The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-03-11
COMMUNISM IN AFRICA.

The traveller, coming fresh from
Europe into DsmsralAnd, is struck
by the complete commuDistio iree-
dom with which every man approprl-
q, es the land and its nstural products.
r 1ads have been worn through the
tickets by Goot-men and the heavy
ox-wagous, and the chief villages are
connected by a kind of highway, but
no one is Obliged to keep the
roads il he does not want to; They
are of no more significance than the
zebra or rbInoseros tracks when led
to drinking places before man spT
peared in the country: and there Is
no reason why the traveller should not
make a new rosd at pleasure. The
pastvrage ia free for the teamster'
hungry cattle, the wood for the fire
needed to COOK his supper. Ii stray
spark sets the g. asa on fire, no one
thinks OF mplainIng; if hunter
commits devastation among the game
the native may grumble at toe waste,
out he will not imagine that bis
rights are trespassed upon, or venture
TO interfere With che proceedings.
The game is as uch the strange
hunters as his. If one sees a spot
that pIesses him, be is at liberty to |
settle upon it, and build himself a |
house there. II any objection is
made to the stranger, nothing worse
happens than that something unrea
enable is demanded of him, IN the
same way that people in otner parts
OF the world are not ashamed to over
reach strangers: this is not 30 easily
done, however, il the intruder is q
native or a member OF the same tribe;
and even q stranger, if he does not al
low bimseli to be scared away, is at
last permitted TO remain undisturbed.
Whoever settles in any particular spot
must, however, expect that other
persons, finding it well supplied with
water and pasturage. will bring their
herds there too; and it is the practice
Of the Herero, when they wish to get
lid of sn unwelcome neighbor, not
withdrawing their communion, to
bring up go many herds and establish
many cattle-ranges about his house
hat he becomes 6isgusted with the
requent intrusions, and is obliged to
70 away from the exhausted tract.
some of the Herero chiefs have re- !
,ently begun to drive single settlers
way by force, hut they are aotuated
y ulterlor political views. The peo-
lie are not disposed to grudge a
trauger the particular spot oflsnd ne
ccapies, but they wish to drive for
igners out of the country altogether.
IN incident from Damara history
7ill help to illustrate the extent to
which t lis sense of communism goes.
Vhen the Hereros bad succeeded,
tier nine years o: warfare. in shsk-
ng Fl the domination of the Man,
uss, to whom they had been previ-
usiy objected, the Nemqus chief,
an Afriksner, asked the mission
aries to help him make piece with
hem. The missionaries proposed
nat the two parties should fix a
oundary between themselves, which
ney should both respect. Both re-
lsed to do this. They were ready to
1ake q peace. they aaid. and keep it,
nat they would have the land, over
Which they had fought 30 hard, in
ommoD. The Herero chief, Kama
Ierero, declared repeatedly that Jan
night live in any part OF the land he
hose after the peace, and that he
hould expect fair proportion of his
wn people to be allowed to live in
ans land. The peace contracted on
lese terms lasted fully ten ye sSs.-
opulGr Science Msnthly.