New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-30
TSSTES ~ SOUTH AFRICA.

The communication Of the sentences OF the Out
lander leaders In the Transvaal Is cause for re-
joclng II will bring grateful relief to many
anxious hearts and will reassure the civilized
world against the preparation OF an act OF mon
strous cruelty under the gu!se ~ justice. At the
same time this act Of the Boer Government must
not be mlsintcrprcted. II would be folly to re-
gard It as a bit OF mercy or clcmency. II was
doubtless the mere execution of bargain made
beforehand with the prisoners, or with the Brit
ish Government. The Beers might have had
much difficulty in convctng the prisoners had
they proceeded with the trial. and the business
Of the courts findings might have been called
into question by the British Government By
getting the men to plead guilty the Beers got rid
OF all such trouble There can now be no dis
putting the conduct Of the court The Boer case
cavll II now the Transvaal Government con-
fscates n few million dollars OF the property Of
these men no one can question its right to do
so. Have not the men confessed themselves
deserving OF even more severe penalties? 1t Is
a shrcwd move on the part OF Paul KRUGER. 1t
will vastly increase this years revenue OF the
Transvaal State, and. correspondence will In
crease the Presidents already handsome salary,
which Is based on n percentage OF the public
revenue.
No doubt the five prisoners are thus worth
more alive than dead. There Is reason to be-
lleve, however. that in the end the Beers will
find they are playing losing game. Confisca-
ton OF Outlanders property will I'LL the Pre-
torla treasury this year. But how about the
future? There Is fable Of man who killed
goose which had been laying golden eggs. The
statesmen of the Transvaal will do we'll to take
It's moral much TO heart. 1t was the develop
ment OF the Rand mines that saved the Trans
vaal from bankruptcy and made 1t the pros
porous State II IT, To imprison and exile the
men who developed those mines and to cOntis-
cate their property may be quite legal. But as
s,lredy It will prove the severcst blow that could
be struck at the prosperity OF the Republic. So
far as the material welfare Of the Transvaal
Is concerned, Johannesburg Is worth hundred
Prctorias We shall see how the latter fares
after the former is destroyed.
Moreover, there are other and greater Ques-
tions to be settled than the fate OF the Outlander
leaders The Outander followers. scores Of
thousands Of them. are still there. and they
have not relnquished their demand for civil
rights. The suzerainty Of Great Britain is still
there, too. and there are no Indications that 1t Is
10 be abrogated. Whatever bargain there was
concerning these five prisoners, 1t did not in
cude the freeing Of the Transvaal from British
control The work Of strengthening the Brit
ish forces in South Africa goes swiftly on. So
does that Of strengthening the defences of the
Transvaal, and Of smuggling in arms and men
from Germany for the Transvaal army. These
preparations on both sides mean something.
They point surely to an impending conflict. which
shall decide the proprietorship not merely OF
the Rand, but Of the whole Republic, and the
fate not Of five men. but Of the Boer Govern
mont