The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-07

er IMAM the rear OF death, are no indica-
| ton of the character of the men who
| fight for them. then, indeed have mis-
| understood the philosophy of history
AS a crisis in individual life is test of
| individual character so a crisis in ma
| tional life is test of national character.
| You tacitly recognized this when you de-
liberately picked out the revolutionary
period in New England for purposes Of
| comparison. When you shifted the
ground in the reply it was really an ac-
acknowledgement of the correctness of my
contention and of the cogency Of my pro-
test. and as such 1 accept it.
The end which nation strives for is the
index to it's character. The negation of
this proposition is an absurdity and if
true would vitiate the pertinency of your
argument and destroy the value of your
parallel.
Now the peculiar feature Of the ere
ply is the fact that it ignores the entire
argument of the protest and devotes itself
to irrelevant matters. 1t passes over in
silence the accusation that the Trans
Vaal government is one without consent OF
the governed and that it is based upon MI
nority rules and Is untitled for survival in
the race struggle for eXistence-in other
words, that 1t is republic in name only
and has none of the American political
principles which should reasonably enlist
our sympathies. Silence, on propositions
And in the question of taxation without
representation the charge is acknow-
edged and, strange as it appears in an
American newspaper. defended at length.
The only other point made in the ere
ply is the proposition that England has
no right to interfere in Transvaal at
fairs Before subjecting these two last
propositions to dispassionate analysis, let
us rapidly review the situation.
Before the discovery of gold in the
Transvaal the Beers were bankrupt finan-
cially and lived in political anarchy. When
not at war with England or the natives
they diverted themselves with civil war
and cutting each others throats. The
immense resources of the country were
left untouched and the civilization of the
Beers was only in a degree different from
that OF the natives they conquered and
slaughtered
With the discovery OF gold came the
tide of civilization that brought with it
brains intelligence, progress and wealth.
Engishmen and Americans took UP the
work where the ignorance and laziness of
the Boer had dropped it and transformed
the Transvaal from bankrupt pauper to
| a wealthy. prosperous state. And the men
who did the trail blazing of civilization
in Africa were the same kind of people
VINO made Montana state and redeemed
1t from savagery. If you condemn the
Outlanders, by a parity of reasoning you
must condemn the hardy pioneers of Mon
tana.
In spite Of political oppression the most
.yrannous and unjust, the Outlanders
thriyed and prospered until they consti-
tuted three-fourths of the population and
owned three-fourths of the wealth of the
country.
In other words. by a perfectly natural
social process the Transvaal became an
English colony in fact if not in name
n t11a mo nptf 10 II
dinal American doctrine, and without
qualification 1t cannot be denied that this
immense majority of Englishmen, who
have made the Transvaal what it is. had
right to dictate it's policy. To assert the
contrary is to deny the right of the ma
jority and to plead for oligarchic and au-
tocratic government.
The logic of events. the preponderance
OF English interests, population. wealth
and influence makes the Transvaal En-
glish de facto. A political paradox makes
1t Boer, DE jure. And universally the
bubble of law must give way to the logic
of fact either by peaceful assumption or
force. The Boer in his obstinate ignor-
ance has chosen force
But that is not ALL In their childish eff
forts to stem a universal sociological
force. the Beers have developed a me-
dieval military tyranny of the grossest
abuses. What shall we say of state
the Intelligence Of the country, in political
slavery; that gives three-fourths of the
property no voice in legislation; that de-
MES representation to those who pay
eight-tenths of the taxes; that makes cit
izenship practically unattainable; that
governs by corrupt assembly and an alb
horent system of military espionage: that
denies the majority of the population
school and sanitary facilities and bleeds
them at every turn with dynamite rail-
road and other monopolies; that gags
the press and forbids free speech and has
the right. without trial or appeal, to eS-
pei from the country any one it sees fit?
In addition to that, they We're forced to
pay six millions year to arm the Beers
against themselves. And still American
frugerites and Boer ympathizers call the
TranSvaal a republic.
1t is hardly necessary to answer the ar
gument for taxation without representa-
ton. That was conclusively settled at
Bunker Hill, Saratoga and Yorktown
Let us pass to the other point-the denial
OF the right of England TO interfere in
IransVaal affairs. The argument is based
ehtlrely upon international law and the
Interpretation of treaties. 1t places le-
gal bubble as an obstacle in the path of
ciVllizatlon and progress and answers an
appeal Tor simple justice with citation
Oh musty law. That is what Spain and
every authority on international law said
"hen we lnterfered in Cuba, whose inhab-
..ahts We're neither kith nor kin of ours.
Manila bay and Santiago were our an
swers, as it should be and always has
neen when law pleads for tyranny. But
now, because England answers an appeal
70 relieve practically English COLONY
from 1ntolerable despotsm, the sancfity
OF law must be observed in all it's beauti-
full simplicity.
But from another point of view let lis
LOOK at the Beers title to the Transvaal.
II consists OF armed brute force; the con-
quest and slaughter of the natives and if
holds good just so long as they can de-
fend 1t against superior force They GER
tainly have no kick coming if thew lose
their title by the same method thew won
1t, even If there were no other factors to
be taken into consideration.
Before bringing this rather long argyll
ment to an end, cannot let pass without
correction the statement that the Roers
pay the same pro rata taxation. That
is very cleverly worded and a careless
reader would get false impression from
it. Let us take one instance of this pro
rrt 10, I,,,,s,