The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-10-20
THE WAR
Between The British and the Beers
In the Transvaa1.

Inc Dutcn or HOllander6 1Ounueu
colony at the Cape of Good Hope, the
southern point of Africa, in 1852.
About that time Holland ''swept the |
seas" The defendants of those Hol- |
landers are the Beers of the Transvaal
and of the Free State, south of it, and
of Bechuana land, west of the Trans
vaal, who are now making war upon
the forces Of England.
In 1906, : the English captured the
country occupied by the Hollanders in
South Africa, and in 1915, they were
formally ceded to England. Their
northern boundary was indefinite, as
the land was occupied by savages.
The Hollanders were restive under
the transfer to England and have given
her trouble a number Of times. They
are now called "Boers" pronounced
"Burs') or farmers. The country has
remained British colony since its
cession by Holland, in 1915.
1.-THE country north of Cape Colony, is
divided up into small states, towit, the
Orange Free State, Zulu, Natal, Bech-
uana, and the Transvaal.
These states were founded by the
Boers, who tried to get out from under
English dominion by moving north into
part Of the country'till then unsettled.
But England claimed them still as her
subiects, and at different times set up
local state or colonial governments over
them.
i In 1852, Great Britain acknowledged
the independence of the Transvaal
Beers, and in 1853, that Of the Free
State, south OF the Transvaal. In 1881,
after war with Great Britain, the
Beers were again accorded self-govern'
ment, subject to the suzerainty of Queen
Victoria, Grrat Britain to control their
: foreign relations. In addition, by the
settlement of 1884, specific agreement
was made as to Great Britain's regu'
} lating the control of the Transvaal Gov.
ernment towards British subjects.
, Thus England's claim that she has 9
r right to interfere in the Transvaal al
: fairs is founded on the right she OBJ
tanned to govern all that territory, by
cession from Holland, by the actual ex
ercise Of that right for centuries, by
tho acknowledged suzerainty OF the
!, Queen, and by the specified agreemen
that she should have the right 60 con
troll the government of the Transvaa
of British subjects in the Transvaal
" All this places the Transvaal IL
much the same relation to England
that Sonth Carolina was to our govern
: ment, when she attempted to seced
b from the United States.
England claims the right to inter
fere, now in accordance with the agree
~ lment of 1884, because the Transvaa
government has grievously oppresse'
her subjects who have gone into tina
,Icountry. They now outnumber tn
. Beers, and are majority in the Trans
vaal. They are spoken of by the Boer
as "Uitlanders'' or outsiders. Al
: though they are majority, and are tn
enterprising part of the people, they ar
denied the right of suffrage, and ar
compelled to pay nearly all the tax
which is, very oppressive-amountin
to an average of s125 per head, per ar
y mum. They appealed to the Transvaa
Government for redress of their griey
~ ances, but nothing was done to reliev
them. They attempted revolution
70 few years ago, as our fathers did agains
% King George, protesting against taxa
. tion without representation, but wer
overpowered by the Beers. Their OF
preston has been severe in many re
spects, and England interferes now il
y their behalf, in accordance with he
. right as the supreme authority in tn
land, and in behalf of her subjects, a
she has a right under the agreement Q
20 1884.
~ Finally, England interferes as she di
- in Crete and in Syria, against the Nc
hametans, and as the United States di
r in Cuba, in the name of humanity.
el The Beers stand in the way of prog
r ress in South Africa and belong to tn
# civilization of 200 years ago, making n
,e progress themselves and refusing t
permit others to do so. England woul
d civilize Africa and open the continen
Il to the crowded millions of Europe, b.
q running railroad from Egypt to tn
Cape, and the Beers by their opposition
to progress, stand in the way. Her e1
/ forts, therefore to secure liberal cess
% ion of rights to her subjects in tn
r Transvaal, have been on the same line
is as the action of our government in de
i claring war for independence in 177f
/ in maintaining our national right G
q government of the South, in 1861 an
l. for freeing Cuba, in the late Spanisl
D. war.
l. Under these conditions the Beers hav
declared war, and they are not there
fore entitled to the sympathy of the lit
erty-loving people anywhere, as we a
first thought they were, but the success
of England is certainly to be desired.
HOPEWELL.