The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-07
1T WILL BIZ HISTORIC
PRESIDENT sTEYN's PROCLAMA-
TTON TO THE BURGHERs OF THE
ORANGE FREE STATE
WANT DIAMONDS AND GOLD

BritOns Have Forced War Upon
the Sister Republic, and Urges
His People to Take Up Arms and
Fight Against the InvadOr-Re-
mnrkabIe Document Made Public.
NEW YORK, Nov. 6.-The consul gem
eral of the Orange Free State in this city
gave out today the text of President
Steyn's proclamation calling on the
Orange Free State Beers to support the
Transvaal. The proclamation reads as
follows:
The time which we had so much desired
20 avoid, the moment when we, as a ma
ton. are compelled with arms to oppose
injustice and shameless violence, is at
hand: Our sister republic to the north of
the VaaI river is about to be attacked by
an INSCRIPTIONS enemy, who for many
years mas prepared himself and sought
pretexts for the violence of which he is
now guilty, whose purpose 1t is to destroy
the existence of the Afrikander race.
With our sister republic we are not only
pound by ties Of blood, by sympathy and
py common interests. but by formal
treaty, which has been necessitated by
circumstances. This treaty demands Of
us that we assist her If she be unjustly
| attacked which we unfortunately for a
long time have had too much reason to
expect. We, therefore, cannot passiVely
look on while injustice is done her. and
while also our own dearly bought free
TO resist, trusting the Almighty firmly be-
! l1eying that He will never permit injustice
| and unrighteousness to triumph
Now that we thus resist a powerful
| enemy, with whom 1t has always been
! our highest desire to live in friendship.
Notwithstanding injustice and wrong
! n In M CT col
| ly declare In the presence of the AL
| mighty God that we are compelled thereto
| by the injustice done to our kinsmen, and
| by the consciousness that the end of their
! independence will make our existence as
an independent state of no significance.
and that their fate, if they should be
| Obliged to bend under an overwhelming
| power, will soon after be our fate.
TREATIES OF NO FORCE.
| Solemn treaties have not protected our
sister republic against annexation, against
| conspiracy, against the claim of an abol-
| 1shed suzera1nty, against continuous OBJ
| preston and interference, and. now.
again, a renewed attack which aims only
| at her downfall
Our own experiences in the past have
| also made it sufficiently clear to US that
we cannot rely upon the most solemn
| promises of Great Britain when she has
| at the helm government prepared to
trample on treaties. to look for feigned
pretexts for every violation of good faith
by her committed. This is proved among
other things by the unjust. unlawful Brit
ish intervention, after we had overcome
| an armed and barbarous black tribe on
| our eastern frontier. as also by the fore
! ible appropriation Of the dominion over
| part of our territory where the discovery
| of diamonds had caused the desire for
| this appropriation. although contrary to
| existing treaties. The desire and inten-
| ton to trample on our rights as an indie
| pendent and sovereign nation, notwlth-
standing q solemn convention existing be-
| tween this state and Great Britain, have
| also been more than once and are now
| again shown by the present government.
| by giving expressions in public documents
| to an unfounded claim Of paramountcy
over the whole of South Africa, and
! therefore also over this state.
| RULED BY OPPRESSION.
With regard to the South African re-
| public, Great Britain has refused until
| the present to allow her to regain her
original position in respect to foreign af-
! fairs, position which she had lost in no
sense by her own faults. The original in
| tention Of the conventions to which the
republic had consented, under oppression
| and pressure, had been perverted, end
British administration as a means for the
practice of tyranny and of injustice, and
among other things for the support Of a
| revolutionary propaganda within the re-
public in favor Of Great Britain.
And while no redress has been offered,
as justice demands, for injustice done to
| the South African republic on the part
| of the British government, and while no
| gratitude is exhibited for magnamln1ty
| shown at the request of the British gov
eminent to British subjects, who had for
| feited under the laws of this republic
| their lives and liberty, yet no sense Of
| shame has prevented the British govern
| ment, now that the gold mines of i'm
| menSe value have been discovered in the
| country, to make claims of the republic,
the consequence of which, If allowed
| fathers, have saved the country from
| barbarism, and have won 1t for civilization
| with their blood and their tears, will
n
| the country to which they are justly en-
| titled. according to Divine and human
| laws. The consequence Of these claims
would, moreover, be that the greater part
| of power would be placed in the hands of
| those who, foreigners by birth, enjoy the
chief treasure while they have never
| shown any loyalty to a foreign govern
/ ment.
| INDEPENDENCE IMPERILED.
| Besides the inevitable consequence of
| the acceptance Of these claims would be
| that the independence of the country as
| a self-goVerning, Independent sovereign
| republic would be irreparabIy lost. For
| years past British troops in great num-
! bers have been placed on the frontiers
| of our sister republic. in order to compel
| her by force to accede to the demands
which would be pressed upon her, and in
! order to encourage revolutionary disturb
| ances and the cunning plans of those
whose greed for gold is the cause of their
| shameless undertakings.
| Those plans have now reached their
climax in the open violence to which the
| present British government now resorts.
| While we readily acknowledge the hon
orable character of Englishmen who loath
such deeds Of robbery and wrong, we
cannot but abhor the shameless breaking
| of treaties, the fe1gned preteXt for trans
| gressions of law. the violation of tnterna-
| tional law and usages, and the numerous
| heartrending deeds Of British statesmen,
| who would now force war upon the
South African republic On their heads
be the guilt of blood, and may a just
| providence reward all as they deserve.
! Burghers of the Orange Free State.
rise as one man against the oppre--0T
and the violator of right.
| In the strife to which we are now
| driven have care to commit no deeds un-
| worthy of a Christian and a Burgher of
| the Orange Free State. Let us look for
ward with confidence to a fortunate end
| of this conflict trusting to that Higher
| Power, without whose help man and his
| weapons are of no avail. May He bless
| our arms. Under His banner we advance
! to battle for liberty and for fatherland
| M IT StaUOa