Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-09-06

savage native tribes, who, despite all
the courage and fortitudc of the Beers
must finally have triumphcd over them
If they had been left single handed.
| And they paid and have paid and are
paying practically all the taxes. 1t is
estimated that IS per cent of all the
into the Golfers of the Boer government
is contributed by Uitlanders. The state
which they found nearly bankrupt has
now an accumulated surplus of some
SIS, 600, 900.
President Kruger's aim has been to
preserve the dominance of the Boer by
| jealousy reserving to the latter all the
rights of citizenship. Previously to
| that invasion the law allowed a Ut
lander to obtain full rights of citizen
| ship after a residence of five years.
Then the law was changed. n UT
lander, according to these new provis-
ions. must first renounce his allegiance
to any other country, and at the end of
eight or Is years the government. at its
option. might give him the franchise.
During those eight or - years he was
a man without country, and he might
remain man without a country to the
end. though residing in one TO which he
contributed 50 per cent. of the taxes, in
which his children had been born, and
which he had made his home.
| In the South African Republic. there
largest body in the state, the native
Kaffirs. has been deprived by conquest
of all rights; the next largest, the Tit
landers, comprising the wealth. the edu-
cation and the knowledge of affairs of
the white population, has been excluded
by law from the enjoyment of the rights
ity. possessing neither education nor
wealth nor knowledge of affairs, claims
|
But the denial of the suffrage is not the
only grievance of the Uitlander He
complains of unjust and oppressive
taxation, of the misuse of the proceeds
in corruption of the civil service. The
Boer has little reason to complain of
either abuse. The taxes by which the
treasury is filed are not levied upon
him. The many monopoies supported
by the government are likewise opprcs-
sive only to the Uitlander. The Boer,
for example, is never a miner, so he has
no use for dynamite. But to the Tit
lander miner it is the most essential
part of his supplies. \ single firm I'M
der governmental protection controls
this supply. Previous to the granting
of the monopoly this firm had offered
dynamite to miners at 40 shillings.
Now it exacts s. shillings. out of this
So shilIings only five shillings goes in
reduction of taxation, all the rest of
the profit to private individuals. Wors"
still, the monopoly was granted on con
dition that the explosive should be
manufactured exclusively in the Trans
vaal. 1t is not all manufactured there.
Much of it is of an inferior quality i'm
ported from Germany, placed in Afri-
can wrappers and sold as Indigenous. If
is frequently asserted that the acct
dental explosions which have been of
frequent occurrence in the Transvaal
are largely due to the inferior quality
of the imported article.
The governments method of protect
ing the Netherlands railroad forms an
other grievance. The charges for car
rying passengers and freight are right
ly complained of as eXorbitant
| In view of these facts it is not at all
surprising that England, whose sub
jects now constitute one-half of the to-
| tai white population of the South Afri-
can Republic, should have made an i'm
pcrative demand for such reforms as
7Ho'ii ~ """S "4e" 49, N->'0''"S = $50
cal condition of affairs The Beers
have endeavored to avoid the issue as
long as possible by pursuing a policy of
procrastination and evasion. The
point has now been reached where they
must either yield or fight. The whole
world will await the outcome with in
| terest.
The Boston Herald is anxious to
know the opinion of General Otis
which was given President Mckinley