The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-01-09
THE TROUBLE WITH THE BoERs,

THE TROUBLE WITH THE BoERS
Great Britain has begun the new year
with a serious disturbance. this time In
the TranSvall. the home OF the Dutch
Beers. 1t seems to one who has by resi-
dence and observation in southern Africa
become acquainted with the origin Of
the present trouble. that people in this
country are ignorant OF and -unacduainted
with the facts in the case and the princi-
PIE Involved in the quarrel. The same dis
pute has been breaking out at intervals
for several years. 1t has grown out Of
a continued demand OF the British and
other foreign residents. on their WI be-
half. for political privileges including the
right OF suffrage. This the Beers have
stoutly resisted. especially the demand
for suffrage which they will not yield
unless the applicants are members Of the
Dutch Reformed church. which OF course,
in many cases, is an unsurmountable OBJ
stacle.
The situation OF these British. French
and American forely aers fo- they are
not all British nay be more clearly
realized by making 4 local application Of
It's conditions. And II must be borne in
mind that these men have been act
ing as individuals and not 5 repre-
sentatives OF the countries TO which they
belong. To affirm that the British foreign
office has been behind the Jameson
movement is an untruth. There are a
vast number Of foreigners in the United
States. Suppose that ougress or the
various states had made a rule to treat
them differently from American. born
citizens as to taxation. Suppose that
onerous taxes and lieSnse fees were spe-
cially levied upon them. while the axe
and imposts OF American-born citizens
we're made as light as possible. Sup
rose that they we're in every possible
way Disseminated against in a tyran-
meal and vexatious Suppose
that the foreigners engaged in mining,
merchandising and other forms OF labor
were made TO provide the bulk Of the
national or state revenues and at the
same time were denied suffrage and
representation. Would there not be a
disturbance at once? Would they not
''kick?"
To make it still worse the British rave
owned the Cape Colony fer a century,
and they have colonized and civilized It.
The sons and g~ranisons OF these colo
mixers who have settled and engaged
peaceably in busin ess enterprises in the
Boer territory outside British lines nave
been treated not only as aliens by the
Beers but as enemies and subjected TO
odious and unjust determinations. In
many places in the Transvaal country the
English and other foreign settlers are in
the majority, and pay by Ear the greater
part Of the taxes which support the Boer
government. They nave demanded that
the determinations shall be iaken away
and that they shall be treated 10y the
Boer government in the same manner
as the Beers themselves. As this de-
mand was refused and no redress was
offered them a small. body Of them re-
solved to force their claims with arms
and invaded the Boer territory, only to
be surrounded by overwhelming numbers
and driven back.
II must be borne in mind that the
British government is not setting up any
new boundary line in the '3oer territory
or making any claim. The dispute is
not between the British Cape Colony
and the Transvaal government, but be-
tween the latter and the immigrants who
have settled in the TransvaaL The act
Of Jameson and those who accompanied
him was one that ear claim no defense.
Technically 1t was wrong. foolish and
headstrong. In reality it was what any
other body Of men with Anglo-Saxon
blood in their veins would have lone Un-
der the same circumstances.