The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1899-09-20
ARTHUR ROPES. General Editor
A Beers Story Of Some Things in the
Transvaal.

"a Diplomat" Wrltlng luCluly III lne
North American Reuie,o of affairs in
the Transvaal, accounted for the lack
of a general understanding of the case OF
the Beers in South Africa by the nom
existence of Boer newspapers. The
English press has long been assiduous-
ly engaged in exploiting the English
view of peoples and conditions at the
Cape and in the regions to the north,
and the English judgment has naturally
become to a large extent the Judgment
of mankind.
The English side of the grievances
of the Outanders in the Transvaal in
the matter of the suffrage, the dyna'
mite and railway nonopolies, the pro-
hibition of instruction in English in
the schools, which constitute the prin-
cipal counts in the indictment of the
government of the South African Re-
public, has been so persistently and so
strenuously presented to the world the
majority of people who have taken any
interest at all in the matter had come to
believe that there was but one side to
the Transvaal controversy the En-
glish side. In the popular under
standing, the Boer was sort OF Dutch
Hottentot. He was raiser of flocks
and herds, but little above his "dull
driven cattle" in point of intelligence.
He came the nearest to being living
realization of that combination of man
and beast which is some times pre-
sented to represent mortal dullness,
dense ignorance and consequent con-
dition of standardization.
During the pending co troversy with
England the world is learning some
thing of the true history of the Beers
and the real place they occupy among
civilized and enlightened people. There
appeared in Boston this week the Rev.
d. G. j. Meiring of johannesburg, the
chief city of the Beers. Mr.. Meiring
is the Transvaal delegate from South
Africa to the Pan-Presbyterian ALI
ance conference to be held at Wash
ington, d. G., September 27. He was
the guest of Rev. DIR. Francis E. Clark,
president of the United Society of
Christian Endeavor. The reverend
gentlemen had become acquainted two
years ago while the latter was travel
ing in South Africa. Az the instance
of DIR. Clark the newspaper reporters
met the Rev. Mr.. Meiring and heard
his presentation of the Boer side of the
Transvaal question.
Mr.. Meiring recounted briefly the
story of the Dutch exodus from Cape
Colony into the African wilderness in
search of personal freedom and politi-
cal independence, which they found at
length across the river Vaal. Bring
ing the story down to the present issue
with Great Britain, and speaking of the
restrictions the Beers placed upon the
franchise after the discovery of gold
and the resultant rush Of the people Of
all nations to the Transvaal, Mr.. Meir-
ing said the laws relating to the fran
chse were made exclusive in order to
give time to these adventures to sell
tie down and take root in the country.
During the last few years the progress
sive party has constantly sought to
lower the qualifications for the fran
chise. Men of the rank of General
Joubert, the commander of the Boer
military forces, are among the progress
sives.
Mr.. Meiring admits that there are
matters in the administration of the
Transvaal that need correcting, as there
are in every other country. He says;
If you want an instance OF one of the pur.
est governments ON the face of the earth
you want to go to the neighborng republic
OF the Transvaal the Orange Free State
which proves that Boer government is
not essentially corrupt government. The
peculiar circumstances which have ariser
in the last dozen years in the Transvaa
must account for great part OF the abnor
affairs OF the country.
Time is better cure than war fol
these abnormal conditions" The
Transvaal was already moving for theil
reform when England began to inter
fere, and it may be that England wal
fearing that in their reform, internally
would disappear her most plausible pre-
text for interference from the out
side, and the consequent conversion O
the Transvaal into an English colony
Mr.. Meiring explains away the al
legged dynamite and transportation
monopolies which constitute counts il
the English indictment of the Doe
government. The education bugabo
goes up in smoke under Mr.. Mering'
exposition of the school system an,
unbool 10 uo Enoliah oohOolo ora rro