The Irish standard., 1899-09-23
The STRUGGLE IS OVER GOLD MINES
Tyranny Exercised by England
Over the Hindoos.
HYPOCRISY OF THE ANGLO=SAXONS
The Beers are Being Lied About
By the Invaders.

The struggle in the Transvaal be-
tween the English and the Bocrs is cs-
scntially one for the possession OF the
country. The English are grown ac-
customed to ruling others, often des-
politically, and not being ruled them
selves by alien races. The final result,
however deferred, cannot be doubtful.
Force will win, says the Springfield
(Mass.) Republican.
But the Bocrs undoubtedly are being
sadly misrcprescntcd, and even lied
about. by the English, who are practi-
cally incapable OF being entirely just to
people who happen to stand in the
way Of their aggrandizcment. Let us
consider few points for illustration
The English, who are all gold seekers
in the mines, charge that the Boer gov
ernment maintains Il dynamite monop-
oily So it does, and one reason for it is
that dynamite is high explosive that
could be used to overthrow the inde-
pcndence OF the Transvaal
AS for the monopoly side OF it, it is
somewhat absurd for the English to OBJ
ject on that score
Monopolies exist in countries that
claim the very highest civilization, and,
as the London Chronicle says, "even in
London absurd monopolies are main
tanned by the power OF directors in high
places, and taxation reform is asked for
in vain.' The mining spectators have
become millionaires out OF the Trans
vaal gold mines, and their profits con-
tinue, notwithstanding the dynamite
monopoly.
The English, too, sanctimoniously ac-
cuse the Boer government OF loosely ad-
ministering the liquor law, and they
loudly complain that the poor native
blacks are led into drunkenness. or
course, the liquor laws are very strictly
enforced in London; there is no drunk
enness, to be sure, in England, not
withstanding that the statistics prove
the English to be the greatest whisky
drinkers on earth.
This charge against the Beers is
really grotesquc when you recall the
hundreds OF tons Of gin exported for
the benefit OF the Central African blacks
by the British Royal Niger Company.
No one would deny that lax enforce
mcnt Of the liquor law by the Boer
government is a shame, but it might at
least be remembered that the main diff
iculty in enforcing it arises in the city
OF Johannesburg, where the English
and other outlandcrs live
The Beers themselves are not hard
drinking people.
The English also complain that the
liberty OF the press is intcrfcrcd with,
yet the Bocr tyranny merely goes so far
as to require that the name and address
Of responsible editor be registered
| They complain that the right OF pub
lie meeting is abridged, but that is be-
cause such meetings have been used for
scditious purposes.
They complain that educational
grants have been withheld from them,
while the truth is that grants have been
made subject only to devotion OF a cer-
tain length OF time, in the higher school
grades, to the study OF the Dutch
tongue. The Beers naturally want their
country to remain Dutch in language.
The Englisl, complain again, because
President Kruger has the power to cx-
pei arbitrarily any alien from the coun-
try, yet that power has never been ex-
erciscd by him but once, and that was
to expcl foreigner who had shot a
Johannesburg millionaire.
1t has been stated in the American
press, which gets its information almost
wholly through biased English sources,
that Johannesburg is wretchcdly gov
erned and is dangerous to the health OF
its inhabitants.
Yet in recent summary OF outlander
grievances printed by London news
paper there is no complaint of sanitary
defects, or of bad municipal govern
ment.
The real grievances of the English
are political.
AS a London imperialist paper says:
"What really matters, is the denial Of
ordinary political rights to the majority
Of the population" The franchise ques-
ton is one of the most difficult OF all,