The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-10-18

Hour readers will take geography
and glance at a map OF the great Pen
insular of Africa, looking in the South
eastern portion, they will see the
scene of great and bloody war that
has just begun. Down there they
will see the Transvaal, or the South
African Republic. and the Orange Free
State, two little Republics, nestled
among Natal, Bechuanaland, and
other British possessions in South
and middle Africa. Transvaal and
the Orange Free State are indepen-
dent States, and have been Tor years,
having gained their independence by
fighting through many bloody con-
hicts with the British and African
negro natives. They are not crude
and savage countries, for the founda-
tons of their civilization were laid
several hundred years ago, many OF
their population being defendants OF
Hugenots, like tbose who make up
the best people OF our own lowerSouth
Carolina, but most of the people
of the Transvaal are actual emigrants
from Holland or defendants from the
Dutch, as are the best people Of the
State of New York today. The peo-
pie of the Transvaal are strikiDgly the
same now as were the people of New
York State many years ago, and
Washington Irving's description OF
the social life of New York State then
is peculiarly applicable to the inhabi-
tants of tie Transvaal today, COM
monty known as Beers. They are
frugal, honest, hard working people,
and have many fine cities, railroads,
and other evidences of progress, while
agriculture, stock laising, and gold
and diamond mining are their princi-
pal industries. The Congress of the
Transvaal is known as the Volksroad,
and the president of the republic is a
strong minded and stern old Dutch
man BY the name OF Kruger, who for
irmness is somewhat like Grover
Cleveland, while for Diplomacy and
legal acumen he is not little like
the late James G. Blaine. In addi-
ton to being president Of a progress
sive little republic, Kruger is man
and a statesman, and in President
Steyn of the Orange Free State he
has an ally whose friendship and pa
triotism is equal to that which dis
tinguished Lafayette when he es-
poused the cause OF another country
and another people, and assisted
George Washington in leading a
mighty people from under the bonds
of English tyranny.
England has provoked war between
herself and the Transvaal, and the
Orange Free State says that the
Transvaaps destiny is also her destiny,
and by her sister republic she will
also stand or fall. These two little
republics possess the richest gold
and diamond fields in the known
world, and England wants them.
England, wants absolute control of
all South Africa. OF course there
must be some other ostensible cause
for the dispute, so the rights of En-
glish emigrants and hafir emigrants
from English-India into the Trans
vaal are lugged into the quarrel, but
the real causes at the bottom OF
the trouble are England's greed for
gold mines and greed fot more terri
tory in South Africa, like our greed
for territory, is the real cause for our
present war in the Philippines
England has provoked the quarrel
by the conditions which she laid
down ard the massing of unreasona-
bic Numbers OF troops on the Trans
vaal Jorders, and thus forced the little
republic to issue an ultimatum which
England's refusing to accept means
war. England played the cowardly
part of forcing the Transvaal, if she
must retain the respect OF other ma
tions, to issue the ultimatum, and
then she refuses 10 accede to the
Transvaal's demands, and that means
war. It is only an exhibition OF the
strong expressing the weak simply
because she is able to do it, and
sober reflection upon the conditions
presented in this controversy, are
appalling to any sense Of patriotism
and justice. Hcstilities have already
begun, and England has despatched
$4,000 troops to South Africa under
Gen. Sir Redvers Butler, who is sad
TO be almost a Weyler and !7nose
hatred for the Beers is well known.