New-York tribune., 1899-12-30
VIEWS OF THE BOER WAR.

We in daily receipt OF letters from readers
of The Tribune and from some who 90 not aP'
near 70 be readers, or AZ least not carelu reau-
ore ~ The Tribune commenting upon the
south African war and The Trbunc's attitude
tovard It. A few OF these fairly representa-
five we publish from time TO time. Inc pu'N Va
theu, must necessarily remain unpuhlished. we
should like TO print all the commendatory thhES
that are said OF The 'rrbunes editorlhl htituue
and of its news enterprise, andwe should ike also
to give full public hearing to all VINO nave c'''-
c,sre IN make thereon. But newspaper forms
orn NOT elastic. Twelve columns OF matter VIII
moi 90 into six columns OF space. Ana the hrS'
duty of n papcr Is to give the news. AFTER thal
,s done I'm these piping times, the room LEFT for
lottors to the Editor Is much smaller than the
Editor himself. as well as his correspondents
might wish. our fricnds-and critics. too VINO
arc sometimes the best OF friends should there
Zorro not feel acgricvcd at the non-appearancc IN
rr,rt NJ their letters Their complaint on mat
score ~ they do make any. lies not against the
manor but against that law OF natural phiioso-
nhv which forbids two bodies to occupy the
same space at the same time.
4 fev of these rejected addresses may. how
ovor we'll be considered in a general ana iinper-
eonol way Here is one from correspondent
I'm Chicago, who begins by saying that ne mas
boen n purchaser and reader OF Tie lrlpuhe
since the first number, and then proceeds 10
make the extraordinary complaint tmt we
"nrint mage after page laudatory and justlfylhg
"oo IN the British contention, but not word as
| "to TINT az the Boer" We fear our friend mas
| hoon q careless reader. Otherwise ne could not
| have failed to find in our columns WITHIN the
loet fov weeks or months a multitude of letters,
| d,s,otchos interviews and other articles pre-
sontino the Bocr side OF the controversy with
| oroot fitness TO 90 no further afeld we may
| recall numerous letters TO the Editor, some OF
tbcm Of great length and conspicuously placed
| nresenting the Boer case and some OF them CRIT
| icisinc The Tribune In terms more forciDe IMAM
| ccurtoous. review OF book written and pub
| uehod I'm behalf Of the Beers far longer than
| any review Of any book on the British slde' anu
| q Iotter Of great length and detail, printed on
| orr editorial mage from one OF the most prOml-
| mont members Of the Government OF one or the
| Rocr States, whose identity we concealed NJ MS
| own request. but whose name, II revealed,
| would he recognized all over the world as that
| of one of the three or four men best quallhcd 10
| snoak for the Beers. With such facts OF record
| before us and him we must reckon that our cor
| resnondent and some others who write In SINH
| lor tone do The Tribune injustice In saying II
has not fairly presented the Bocr side OF the
| case.
| There are others who complain, not that we
are unjust 10 the Beers, but that we are friendly
| 70 England and do not hesitate to Intimate, even
n saw outright, that 1t is the bounden duty OF
every true American to oppose England at all
times and on all grounds. We cannot regard
their point rs well made. Devotion TO ones own
land does not necessarily involve hatred OF any
| other Such critics are, we think, suff1ciently
answered I'm the words Of a correspondent who
referring TO one OF them, recently said that IF
"England were to declare war on His Satanic
"Naiesty Mr. would be In entire sympathy
"vith the latter and would charge that England
"only wanted to grab his valuable sulphur mines
"in Hadesw recent speaker on the other side
referring to the same sort Of critics OF Great
Rritain, similarly said: "Why, II the devil were
"to plant his standard in Middlesex and send an
"army TO sack London they would cry, Three
"cbeers for the Grand Old Devil! 'Hurrah fol
"our high souled leader, the Father OF Lies!
, | Nor do these retorts seem extravagant when W.
remember how these very critics Of England
. and, incidentally. Of The Trbune-exulted II
the death Of Gordon and applauded the Mahd
and the Khallfa and publicly wished them sue
cess In their careers Of unmentionable infamy