The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1899-11-04
BRITISH VERSUS BOERS.
A Resume of the Anomalous Situa-
ton in South Africa.

backward glance at history. The
area owned by Great Britain com
prises Cape Colony, Natal, Rhodesia,
Bechuanaland, and Zululand. The
Transvaal or South African republic
is bounded on the north, south and
west by one or more of these British
possessions, and on the east by Port
ugese East Africa and Zululand. It's
arer is 1919 square miles, trihe
larger than the state of Nevada. Its
present population is roughly estim-
ated at a million, of whom onl y about
100000 are whites, the rest being
chiefly Kaffirs. Barely third of the
whites are Beers, people of Dutch
descent.
There are some 10000 Germans,
10000 Americans, a few hundred
Russian Hebrews, scattering of al
most every nation and race, and
about 100000 people of British birth
or descent.
The Dutch, whose posterity are
the present Beers (Boer is Dutch for
farmer) made settlements on the
Cape of Good Hope in the 17th CEN
tury. The first English settlers joined
these early whites in 1895, the Brit
ish government conquered the terri
tory in 1905, and Cape Town became
definitely colony of the British
crown in 1914. English immigration
followed British sovereignty.
The first clash came over the slav-
cry question, Beers claiming a right
to enslave the native tribes, the Brit
ish contesting the alleged right. In
1884 emancipation was proclaimed
in the colony, which till then had
been peopled alike by British and
Dutch. What added to the Beers
grievance was that the slaveowners
among them received as compensat-
ion orders on London, which they
were compelled to cash on the spot
at ruinous rates. The great exodus,
or trek, of 1886 was the result, when
5000 Beers abandoned Cape Colony
and moved to the unknown interior
The bitter memory of their sufferings
from hunger and thirst, and from the
attacks of savage natives remain as a
legacy of hatred among their descen-
dants to this day. At the Orange
river the trekkers divided into two
parties, one of which founded the
Orange Free State, the other contin-
uing eastward, founded Natal. Both
states were conquered by the En-
glish. A majority of the Beers, once
more fleeing, crossed the river Vaal,
and intrenched themselves in their
present position in the Transvaal.
Here they established republic.
In 1S4S the gownet, a fundamental
law, was passed by special Volks-
rand, and it still remains the nominal
constitution of the country. But they
found themselves unable to cope with
the savage native. Yielding partly
to desire for protection, partly to a
show of British force, the Beers con-
sented to annexation to the British
empire in spite of the protest of Paul
Kruger and other sturdy young pat
riots.
But they fretted under British rule
and under the plea that Great Brit
ain had not performed her promises,
in 1880 they rose in rebellion, and
after the bloody victory of Majuba
hill, succeeded in again establishing
indepence, subject to the suzerain
ty of her Majesty" The treaty con
tanning these words was signed in
Pretoria, the capital of Transvaal, in
August of that year.
AS a natural result of the discove-
ry of gold, vast stream of immi
grants crossed the river into Trans
vaal. Whatever their nationality,
they were known to the Beers as
uitlanders or foreigners. AT first the
Beers welcomed the invasion, deem
ing that it would be only transient
inconvenience, leaving lasting bene-
fits, and some currency, behind. At
last the Randi valley was opened up
and it is waxing ever greater in
wealth, population and power.
The Boer cannot now Jump into
his wagon and trek to the desert.
Patriotic pride and reliuious faith