Evening star., 1896-01-18
American Congrntulations to the
Beers.

Beers.
To the Editor of The Evening Star:
IN your issue of the 18th instant there is
the doleful complaint Of an Englishman
that our sympathies, as voiced by Senator
Morgan, are with the Beers, and A. G. W.
propounds a lot Of conundrums based upon
that resolution as a text. In case no one
better able to do SO volunteers replies to
the flood. perhaps you will permit me to
try and stem the tide.
1t is quite true that the thirteen states
having gained thier liberty with quota
tion marks) from England, the sympathies
Of the now forty-hve states are overwhelm-
ingly in favor Of the Cubans, struggling
for liberty from Spain, and Of the Amer
lean colonists in Hawaii who rebelled
against the native government in the name
of liberty" A G. w. goes on to suppose
that 'if Canadians or Australians declared
their independence" we would doubtless
! congratulate them upon obtaining their
liberty" We certainly intend to do SO
at the very first opportunity, which will
be soon after Good Queen Vic is gathered
to her bad forefathers, and leaves the
British empire to fall 20 pieces for Its past
when a large body Of English colonists in
the Transvaal and now under subjec ton
to the Beers, try to take forcible posses
sion Of that country under the plea Of mo
gratulate the Beers for retaining their own
liberty" Really, you know, there is no
| puzzle in that, and We will give A. G. w.
half dozen reasons, beginning with a
parable. In his article he shows himself a
typical Englishman. He therefore knows his
Bible and will recollect that ''the Pharisee
stood and prayed thus with himself: God,
| I thank Thee that am OF as other men
are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers. or
even as this republican. Now, A. G. w.
tells us in two places in short letter that
| the Beers are ignorant. unprogressive, edu-
cation-hatirg, rot exactly Mormons, but
practicing matrimony and concubinage-
| therefore what? Evidently that the phar-
| isaical Englishman in South Africa has the
right to the Transvaal especially as IL
contains gold mines). So also another En-
| glish1nan. writing in the Nineteenth Gen.
| tury magazine a few weeks ago, gave us
page after page, showing that the govern
ment of Venezuela and the newspapers OF
the United States were bad, from an En-
glish point of view; therefore 1t is virtuous
| and necessary for Great Britain to seize
all territory that she dares to lay hands
on particularly II 1t contains gold nlines).
Americans might say that they ought to
sympathize with the Boer government be-
cause it is a republic, but the average En-
| glishman would consider that g. crime In
| itself. We might also suggest that the
English have twice already driven the Beers
away from their lands and homes, but A.
g. w. might reply that those We're good
deeds in 1886 and 1913, and therefore better
still now. Possibly the world at large
| sympathizes with the Beers because
| the English in the Transvaal don't
| really care a pin for representation, but
they dearly covet their neighbors' gold
| mines and lands, and invariably go for
them" whenever and wherever they think
| the owners can't defend themselves OF
| have no friends. In this instance. the cry
| Of mo taxation without representation
seems to be a pharisaical dodge; still, we
are willing to give the devil his due, and
as the English take everything within
reach and have already annexed several
American doctrines (e.g, the abandonment
| Of the right of search. submission to arbi-
| tration, etc), 1t is possible that they are
about to adopt another. We congratulate
and will look out for fun when it is intro
| duced into India and the ballot is granted
| to Hindoos. or into Burmah, or into South
Africa, and the blacks shall outvote all in.
| truders.
A. G. W. states that the Uitlanders were
'unsuccessful because Great Britain or.
| dered its citizens not to participate in thai
rebellion" We thought from the papers
graph wires and disobeyed orders through
| other channels, were unsuccessful because
| the Beers showed themselves as good fight
| ers In 1896 as they were in 1sSo-1ss1 against
| A. G. W. proceeds to suppose that the
| British colonists in South Africa might
| throw of their allegiance to Great Britain
because df he will permit me to cor
| rect him) the freebooter not being sue
cessful this time, Great Britain could no
| recognize them yet, ard he says "Yol
would doubtless pass resolution congrat
| ulating them, too" We would. indeed, wiz
| the greatest of pleasure. A. G. w. con
| tinues: IF as a free and Independent re
public, they proceeded to right the wrongs
| of their compatriots in the Transvaal
which side would you congratulate them
| Why, bless his heart! That would be 6
| family quarrel between two republics; We
will wait until 1t happens, and then make
them submit to arbitration, Of course. with
| no kings. queens or knaves on the board
and congratulate them both. F. G. NJ.