The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-01-19
STORY OF THE Beers.
Prosecuted for Sixty Years by
the Greedy British.
BUT ALWAYS VICTORIOUS IN WAR
How the Brave Republicans VAN
quished the English Ia 1881 ana
Regained Their Independence.

british greed and rascslity created the
African republic Of the Transyaai, ana
the same qualities seek 10 destroy y IN
1856 Robbed in k6Sf BY agents OF the brit
isfi government. the Dutch Hoers iett the
coast Of Cape Colony and went into the
une2ploFed wilderness 70 the nortn. seek
ing Independence. They built up pros
porous agricultural state, which, ~ re-
cent years has developed great wealth IN
gold. This excited the cupidity OF Bar
ney Barn2f0. Cecil Rhodes and the kin
dred Adventures who have been exploit
ing South africa. They plotted a rebfi-
Ion in johannesburg. simultaneously Win
ar invasion BY DR. Jameson. the trseDoot-
or who slaughtered the Matabeies. The
Beers proved themselves made OF the
same stuff as when they destroyed the
British armies in 1851 Since the war or
1872 the British empire has waSed war
single-handed against 10 white men eX-
cept the Beers. and II has been repeatedly
defeated ana Inundated by them
The Dutch settlement of the Cape.
European emigration 10 South Africa
began about 1851 with the creation % the
Netherlands East India Company, aud its
ocetlpation OF the Cape Of Good Hope
The English king was too busy al this
time with his North American possessions
10 note the value Of Southern Africa,
which probably accounts for the early
Dutch possession. The Netherlands East
India Company. rather than the Dutch
government. owned and governed South
ern Africa Tor above 40 years-from 1901
TO 1875 In that year through the exigen-
eies OF war. England took possession, but
returned the country to Holland 20 ls@
In 1914 IL was perpetuaily ccded 10 Eng
land. the main reason being that England
wanted IT.
At this time there was a considerable
colony OF Dutch Beers established along
the coast They were agriculturists pure
". and they had subjBgaied and enslaVed
the natives as they had the cattle and
horses Of the country. Boer is a Dutch
word and means "tiileF OF the SOIL A
South African Boer today Is any European
who speaks the Dutch patois OF the coun-
try.
The English Dust the Beers.
English emigration began in 1919, and.
encouraged by the home government, the
Cape country settled rapidly. crisis
came IN 1884. when the English government
emancipated the slaves. numbering above
$4,000. and valued at the then ruling prices
at sl5,000,el0 This property" was as
sessed 10y English appraisers at much be
low It's value. and parliament appropriated
about s6e00,000 TO pay the former owners.
The result was a financial panic and coll
and the robbery by the English agents
came from the fact that the money for the
slaves was payable only in London. max
ing II impossible for the settlers TO get
anything except through English agents,
who charged such exorbitant commission
and exchange that they finally absorbed
the greater part of the total To make
matters worse. the law put the freed ne
groes on the same footing with the Boers
To most Of the Beers this was intolerabe
aud In 1886, two years after the emanCipa-
tfon act. wave Of emigration set in to-
ward the wilderness north and east Of the
Orange river. where were laid the founda-
lions for the Transvaal Republic. Of 1872
and the Orange Free State, OF lS5i
Tho first attempt OF the emgrants at self
government was IN the formation of the re-
public or Natala. on the east coast. It's
founders appealed 10 the king OF Holland
for protection. but he promptly and decided
~ refused. and the little republic soon fell
into the hands of the English IN 1872 It's
territory became and IS now the colony
OF Natal With the fan of their government
the Natalian Beers pushed westward into
the interior. and ten years later the re-
public of Transvaal lifted itself out OF the
wilderness
England AnncXes the TranSvanI
Ia 1877 the TransYaal republic ceased 10
exist "a a separate nation. the territory
being annexed % the British empire on
May T.. although ln ls12 the British gov
ernmcnt had guaranteed 20 the emigraut
farmers north OF the Naal river "she .izht
% manage their own affairs. aud 20 govern
themselves according 10 Their own laws.
without any Interference on the part Of the
British government The Beers ex-
hausted by a long war with the Kafilrs.
offered no resistance TO the British force
thai Invaded the republic. The annexation
met with the ClaWarous approval az class
or British traders aud land spectators
who had Hooked into The Transvaal after
the gold discoveries. Adventures who
sought peeuniary profit ia the disturbance
or rights which would eDsue The pros
pect that President Burgers projected lall-
road % he'agoa has would deprive Durham
Of tho Transyi al trade was strong c*ret
motive with English co!0nists fog demand
Ing the annexation. 4 financial and Io-
ltical crisis Of the Trausvasl government
furnished The occasion fer the uSurp3; on.
The fear that financial sli wnul3 be fur-
rishcd fer Burgers project of establish
ing a TranstaH port. whleh might be fal-
lowed hy q German protectorate. was one
cf the state reasous for thc step The
Beers themselves We're undoubtedly al-
most unanimously opposed The formal
profess OF President Burger as the time.
the tNo visits of the Delegates Jpu.frrt and
krueger. 80 England. amt Ihr uass ueet-
ings az remorstraucr should have lett no
doubt ~ the rooted anupathy ot tho Baers
g. British dominion.
The arrogance and uudingss or the a4-
ministrator set over the Trausfaal SIR
owen iauHou. ana otter IrlHsh ofI.ia.s.
was one uf thr prHNirnAte csusr- of au ,uG-
break nurirE thv agitation Wht.h lss-ed
throughout tho three ytats 81 Ilrtt-
1sh administration. and during and
throuehout th. close or en-. ,
fH