The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1881-08-25
pilot.
THE SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC.

pie one. A solemn treaty had been Vlo'
lated and the rights of al independent
government invaded. The right thing
TO be done was to recognize the obllga-
tons Of the treaty and restore the rights
Of the republic. Yet q higher courage
was required to do this than to conduct
a campaign of carnage. 1t Is to the
glory of England and the imperishable
fame of Gladstone that he had this sub
Ame moral courage.
" BY a convention in 1852, England
bound herself not to interfere with the
Government of the Beers, and not to ally
herself with natives north OF the Naal
River. In 1877, on the representation
that the people Of the Transyaal desired
to become subjects of England, this ter
ritory was annexed by England. This
was perhaps an honest blunder Of the
Begconsfeld administration. The Beers
subsequently sent deputation to Lon
don, to explain that it was not true they
desired annexation; but Sir Bartle Fiere
had dreams OF a South African confed-
Grafton and the Transvaal Republic would
be an obstacle to their fulfillment, and
Beaconsfield had conceived a spirited
foreign policy, and between the commits
sioner in South Africa and the premier
i'll London, it was determined that Eng
land should keep what she had. When
the Gladstone government came into
power, little more than year ago, it
was thought in South Africa that the
entire foreign policy of England would
be changed, and the agents of the former
administration pressed Mr. Gladstone for
an announcement, representing that
change would involve civil war in the
Transvaal, while annexation could be
peaceably maintained. The present
government was kept in the dark as to
the real condition Of affairs in the Trans
vaal until the armed outbreak occurred.
They believed that annexation had been
a mistake; but supposing that the great
majority OF the white population were
contented, they deemed it best not to
relinquish the sovereignty of the queen.
The momaht thoy ascertained the real
wishes Of the Beers, they began negotia-
tons, with a view to settlement of the
questions in dispute, even while they
were sending out large bodies of troops
to maintain the existing administration
of the Transvaal. Such are the facts.
In the debate in the House Of Com
mons the ministry were blamed by the
Conservatives for having carried on the
negotiations after reverses to the English
arms; after the British flag had been
trailed in the mire. It was stain on
the glory of England that terms should
thus be made with weak foe, who had
4ap,pororilr ro,,taI +l,~ I'll, ----
England should have sent more soldiers
to the rebellious territory and have
wiped out the disgrace Of defeat by
splendid victory, before negotiating
treaty. The reply of the Liberals was
that further bloodshed, under the circum-
stances would only have added to the
blood guiltiness Of the government, and
that national vengeance was national
criminality. The Tory and the Liberal
view of this matter are as opposite as
wrong and right. In the opinion of the
former "no more disgraceful surrender
IL tla
eminent" According to the Liberal esti-
mate it was one Of 'the most courageous
ana righteous acts of our time" There
is no question of fact in this difference
in moral principle. The standard of
Mr.. Giadstone's government is universal,
unhinching, even handed justice though
temporary disadvantages may follow
He has conscientiously obeyed the rule.
Do that only which is just and right;
while the genius OF the Conservative
party seems to be, get all you can-peace
ably, if possible; but get it and keep it.
Power and possession are equivalent to
right When Sir Michael Hicks-Bench
as the chief speaker on the Conservative
side inquired what was to become of the
natives of the Transvaal, he asked a very
pertinent question. The blacks outnum-
Der the whites sixteen to one. so far
as mere numbers go, the Beers are insig-
nifcant, as compared with the natives;
but the superior intelligence Of the for
ner goes o long way toward equalizing
the two races in respect to power. The
Beers have never been regarded as the
special friends OF the blacks On the
contrary, they have seemed to look upon
the various tribes in South Africa rs so
many animals, to be used according to
their pleasure and fo- their own profit.
Their treatment of he Hottentots and
Bushmen has often been very oppressive,
and it is reassuring to know that the
English government ha, not for gottsn
It's obligation to the large National pop
ulation of the Transvasl, but has caused
express provisions for their future well
fare to be inserted in the convention with
the Beers. Just what these provisions
are ard how it is proposed to protect the
poor blacks from oppression cannot be
known until the treaty is published; but
ii is said that Boer rule is to be restricted
in some way. Mr.. Gladstone says on
this point: With regard to the interests
of the natives in the Transva.l, I can
only say that we have decided on and
embodied in fixed terms the constructions
by which the veto of the Crown will be
reserved over any laws enacted in the
Trapsyaal concerning the natives. There
are other arrangements in progress, which
[ do not now speak of, because they are
incomplete; but they involve not only
the holding of lands by natives, but allo-
cations of considerable horizons of ter