The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-22

These different elements In the population be-
coming blended by intermauiagc and by joint
occupation Of the country, renowned the old
European Netherlands Already In the second
generation tho inhabitants all spoke the same
language and as the northward expansion Of the
settlements proceeded. the sons OF the soil became
more and moro accustomed 10 regard the new
country as their natural inheritance, and 10 de-
fend their rights and interests against the auto
cratic administrative zeal Of tho officials For
long time however, there was no true South Afn-
can national party Up to the last lustrum OF tho
eighteenth century there was no political move
ment in favor of separation from the0nother ooun-
try
Up TO tho time OF the Governorship Of Willem
ADRIAN van der Stell only the southern coast
region had been colonized. The frontiers OF the
colony did not then extend further inland than
the mountain pass u the north Of the valley. which
was called Wagenmakers Wallet (now yelling
tom. When. in 1900 Van der Stell, as repro
sentative Of the Dutch East India Company, estao-
lished the first settlement of graZiers and catuo
farmers among the Tulbagh Mountains, he was
unconsciously laying the first foundation OF 'ho
republic The colonists OF the coast region had
already originated the party OF reform Inc
karroos. az the plateaux beyond the first or most
plain byond the northern terrace were the cradles
OF SoIth African independence Emerging from
the rulbagh Pass on TO the rst terrace OF the up
Ian Is the sons Of the Dutch and Huguenot pio-
neers found vast new world. stretching lar into
tho limitless north before them. Tho southern
mountain buttress with its wild ravines and giant
peaks now divided them from the coast region
The pure and bracing air Of the uplnnds invigo-
rated their frames The antelopes and other game
al latn NJ
forded them incessant opportunities of acquiring
the unerring skill in the Of firearms which was
eventually to make the South African frontiers
men famous all over the world Their wants were
few Their dwellings, well as their habits OF
life were primitive As they lived almost con
tnuay in the open air and In the Saddle and far
removed from any centre OF CIVILIZATION they
never had the opportunity TO acquire any OF the
Knowledge which is derived from books and from
study. Nevertheless, their Judgment was sound,
and they always showed themselves eager enough
to get such information they could procure con-
corning the history and the social conditions Of
the outside world They readily adapted them
selves to their surroundings so that they soon
came passionatey to love the Wild. free life of tho
desert and to despise wealth and luxury. As
they went further and further northward and
northeastward explored new regions and climbed
terrace after terrace Of the gradually ascending
interior tableland they took with them their women
and children their horses. their long barrelled
iintlocked muskes and their family Biblca
Toward the end Of the eighteenth century. whom
the upland districts Of Swellendam and Graah
Renet had been coonized by these hardy pioneers,
another generation Of frontiersmen had grown
up They were as rough, uncultured and un-
lcttered as their fathers had been before them for
,hoy were as nomadic and pastoral In their
habits They were actuated by the same love OF
liberty. As their fathers had had to fight against
the beasts of prey and against the Bushmen, 80
had they to contend against wild animals and 70
defend themselves against the Kattirs on their
eastern frontier. Their fathers had taught them
TO hate the imported officials and the taxes levied
by the bureaucratic Government OF Cape Town
In their campaigns ag ainst the Bushmen and
KafIlrs they had learned self-reliance and had
come TO trust to their own methods OF fighting
against the savages They had confidence In
their own leaders the frontier commandants
They could not help noticing that many OF the
great Government functonaries were entirely in
experienced in warfare with tho natives The
Governments native policy. ALSO had become
weak and vacatng Now, strong native
policy was part OF the fronuersmans creed. To
him the supremacy OF the white race meant self
preservation. When, accordingly, in l795, the
Government officials were elected and republics
the watchwords OF the frontier leaders who had
succeeded in forming the first real national party
were: South Africa a White Mans Country; No
More Chartered East India Company's Rule; No
More Government in the Interests Of Foreign Mer-
chants
Ills an interesting historical coincidence that
| while the nationalsts of Swellendam and CRAFT
Reinet were turning out the officials Of the Dutch
East India Company, the patriot party In Holland
were driving the Stakeholder and his English
allies out Of the country, and proclaiming the
Batavian Republic. The inhabitants OF Cape
Town and the western part OF the colony, then
known as the districts Of The Cape and Stellen-
bosch, did not take part in the revolutionary
movement but remained faithful TO tho officials
The same year N795) saw them and all SCUM
Africa sold 10 the English by the colonial au-
thorities Then the republics OF Swellendam
and CRAFT Rcinct had also TO submit SUD
seauently, on the restoration OF tho Cape Colony
to the Batavian Republic after the Peace OF Amlens
the frontier districts remained quiet and con-
tented; for their former grievances had disappeared
and the Dutch Chartered Company's misruio
was over. The officials Of the Batavian Repub-
lie were able and competent men; their native
policy also was calculated TO satisfy the people
of the frontier districts When in 1905 the Cape
was again captured by the English, all the colon
lists, including those OF the western agricultural
districts, well the graziers and cattle farmers
of the frontiers and the East, felt sorrow at the
change of government Tho first enactments
however of the British officials, especially those
Of Gen. Craig. were wise and statesmanlike
measures tending to reconcile the inhabitants
to tho new state Of affairs and to mako tho people
feel the loss of their nationality little as was
possible under the circumstances But many
of the first British prociamations contained prom
ises which were never fulfilled Subsequently
came various unpopular laws and administrative
acts quito unsuited TO the condi tons Of the set-
Elements In particular, Sir John Cradocks
alteration of the law with regard to the tenure
Of land was a measure which soon was looked
upon as iniicting great hardship and injustice
on the poorer class of farmers These. the less
afluent among the colonists lived on the from
tiers chiefly in various parts of the old Dutch
district of CRAFT Rcnet II here that tho