The war in German South-West Africa is evidently a source
of serious perplexity to the statesmen in Berlin. Much is due to the conduct of General von Troths, the Commander-in-Chief, whose methods of blood and iron scarcely commend themselves to his official superiors. Some of his proclamations of last year have now been published, and in one dated October 2nd, 1904, he announced that every Herero found within the German frontier with or without a rifle would be shot, and that as for the women and children, he would either drive them back to their own people or have them fired on. Prince Billow demanded the repeal of this proclamation, and reports which are filtering home as to the methods of warfare employed seem to have really disgusted the German public with the Commander-in-Chief. He has also criticised the Imperial Chancellor in public with much indiscretion, and it is rumoured that he will be recalled and a civil Governor appointed in his stead. The war has now been going on for twenty months, and there is no sign of peace, while its cost is upwards of 225,000 a day. The most extraordinary feature in the situation is the apparent unwillingness of the Chancellor to investigate the matter or, allow a debate on the subject in the Reichstag, an unwilling- ness which is said to be due to the fear that the Pam-Germans would seize the occasion to level wild charges against England.
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