CURRENT TOPICS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 184, 14 November 1910, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

THE DEMOCRATS. The American elections and the results by which, after apparently hopeless fighting for sixteen years, the great Democratic Party has achieved a splen did victory —a majority of 44—is a complete reversal of the old order of things. It is probable that the vigorous campaign of the strenuous Roosevelt has had much to do with the defeat of his party, for every word one has been permitted to read about the colonel is practically an indictment of the policy ot his own party, and shows him in the lisht of a pronounced egotist, assuming that nobody was worth while except Roosevelt, and no truths were true but Roosevelt's wondrous platitudes. The Democrats were organised and undivided, the Republicans fighting in their own ranks like "Kilkenny cats," and it is possible this division in the ranks, no less than the fact that Roosevelt, as the leader of the insurgents, used the platform of his opponents as his own,vthat the unexpected happened. There is a strong probability that the Republicans fell on the; tariffcquestion, When Con-

gress was summoned, President Tuft made all the capital possible in showing that the sincere desire of Congress wa> to pass the Tariff Bill, which meant a "real revision downwards." When the Payne-Aldich Tariff became law it was seen that the tariff was not the perfect measure the President bad stated it to be, and it was on this.the "Old Guard" and "the insurgents" fell out. Mr. Roosevelt's business, as far as his utterances indicate, has been to Hog the Piepublican Party into a more decent muiu«ement of the country's all'airs. He has flogged it to its political death, and it will now be interesting to see what reforms the Democrats may inaugurate after being under dog for sixteen years.

AT PAARDEBURG. The fact, that Mr. Fisher, Premier of the Commonwealth, and Mr. Fowlds, a New Zealand Minister of the Crown, have placed wreaths on the graves of Australian and New Zealand soldier* at Paardeburg is a reminder of the dreadful event that gave these gentlemen the opportunity. To recall Paardeburg is to recall one of the events of the South African war that must move all the friends and relatives of the colonial soldiers who lay down their lives there. No more shocking sight than Paardeburg, after the terrible bombardment of this Boer stronghold, coula be conceived. General C'ronje's com inand, including many of his soldiers' wives and some children, were entrenched on the banks of the Modder river, many acres of the great sand flat being covered with vehicles. Everyone knows the story of the great bombardment, the desperate rushes of the British troops, and the equally desperate resistance of the Boer . troops, and tht ultimate surrender of the most stubborn of all the Boer generals—€ronje. To those who have never seen the result ol a murderous bombardment, the field oi Paardeburg would present an unparralled picture of devastation. Nothing on the blighted area escaped. Every vehicle was splintered into fragments, the trenches caved in with lyddite shells, the surface yellow with the explosive, and large areas, curiously enough, sprinkled with white feathers from Boer beds. In this area were hundreds of dead horses preyed on by filthy aasvogels (the veldt vulture), too surfeited to waddle out of the way of man. In innumerable cases whole strings of horses, tied together, lay in lines, frightfully syvelled and with their legs stiffly pointed to the skies. On the second visit of the Neyv Zealand troops to Paardeburg (for guerilla fighting continued in the vicinity long after Cronje's surrender) Paardeburg yvas still more revolting, for here arid there the sand had blown away from British and Boer graves, and .the desolation was more marked. New Zealariders remember Paardeburg especially because one of its young officers (Mr. Neave), who had been transferred to the Yorkshire regiment, yvas killed in one of the actions. They also do not. forget that Paardeburg marked a period of semi-starvation —half a biscuit a day being the ration. Apart from the horrible devastation, one incident stands out clearly. Neyv Zealanders carefully examined the trenches both as a duty and in curiosity. One young soldier discovered a small tin box in a trench and broke it open. He yvas sorry, for somt poor mother had used the box as a,coffin for her dead baby. It is ■worth noticing that the young man afterwards gave up his life too. And as far as the British and the Dutch in South Africa are concerned, Paardeburg is forgotten—perhaps.

THE TERRITORIALS. The first camp held under the new Territorial regulations has been held in Auckland, and, as far as can be gathered, was highly successful. The chief interest is the fact that employers of citizen soldiers seemed to realise the position and to accept it cheerfully, giving the necessary leave. It is seen that the chief difficulty lies in the adjustment of business to suit the camps. Colonel Robin, chief of the general staff, has said that inconvenience to employers will be remedied by drafting Territorials into various branches of the service, in order that large employers who may have a number of Territorials in theii pay will not lose the services of all at the one time. A too optimistic estimate of the number of men who will be trained to arms within a short time has been made by Major-General .Godley. He has said'that he hopes to have 40,000 men trained by next year. This, of course, includes those youths who are to be compulsorily trained, but it means, if the establishment is to reach these figures, that recruiting must be remarkably brisk of men who are not compulsorily enlisted. Every possible means ought to be taken to induce me-,i to join the Territorials, and there seems to be no better way than for competent men—preferably soldiers—to visit every town and village in New Zealand with the object of arousing the young men to the real needs of the case. Everybody knows that the men would fight if they had to, but the necessity is to in duce them to learn the art of war in the time of peace. A tremendous and untiring enthusiasm is necessary in commandant and staff if the young men ot the country are to accept service.in the defence forces as a high honour. Every recruit represents an additional insurance against war. A great Territorial armv by its strength and efficiency would make peace easier to maintain. And the chief item at present is recruiting officers.