The Democratic advocate., 1881-02-26
0ur0lio,
ANOTHER IRELAND.

pal AH NhNh 4AS boiiStef NAeh I'M
the misery of Ireland Some of the most
distinguished British soldiers and some
English statesmen and editors speak out
plainly enough, and call the Beers revolt
by its right name, war Of Independence,
and a righteous war--in this view, But
it takes a broad view to put certain things
together and to show that the policy of
England has been, in this whole South
African matter, simply an eviction of
rightful governments to place barren scep-
tres in unlineal hands The last in the series
was the turning cut of the government of
the Trausvaal aud flying the British flag
oyes the Dutch state by pretended trans
fersS The first was an actual eviction Of
the Dutch settlers from Cape Colony itself
and from other stations. These thrifty,
peaccable people have been made to move
on and out, precisely as a blanket Indian
has to ''get up aud get before the polish
cd revolver Of the d-grabber-and if
the strong Dutch settlers have neither died
out BY whisky and smallpox, or starved
out on potatoes aud typhus-il they hold
their own as neither Indians nor Irish
have been able TO do, there Is something
remarkable in the country and the people
as well as in the justice of their cause.
In the 6rst place the Inevitable conflict
aud dissatisfaction aud friction with the
British occupants Of South Africa which
these BOers have kept up now for forty
ive years, show that it is not only Ireland
that gets into constitutional opposition
with Downing street aud British head
quarters, and that it is something more
than . difference Of religion and chronic
hatred that IS The matter. In the second
place !, is not onls Irish poverty, the fail
ure af The potato crops aud the wa.er-!os-
ged soil Of Ireland. that make lis people
rebeIlious; for the climate and soil and
material prosperity Of these South African
Coloaiss are wonderful, jet s,iII there is
war. rs Colonel Butler remarks in the
Iast Contemporary Review, il South
African rivers DO 40, yield continuous
water supply to she countries in which
they lie, nor the Drakensburg pcrma-
neat watershed. there Is 5 neyer-sailing
outflow Of bloodshed 10 make up for IL
For foyiy-ave years the Dutch have
bcsn 'sviescd' from Que settlement after
another, and tho fact that an oikeer Of the
British army has the courage to number
these rack rents aud to put the blame
where 1t belongs, should help Us to see tho
mixed Transvaal msliers as they really
are. Iu 1885 there was atrskH or emi-
grafton Of large number Of Boers from
the Cape Coioay, over tho uaexplOred
territory across the Orange river, 10 the
north and east. They did nos fancy Brit.
ish rule, 80 they sold oa, their farms aud
AtA>f-s etas N taS kAgH RutNl A0tNAt
aud started GU, ia the wilderness. They
even issued parting address which ran
thus ,--''We qait this colony under the
fun assurance that the Eaglish govern.
meus has nothing more 10 require Of Us,
aud VII allow as to govern ourselves with
oai its inteTfsreucc ia the fEtare The
Attorney General Of the Cape Colony
summed up THAI they had as emigran,s a
right to 90 away and be no loager British
Subjects, and 30 they iOurncyed away, with
even this old shoe for good luck through az
Ter their exodus By the British Govern
luens at che Cape. They settled 10 the dis.
tric. tha, IS now Natal, Then they Tough,
the Zulus aud Conquered them, and when
they had peacefully established govern
meni, laid out towns and were about to
possess she coaniry, down swOoPed the
Cape COiony government uPoa Natal with
protecting detachment Of a hundred
British soldiers and made an entering
wedge By putting British 6Bger 10 the
pie, La three years the "Repablie of Ma
talian pFospered, (the British ono hundred
had been carly withdrawn aud the town
of Pieternariizburg was aourishing set
tlemeu., whsB in 1872, the port Of Natal
was taken possession Of in the Queens
name, on the Pretense Of protection, in
time Of peace. What was really desired
to be protected was the growing impor-
tance Of Port Natal ExpOssulatious we're
not even entertained at the Cape Colony,
aud instead Of lighting the invaders the
peaceful aud religious BOers started cut
again to go. They crossed the mountain
again into the wilderness aud attempted
another settlement south Of the Naal
river, and were met by another proclama-
tiOn declaring that also to be British ter
ritory Then they fought, in 1919, at
Boomplatz, were routed aud Fed across
the Yaal. Here they found paroial rest
and prosperity, and here, finally, a guar
antee was signed in 1852, by the British
Government - trading and friendly
agreement.-that acknowledged the indie
pendenee Of the Transvaal, and, two years
later, the Orange River State, lying
South, was acknowledged TO belong to
the Dutch farmers who had settled there.
For twenty-five years the Transvaal man
aged its own affairs, until ii began to grow
too rich as neighbor. In single year
$4,000 ounces of gold had been dug out
by the miners, copper, cobalt, coal and
iron mines we're opened, aud as with the
discovery OF the diamond fields in Griqua
Land, there was rush of adventures in
that direction-British carpet baggers,
1t was about this time that the Presi-
dent of the Transvaal undertook to buy
seaport. The only outlet was long road
through Natal to Durham. Negotiations
to purchase Delagoa Bay were undertaken.