New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-26
"SLrM PET" TELLS THE TRUTH

General Joubert as we have hitherto fire.
ouently remarked, Is one of the worthiest fg-
ures I'm the whole Transvaal oligarchy. He Is
brave soldier. sklful commander. clear
sighted statesman and an honest man. HIS
countrymen call him slim Pet" or "Sly Peter.
That is deserved tribute TO his shrewdness
but no reflection upon his integrity In the
present war he has conspicuOusly indicated his
right to the name for not in all the century has
any military leader more completely outwitted
the enemy than has he the British. Not even
the French in 1870 were quite so deceived by
the Germans, or rather. so much deceived them
selves. as the British army staff was deceived
al the beginning Of this campaign. And so far
as they were anything more than self-deceived,
II was "Slim Pet" who deceived them. That,
too, we may say without reflection upon his in
tegrity, for deception of the enemy is fair play
In the great game of war.
"Slim Plet' now tells us how he did 1t. In
letter to the Echo de Paris" he says frankly
that the Beers have for years-ever since the
Jameson raid-been secretly preparing for war.
"To arm ourselves unremittingly and 70 hide
"these ornaments from the Englsh-such was
"our object. we have fully succeeded therein.
I've often allowed secret English agents TO
penetrate into our arsenals. where there was
merely old artillery materiel, but we carefully
concealed our modern materiel of which they
"thus knew nothing until the very eve OF the
"war" Thus were the British trcked. as they
have since been tricked in the field. 1t was
clever work, akin TO that of Hannibal. and
Washington and DundOnald, and all great cap
tains who have eked out inferior strength with
superior and successful skill. OF truth "Sly
Peter is worthy of his name
In what predicament however, does this hon
est statement of an honest man place the pre-
fences Of those overzealous friends Of the
Boer States who would have us believe that the
latter were unprepared for war and industrious
Of it, and that all the aggression was on Great
Brltain's part? General Joubert's plain tale
and the corroborative events Of the last two
months show beyond all question that 1t was
the Transvaal that began armng and that
when Mr.. Kriiger resOrted to the diplomatic
ruse OF protesting against the sending OF Few
more British regiments to Natal the Transvaal
already had in trim for instant action, a force
many times rs large as that with which II was
"menaced" Instead. therefore, OF there having
been British aggression upon a couple Of peace
full pastoral communities, there was nothing but
n tardy British rising and arning TO meet n
great menace Of military aggression against
British colonies.
For. while "Sm PET" has told the truth he
has not told all the truth. He has not told us
the object Of the Beers in thus secretly and
formidably armng But Mr.. Reitz has done so,
I'm plain talk with Olive Schrener's brother,
and Mr. Kriger has done So in his ultmatum
TO Great Britain. and, indeed, the Boer govern
mcnts have done so still more recently. In their
"annexations'' of British territory. The object
was not defence but offence. II was not to
keen the British out Of the Boer States. but 10
drive the British ont Of Cape Colony and Natal
and all South Africa. 1t was, in the words OF
the founders Of the Afrikander Bond TO make
South Africa a Dutch confederation. In that
there was. of course no turpitude. The rights
of rebellion and conquest are "unalienable
rights" provided YOU have the strength TO en-
force them The Transvaal had the same right
TO take Natal and the Cape from Engand-if 1t
coud-that England had TO take them from the
Dutch century before The Cape Dutch had
the same right to rebel against Great Britain
that the Thirteen Colonies had in 1776. or the
Southern States against this Union in 1861
Only. it is to he regretted that "a decent re-
spect to the opinion Of mankind did not move
them to declare the causes when lmPel them
to the separation
BY all means let all points have Gen
eral Joubert's straightforward truth telling
cmulated: and whether we sympalhize with
Briton or with BOer. or remain unsympatheuc
in our impartalty, let our attitude he based on
focts not fancies Both parties TO this sad war
are TOO brave and manly to need the shelter of
the baby act.