The progressive farmer., 1899-11-07
The SOUTH AFRICAN WAR.


THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR.
The war between the Beers (Qrc'
nouncad "Boors'O and the British in
the Syuth African Republic or Trans
vasI is being vigorously prosecuted. The
symoathiee of The Progressive Former,
we will say in passing, are with the
Beers. They are a pe2c cable, God fear
ing liberty loving people who ask only
the privilege OF managing their IN
affairs. And while he may play little
part in nineteenth CENTURY progr> IS, "
the humble B )er, loving his home, his
country and justice. is doubtless doing
as much for the general bet5ermsaG OF
humanity as the ambitious and covet
GUS Engliaman who would sacrifice
right and honor for the gold mines of
the Transvaal. At first glance, of
course, it seems uojust that the Brit
ish foreigners, or Usglanders, who, it ia
said, pay most of the taxes, have no
voice Ia the expenditure OF these taxes
or the selection OF Legislators. BIT
when we consider that they reliDquish
the right to q voice in the government
of the Trausvaal merely because they
refuse to renounce allegiance to Great
Britain, the seeming inj Istlce fades
away. The United States taxes the
British foreigner, but until he takes the
oath of allegiance to the United States
and becomes an American citizen, we
allow him NJ voice In the selection OF
our officers or the expenditure Of our
government fun5s Does anyone say
this is uujJst9 II not " Ist for us to
deny the right Of suffrage co those who
refuse to forswear allegiance to Great
Britain, by what reasoning doss the
sama act on the part of the Transvaal
Republic become unjIst9 Again, the
Boers frat settled the country aud
they founded the government. The
British came later and we confess our
inability to see tne Justice Of their de
mRnd to be allo we'd to manage the
Transvaal Republic batore giving some
evidence of their loyalty to it. Aud
that they are not loyal to it ia shown
by the fact thai Iess than elk years ago
a maj 9rity of thsm joined in a Gun
ming, wicked, but iltstarred, plot to
overthrow the Transvaal & )verument
and put the country into the hands of
the British
As for the progress o. thu war: des-
perate battle was fought near Lady.
smith last week, in Whi;h the Beers
woD a brilliant victory, capturing
nearly two thousand English soldiers,
forty two officers aud some military
stores.
The English people are still wonder.
ing how it happened, and to say that
they are SUI pri3ed at the courage aud
enterprise of the B )ers is to put it
mildly. But the B Ders, while not so
well trained as the British, are
fighting with the stubborn courage of
those who feel the justics of their
cause and real.zl that the last desper
ate struggle is on.
But while the first battles have re
6AAEou largely III D JcE NlCgJEl0Sy III LLl0
end, we suppose, England will win,
This, the British sympa.h z3rs tell us,
means the victory of progress and civ
iliEation If tho dollar is the emblem
of civilization and progress, this may
be so; il plain manhood is a better
SYMBOL Of civilization, then we gee no
victory for Is in the defeat of the Beers.
All our readers have heard of the
great meteoric showers OF November
I3 n, 1888 ana Nov Il il. 1866 There
meteOric showers occur regularly
every 80 years and the star gazer who
keeps his eyes open between midnight
and day, November 14jh, Is h OF 16 d
will doubtless be rewarded by the ap-
pearsnce Of a magnificent spectacle
which can be seen but thrice in a cen
tury. Better lose a few hours sleep
than miss it. The shower Of 1866 was
small here but heavy in Europe and
Asia; this year, this will 0s the favored
continent Many old people yet re
member Nov 18Th, 1888 as 1.-THE night
the stars fell" TnIs years display
WIZ probably equal the display Of that
year.