Union gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1899-1900, 1899-11-03
THE CAUSE OF IT ALL.

A correspondent asks for an out
line of the causes which led up to
conflict between the English and
the Beers, unbiased and to the
point. The following from a re-
cent issue of the St. Louis Globe
Democrat, is the most concise and
reliable summary Of the situation
that we have seen in print:
AS the world we'll knows, there
has been constant friction between
the Beers and the English TO-;
many years. The recent develop
ment of Africa has made it more
acute and the war at hand must de-
eide whether South Africa is to be
composed of small independent
states, possibly confederated, or
must accept the preponderant in
fuence of the British Empire. Be-
yond doubt England would be will
ing to give South Africa the status
of Canada or Australia, but to ac-
cept this would be regarded by the
Beers as the surrender of national
existence. Historically, the rela-
tons of the Beers and the British
have been unusually complex.
Many years ago, before the colony
of Natal was annexed by Great
Britain, the Beers migrated to the
wilderness and set up for them
selves. Great Britain acknowl-
edged their independence in 1852,
but annexed them in 1877, & pro-
ceeding the Beers resisted with
arms and with partial success. In
1884 the British Government ac-
knowledged the right Of the Trans
vaal Republic to govern itself in
everything except its treaties with
foreign powers. The situation was
disturbed by new train of events.
The great discovery of gold in the
Witwaterstrand, Boer territory,
caused a heavy immigration of
white men, chiefly British, called by
the Beers "Uitlanders." But for
this unexpected access of popula-
tion, and the question relating to it
politically, there would be no war
at this time, though probably it
would have come later, for their is
little congeniality between Boer and
Briton.
Hostilities have not been caused
by any question about foreign
treaties. The British contend that
they are simply protecting the
rights of British citizens oppressed
by Boer laws and exceptionally
heavy disabilities. The Boer legis-
lature is a close corporation. In
the upper house members, are
chosen exclusively by the families
of original settlers. The lower
chamber is elected by qualified
voters, but no Uitlander can vote
unless 80 years old, Protestant,
a resident of the republic for a
long term Of years, a naturalized
citizen and an owner of landed
property. The voting qualifca-
tions in 1891 were varied so that
the consent of the burghers in a
ward was necessary. Plainly, the
Beers have aimed to exclude new
voters. The gold mines are taxed
d per cent, but the miners have
been practically shut out Of the
legislature. In recent negotiations
the Beers offered to modify the
qualifications of voters, but boldly
coupled this with the demand that
that there should be no further
claim of British suzerainty To
all appearance this is claim of
complete national independence.
The Beers have gone to war to end
all British authority for themselves
and for other Afrikanders who will
join with them to make South
Africa Boer instead of British.
In the larger sense this is the
question at stake. At the end of
the present struggle British author
ity will be supreme over South
Africa or the Afrikanders will con-
troll it through a confederation
speaking the Dutch language and
asserting a distinct sovereignty in
the company of nations. So far as
oppression is concerned the Uit-
landers assert that they are the
only sufferers. 1t is perhaps un-
fortunate for the Beers that they
once .stormed a British position,
taking it brilliantly and killing
several hundred of its defenders.
They are imprudent to measure
their prowess by that one battle. |
But in any case the war they have
entered into will decide the ques-|
tion of suzerainty, which is at best |
an indistinct and unsatisfactory |
word. The Beers have undertaken
to discard it altogether, and the |
only way to do it is to fight. But