The National tribune., 1896-01-09
AN ENTIRELY NEW PHASE.

combination of the British, Spaniards,
Germans, French, and Dutch against
our position on the Monroe Doctrine.
OF course if this were possible it would
make little difference. We would MAIN
tain the position just as unfiinchingly,
even against such a formidable array.
But suddenly there was grand trans
formation. To understand this brief
explanation is necessary.
Over 200 years ago the Dutch, then
the rulers of the sea, established an i'm
portant naval station at the Cape of Good
Hope. Thither migrated not only a
great many Dutch from Holland, but
large numbers of Huguenots, driven out
of France by the revocation of the Edict
of Nantes. They were very similar to
the first settlers in this country. They
went into cattle-raising and agriculture,
and became quite prosperous. During
tie Napoleonic wars, when the Neither
lands became part of the Napoleonic
Empire, England took the country, and
held on to it when peace was declared
in 1915. The " Beers" as they are gen.
orally called, refused to acknowledge
England's supremacy, and large num-
bers of them "trekked" out of the
country. That is, they loaded up their
wagons with their goods and chattels,
hitched several yoke of cattle to each,
and migrated across the Orange River,
which was the boundary line, and set
up a new Government, called Natal,"
and "Orange Free State" Presently
the English thought they would like to
annex these countries, which they did in
1912, after a little war, in which the
Beers were defeated blythe regular British
troops. Again the Beers trekked " out
of the country, going beyond the Vaal
River and setting up new Government.
called the Transvaal Republic, and now
known as the @South African Republic"
For a while the English let them remain
in peace, but the discoveries Of rich gold
mines excited the cupidity of the Eng
lish, and the fever for extending the
sphere of British influence in Africa
stirred up the diplomats. The Transvaal
occupies commanding position on the
Eastern Coast Of South Africa, directly
opposite the German seizure on the
Western Coast The Germans and the
Beers seemed to want to get together,
and if allowed to do so would control
the strip of territory clear across the
continent, and isolate the Cape of Good
Hope country from the British posses
sions in the interior of Africa. There
upon England declared a war against
the Beers, which lasted four years, and
in which they inflicted severe defeat
upon her at Majuba in 1881, where
they nearly annihilated the British
troops operating against them. They
are all skillful ri1emen, and it was Bun
ker Hill and New Orleans over again.
Germany and other European Nations
interfered, and England was obliged to
patch up peace in which she acknowl-
edged the independence Of the Orange
Free State and the South African Re-
public, but they admitted her suzerainty
in regard to their foreign relations, and
she secured her coveted pathway from
the Cape to the north in a large strip of
territory lying between the German
South Africa and the South African
Republic.
The last day of 1895 Dr. Jameson,
the Administrator Of the South African
Company, and who stands very high in
the Colonial Government of the Cape,
raised force of 500 men to march into
Transvaal, and overthrow the Boer
Government. The British authorities
made pretense Of disavowing the ex-
petition, and issued formal orders for
Jameson to return, which he calmly dis
regarded as he was expected to. Presi
dent Kruger, of the South African
Republic, was not TO be caught mapping
He called all the Beers TO arms, and
they promptly responded 1t was ex-
Al. 4,