobile the transvaal must be crushed by encircling it with an iron band military operations will progress slowly very slowly to the cries ot the london press no attention will be paid they will have to learn patience great britain herself must have patience 1 I do not believe the republics will be subdued within a year this is my view of the task awaiting me and I 1 cannot execute it in less time it is truo that th situation might undergo a change and pressing political reison may at a later period render it essential tor us to inflict a rapid baries of blows for tho purpose of creating a basis of negotiations that had become necessary As to this I 1 can torm no judgment I 1 am not a politician but a soldier I 1 have to execute my orders and as a soldier I 1 can only say it is possible now for great britain to over acme the republic and though her progress may be slow and a year may be necessary for its completion yet at the end of that almo we should be ir a position to dictate our own terms of peace all my calculations however wil be upset it I 1 am subjected to auces in tho execution of my plans natal Is not adapted for the advance of large masses of troops th 0 hilly districts tending to the dispersion oc forces and rarely permitting the de livecy of ponderous blows at this point concludes the interviewer the general sprang up saying irritably it is time gentlemen it is time I 1 must go war Is a thankless occupation a most thankless ono when bonss task is to drag a cart out of the hiie the whole affair in south africa ha been bungled it it had been properly begun we might have tranquilized south africa with halt the present expenditure pend iture of time money and blood now we need men and a whole rc |