New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-11-29
ASPECTS OF THE BOER WAR
A DISCUSSION BY NOTED WRITER'S N
THE NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW"


The North American Review for December
gives series OF six articles by well known writer's
and public men on The War in South Africa"
These are by the Right Hon. James Bryce. NJ P;
Karl Blind. Francis Charmes. Max Nordau. An
drew Carnegie and Demetrius c. Boulger.
James Bryce's contribution is entitled Historical
Causes of the War" After sketchng the course Of
colonization In South Africa since It's discovery in
1905. and the causes and results of the Great
Trek" he treats Of the immediate OF the
conflict. He says:
The Dutch accused the English Of desiring 10 ac-
quire he gold fields and blot out the two republics
The English accused the Dutch Of desiring 10 make
Connection. nor vere thev apnessed by the fact
That Dutch majority in the Legislative Assembly,
Of BY Prime Minister s h who ~ n sbe pneh
papy had s n 1898 gnanmogsy voted ed an annual
the British Empire
an M gho s rom 5G f fac
atmosphere Of South Africa, both accusations ap-
some among the English who did desire TO seize
the richest gold field in the world. and were work
were other Englishmen, far more numerous. who
longed 70 humble what they thought the arrogance
out Majuba Hill for the English in south Africa.
strange as It may seem. have never forgotten or
forgiven that petty reverse. But the great mass Of
colonial English were, wholly unaffected by the
ross And only MY dS affected by the 6u1 ag
pride Of the Dutch. 10 vindicate the supremacy OF
England In South Africa which they thought en-
dangered as well make the Outlanders pre-
It might have been expected that the questions
which would have arisen before Britain went to
var Tor the sake Of her subjects living in the
First-Were the grievances Of her subjects 50
serious was the behavior % the Transvaal Gov
evasive as 10 contribute proper ca s.ia bs7
oecond,Assuming that the grievances (Which
were, real. but in my opinion not so serious as
frequently alleCedl behavior
me lransyaal did amount 10 a casus helll, was il
in South Africa and the mischief to be 81 expected
from causing permanent disafection among the
Dutch population. and. consideration also. the high
probability that the existing system OF govern
ment IN the Transvaal would soon through the
action OF natural causes break, down and disap-
war at this particular moment?
ever IN fact g n mar OF Tbt hese ear wo t a
was the discussion Of another matter altogether,
which was admittedly not grievance for the re-
ana which therefore. could not possibly amount to
time which should espse before the new imr1i-
grants into the Transvaal could be admitted 10
the discretion Of The Transvaal Legislature. The
Beers made concessions, but the British govern
ment held these concessions insufficient. In the
course or this discussion the British Ministry used
language which led the Transvaal people to be-
Boer government N comply with their demands
and they followed up their dispatches by sending
fed this action BY pointing out Cand the event has
shown this 10 have been the facO that the British
tarsiS9n IN south africa was insufficient 10 de-
felt that II they remained quiet tin the British
not hope TO resist they would lose the only mill
tary advantage they possessed Accordingly, when
they knew that the Reserves were being called
out in England. and that army corps was to be
sent TO South Africa they declared war. having
or wrongly that the British government had re" re-
solved to coerce them. They were in a strait
expected from them. and indeed the only course
winch brave men who were not going to make any
1urther concessions could have taken.
And thus the question whether the grievances
amounted 70 casus belli never came UP at all
The only casus bell has been the conduct OF the
professed subject Of which in no sense a casus
bell scne have explained this by saying that a
quot or the two parties Is really. therefore. a
have been and ought 10 have been avoided and
that more skilful and tactfl diplomacy would
ns that when or came at f"y ne 2
showing that just cause for war according to the
usage Of civilized States. did in fact exist No one
however denies that the war. in which England
will Of course prevail Is terrible calamity for
relations OF Dutch and English there To some
Of us i appears calamity Tor England also since
II IS Hkeiy 10 ALLEVIATE prrbaps for generations TO
come. the bulk Of the white population in one OF
r most important self-soyernins colonies It
loss OF South Africa
Karl Blind in his article THE Transvaal War
and European Opinion" upholds the opinion that
AL Europe Is united IN condcmning the attack
made by the English Government upon the inde-
pendence Of the South African Republic in viola
ton OF the clearest treaty rights solemnly guaran-
teed in London I'm 1884" lie afrns that the tele-
gram which Emperor William sent TO KRUGER after
the defeat Of Jameson's raid was practically an
answer to message addressed to him by four
hundred Germans at Pretoria, who had offered
themselves 10 President Krige- volunteer
corps for the defence OF the republic They had
asked the Kaiser on the arrival OF the first news
about the raid whether he would not say a word
in favor Of the threatened Boer commonwealth.
Unfortunately. this single fact was suppressed.
Had IT been known. the wild though utterly unjust
outcry which arose in England would probably
have been less fierce Mr.. Blind continues:
II was Lord Derby himself who with his own
hand. struck out everything referring to suzerain-
tanned in the Blue Book The suzerainty
celled and crossed out by him With black lines In
In which II is mentioned He then offered what
he himself called "a treaty In substitution for
the convention Of Pretoria"
While the Queens suZeranty undoubtedly existed
between 1881 and 1884. a so-caled Resident"
appointed at Pretoria to represent the British
Office OF Resident abolished and consul ap-
pointed in his stead A Resident marks the coun-
lamentary Statutes, 90 and 50 Wet 1850. Chapter
g. the protected princes OF India are described as
their courts there is consequently British Resi-
dent.
But I'm the Transvaa State. when II
stored 10 It's old rank the South African Repub-
lie, the Resident was replaced by consul who
henceforth longer a representative OF A
suZerain protector. protectress. but who was on
the contrary himself to receive the protection OF
the republic" That restored indie pendent
monwealth consequently acknowledged by
this fact too a foreign Power. longer under
a suzerain Hence. Mr.. Chamberlain himself dur
ing the Jameson raid-that Is. evidently. when It's
defeat was already telegra phically known in Lon
don--declared the South African Republic IN n dis
patch TO be "a foreign State. foreign Power.
with which Her Majesty Is at peace and in treaty
relations
The treaty Of 1854 gives England no right what
ever TO interfere in the Internal affairs OF tho
South African Republic There is not word in
II about the right OF foreigners 10 claim equality
OF suffrage rights with the native Dutch inhabi-
tants. To obtain such rights foreigners have to
conform 10 the existing laws. These laws for OBJ
than those existing in England They only
made more restrictive-that is 70 say, a longer
term Of residence was fixed before a could be-