The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-06-26
Chances OF a War
in fhe TPdnSVaol

Editor Of The Tribune
Sir: Neither President Kruger nor the
| British government Is In the least In
I clined to go to war for all that the news
| papers say to tho contrary. The UT
| landcrs have grievances, but these are
| incomparaby insignificant TO the cal
| antilles which a war would bring upon
| South Africa. For all the practical pur-
poses Of their rural lives, the Beers may
| we'll regret the development of gold min
| ing on tho Raand. 1t has brought the
Boer government an immense revenue
| and the country Industrial development;
| but since the Jameson raid on the Trans
| vaal this money has been in great
| measure hypothccated in the purchase
| os arms and ammunition in strengthening
| tortifcations already existing, or in
building new ones and the Beers are not
an Industrial people. They are phleg-
! matte, agricultural race, not over clean
~ In their habits but deeply religious IN
| their puritanical way, brusque boorsh
! and inhospitable. The force of circum-
| stances made them warriors. but they
| have little or no knowledge of modern
] strategy They fight well because they
are stubborn in everything which they
undertake; they lure good marksmen. be-
| cause the configuration of their country
| the chase, national jealousy, and their
| ruthless determination of the natives
| that at one time or another threatened
| their existence, made them so. But thcy
| are no match for England and they are
| cognizant of it. They know, moreover,
| that a defeat would involve the annex
alton of their country, and a second ex-
| odus from the territory over which they
| once ruled is now impossible. There is
| no unclaimed country north, south, east
| or west of them. The Beers Will not
| tight, If they are not driven to bay; and
! II is impossible to suppose that Great
/ Irit aif CV,tn ft11iN
to redress the real or imaginary griev-
ances of the Uitlanders.
| o
What are their grievances? In the
| first place, the Uitlanders complain, and
| as far as it is honestly conceived, justly,
| that they pay enormous sums in taxa
| tion, and that they have acquired neither
national nor municipal representation.
But is this really a grievance that has
| any foundation? 1t Is more difficult for
| n British subject to become a citizen of
the Boer republic than 1t is for for
| cigner to become a citizen of the United
| States. 1t takes fourteen years resi-
dence to complete a novitiate, and then
his papers are granted under restrictions
| and regulations which are degrading and
| ignominOuS. These restrictions have
| been imposed to hinder foreigners from
| taking a real part in the general gov
| eTnment of the country, If they desire
to do so. 1t is antagonistic to the con-
trolling interest of civilization where
plebian minority domineers over an en-
| erEetic and progressive majority. The
| grievance does not arise from the denial
| Of citizenship, but from the reactionaiy
! tendency Of an uncouth and superCilious
| Indigenous population. Here is cOun-
try teeming with muniferous and mineral
wealth, and here is its government rul-
ing on bucolc principles a hundred
years at least behind the times. But eV-
| cry Independent country has a right to
| formulate the laws by which 1t is gov
erncd. The British suzerainty of the
| Boer republic somewhat delimits this IN
tcrnational law conception of sovereign
| independence. But Great Britain only
claims that President Kruger and his
government shall not make treaties with
foreign powers without it's consent. The
treaty upon which Englands claim Of
suzerainty is based was ratified at a
time when there was no Uitlander ques-
tion in existence, and has now no relev-
ancy whatever to the question at pres
ent issue.
The industrial development of the re-
public is undoubtedly due to the money
and enterprise of British and American
capitalists and Adventures. But it Is
well to remember also that the Beers
individually have absolutely gained moth
| lIlS ny lllt tNplplldllOI VI lle SOlu MINUS
I'm the Watesraand, and seemingly are
in a fair way to lose their independence
into the bargain. They are not miners,
nor have they any commercial predilcc-
tions. But they are avaricious and en-
vious. President Kruger is said to be
an immensely rich man, his wealth hav-
ing been acquired somewhat after the
real or tabled treasures of Ii Hung
Chang. The fact is the Uitlanders do
not want to become citizens of the Boer
republic under any circumstances. They
would not take an unconditional gift of
1t as matters stand. They despise the
Beers. and the Beers despise them. As
similation between the two races is as
impossible as between the negroes and
whites of Georgia. 1t is so in Cape
Colony where the Africander Cthe de-
scednant of the Dutch colonists), and
the Englishmen are ethnologically polit-
ically, socially and religiously as dis
sociated as Zulus and Kaffirs. All this
agitation about taxation and represen-
tation is mere pretcnse. What the Uit-
landers are aiming at is a war between
the Boer republic and Great Britain in
which they assume that victory on the
side Of England would lead to the an
neXation of the republic. l will not de-
cant upon the ethics or morality of such
a scheme, but pass on.
| o.
Now. you will ask, have the Uitlanders
no grievances TO be redressed, no hard
ships to endure nothing which foreign
ers can complain of in the treatment
of the government under which they
live temporarily or wish to live perma-
ncntly-men who have immense stakes in
the country and who wish to protect
them? Undoubtedly they have. l have
said the Beers are suspicious of all Brit
iShers. From their contact with the
English no doubt they have good reason
to be so. But they also imagine that
they are a chosen people, living in the
Promised Land. They believe that the
hand of the Lord directed their forefath-
ers into this territory, and that the influx
of strangers Is a scourge. Some of these
Iloer farmers would allow, and often did
a wandering Uitlander to die of drought
on the vedt rather than give him a
drink of cold water. Their women are
pretty enough when girlish, but they
grow extremely ugly long before they
} reach middle age even, and the women IN
the TTansvaal are a controlling power
! mean it in no metaphorical sense, when
| say that in many a hard fought field
the women cast the bullets which their
husbands and sons and brothers fired
and that at their sides. Now II there
Is one creature on the face of the earth
whom a Beer woman detests, 1t Is an
Englishwoman. She will not reciprocate
favors with her at any price or asso'
ciate with her on any terms. There is nc
use in me detailing where this leads TO
o
Then there is the question of educa,
ticn In the government schools the
language taught and spoken, written and
oral, is Dutch. English is not permitted
TO have a place in the curriculum. The
| Citanders pay a heavy school tax and
stll their children must be taught prl
IL l.. H..