New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-09-06
TRANSVAAL OFFICIALDOM.
AN INDICTMENT OF IT FRAMED BY AN
ANONYMOUS sATIRIsT - "PR1NSLoo
OF PRINsLOosDoRP." AND THE
IRONY 1T CONTAINS.

IRONY 1T CONTAINS.
sone one in South Africa who disapproVes ''ie
ways OF Transvsal oflcsldom. and mas 'ne VIZ
70 nerceive that there is nothing ike riui0" 80
the gradual discrediting Of an OBNOXIOUS STU"
ton has written satire calico rrii's''
rPrinsloosdorp" The name OF the au'noi -
published and this is >regrettaole' TOT inc
as whole must be admirable II we are ~ yuUe
from the excerpts printed In the Aohuo"
go" According to that journal the ann OF
Al. outhor "a IN show the world just wha' III
ordinary Boer official is like, "as exenp'i'ieo -.
his relations with Outanders Hoiiahoei' anu
Kafirs And in order 10 realize this ann '
treats the career OF an imaginary NoorueNhe
from Cane Colony Piet Prinsloo by naihe' "i'O
successively hC ids the posts or Lahooros' wv
Cornet and Mining Commissioner the hai
being nut In the mouth or PETS so"-
Sarel Erasmus. whose avowed OBJECT Is W o''".
nc ,ote fatber-in-laws memory from that cloud
OF scandal which had obscured his latter years
This nominally loyal narrative veiis OF coui''
a biting satire but the author taxes pains ~
"keen his countenance throughout with imper-
turbable gravity" says The Spectator nv
makes the supposittious son-in-Iaw oe""e HIS
attitude in his words. as follows
am aware that in telling the story as
,inderst God: indeed ] shall not he SURPRISED
I be accused Of doing the very thlhe ma
have complained Of in Others-naneIy, IeNe" 100
secrets of the career Of my father-lh-Idw ~ t
ieft untold But IL | should so err. IT VIII the
more surely assist me in my great OBJECT, Mi'aCT
ts TO show how the character or the lIdh9' o. o.
Afrikander has been Influenced for eVl by Inc
combined wickedness Of the EngIsh Oitia ,hti
and Observation-Disclosures the latter 'hAH
that the fair minded. opre2ht man VII pe oour d
10 confess that II Piet Prinsloo hau laul's ai
a
law, I admit he had many-yet they were hos
rart NJ his nature. but came from me seed "a
bad example. from temptation 10 when Nv m"a
not been used. and the smallness or the Sd'a''oS
Maid nv the Transvaal Government
Since l have lived among the Ultlanders Hiu
learned 10 know them. | have thoueh' Una.
our people made a great mistake In peihB KIM
70 them in those early days. for they nav
given us Beers a bad name. saying we are loVi-
ish and unlearncd which encouraged Tesh-
comes to rob us. custom they nave main
tained even 10 this day Despite the
hard things said of him. know that Pet
Prinslno was as good Colonial Boer as any man
could desire 10 be related to by marriage II
his faults were many 1t was because much
was made Of them by his enemies. 40
not wish Il to be thought approve or all the
conduct of Piet PrinsloO after he had attained
10 wealth for hold with those who say there
IL no excuse for a full man to steal his nelgh-
boris biltong l cannot forget that sreat
,Tnglishman named Lord Bacon did what Pet
Prinsloo was accused OF doing-he look money
70 give Judgment in favor of the briber. LORD
Bacon was a Chancellor. which is even higher
than a Landdrost. and much better paid yet ne
was not severely abused IN the papers rs
Piet PrinslOo has been.
The author gives a sketch Of Piets youth his
bringing UP on his fathers farm, his imperfect
schooling and so on. What the refusal Of thor
ough schooling did for Pet, who also once
played a scurvy trick his teacher, is thus
shown:
In the after days Piet often regretted that he
had done this thing, for. said he: Had been
able to cypher and read writing as the old
teacher wished. I should not have been YER
neuked (cheated) by so many Rooineks Eng-
lshmen)" He always believed that these visi-
tations came as a punishment for the accident
TO his teacher, and he taught his children always
TO treat their school teachers kindly. even II
they did not like them. He would often tell
them stories Of his youth, and strove hard to
make them honest. because it was more profit
able Once when he small kerel he went
with his father TO sell forage at a store twenty
four hours distant While his father bargained
the price. young Pet filled his pockets with tins
of sardnes But the storeman saw him. and
grew angry because PETS pa would not chas-
tise him as If he had been Kaffir. that he
would not buy the forage. Hans (the father
therefore had to trek six hours further. and on
the way the lightning struck the wagon and
killed four oxen. which shows the wickedness
and danger Of stealing even sardines. Pet often
told this story TO his children, with many others
Of a religious nature, and none Of his sons have
ever been imprisoned for theft
This high minded individua, marries and set
ties down in the Transvaal Katrina, his wife,
IS a helpmeet worth having. She wants him to
become Field Cornet, and argues:
What matters IT If the pay is small and uncer-
tain? Is it not a great thing to be able 10 call
out on commando men who have not been
friendly 10 you, and compel them to fight Kafirs
when they are afraid? And does not the Field
Cornet take charge Of the goods OF people who
die strangers in the land until their friends can
fOxt fch &c
is not a Field Cornet man that all desire TO be
friendly with lest he should make them obey the
law? And does he not receive presents from
those whom he excuses from serving
Katrina does her best to get her husband
post. but at first all efforts are fruitless In
the mean time says The Spectator" he secures
his position "by lending money in small sums
10 small parties, and while riding transport to
Kimberley brings off mastery coup at the
expense OF two Illicit diamond buyers rakes in
tIVOO by the sale OF the stones which fall into
MS hands. ana, being now capitalist and ex-
tmpt from serving on commando because OF
his loans TO the State he sits down quietly 10
develop his various schemes He did not
tight at Majuba, though he had volunteered for
service, because OF a dream that his mother was
sick; besides, the money he had lent the State
was still owing, and he would not fight for
dishonest Government that might be beaten
AS for the charge that he never fought for his
country, his son-in-law disposes Of II with great
spirit
Such critics do not seem to understand that
man may help his country in other ways than
ny bleeding, as. for instance as Pet did by
lending II money. II is true that during the
Zulu War he was in the service Of the English
against whom we then had no quarrel so there
could be no reproach. Even then he inflicted
INJURY upon them. He had contract TO supply
oxen and often has he told how he brought
cattle in by day, got paid for them. and then
'stampeded' them at night. only TO catch and
sell them again next day. Thus he spoiled the
Egyptians, who were so soon TO be our greatest
enemies.
but he is not always fortunate. He is YER