The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-10-22

IL does or not does not go TO the ROOT OF
the present controversy between Great
Britain and the Transvaal. but it has a
bearing on the character of the Beers n
their government. The matter was touched
upon Incidentally by Mr.. Chamberlain in his
speech in the House of Commons on Thurs
day. Abiding to the relations OF the Beers
with the native Africans ne said:
There is one subject not dealt with In the
blue books. i mean the d~isgraceful Boer
t5'r TEA mt Of the ,s natives, Unworthy rsy a ciyi-
sage TO Sir Hercules Robinson. for the
Transvaal. respecting the treatment Of the
natives. Then came the Jameson raid, and
our South African officials decided they
could not with propriety present the mes
sage. The Beers. in their own words,
trecked because they wanted to "wallop the
niggers."
AS the Beers are posing as a pious people
fighting for their hearths and homes and for
self-government, while President Kruger
expresses confidence that God will direct
their bullets. II is important to understand
what manner of people they really are.
The British do not pretend that the pres
ent war is one of humanity op-their part.
They do not pretend that they are engag-
ing in war to abolish slavery. but they cite
the Beers treatment Of the white out
landers TO show that their government is
not in touch with modern civilization or
progress or with the spirit of the age. This
Is, at least, a fair Offset to the Beers clatm
for sympathy on account OF their alleged
piety and championship of liberty. Their
character as a people was described some
time ago by Mr.. James Bryce in impress
sions of South Africa" He said:
Severed from Europe and its influences
OF the elements of modern civilization, gone
back rather than forward They are a half
nomad race. p%asturing their focks and
herds over the vast spaces of what Is still
a wilderness, and migrating in their wagons
from the higher to the lower pastures ac-
cording TO the season of the year. Living
entirely in the open air, and mostly in the
saddle. they are strangely ignorant and
backward in all their ideas. They have no
literature and very few newspapers. Their
religion IS the Dutch and Huguenot Calvin
stern. hostile to all new light, .mbued with
the spirit of the Old Testament rather than
of the New. They dislike and despise the
kaffirs. whom they have regarded as Israel
may have regarded the Amalekites. and
whom they have treated with equal Sc
verify.
Earlier testimony than this as to the char
.acter Of the Beers and their treatment of
the natives is found in DR.. David Living
stones Missionary Travels in South AZ
rica." published forty years ago. In mi
merating the adverse influences he had to
deal with in establishing missions he named
the Beers first, and said their great objec-
ton to English law was that 1t made no
distinction between black men and white.
They felt aggrieved," he says. "by their
supposed losses In the emancipation Of their
themselves into a republic, in which they
might pursue without molestation the
proper treatment of the blacks 1t is al
most needless to add that the proper treat
ment' has always contained IN II the essen
tial element of slavery, namely, compulsory
unpaid labor" DR.. Livingstone shows that
he had no personal prejudice against the
Beers. He says he was well treated by them,
but he could not be blind to the fragrant
wrongs they practiced against the natives.
They not only enslaved those whose coun-
try they had appropriated, but they made
forays against neighboring tribes to cap
ture cattle and children who were utilized
as domestic servants. He says:
This new species of slavery which the
Beers have adopted serves to supply the
lack of field labor only. TIL demand for do
nestle servant must be met by fOrays on
tribes which have good supplies of cattle.
which blacks become so degraded by the
love of strong drink as actually to sell
themselves; but never in any one case with
in the memory of man has a Bechuana chief
sold any OF his people. or a Becuhana man
his child. Hence the necessity for a foray
10 seize children. And those individual
sake of slaves can seldom resist the two
fold plea of a well-told story of ar in
tended uprising of the devoted tribe, and
vision of the captured cattle business.
DR.. Livingstone's celebrated trip north
ward into Central Africa, which resulted in
important geographical discoveries. was
mainly due to the fact that the Transvaal
was closed against him. After leaving there
he spent about eight years among the ma
tive tribes, and he says:
During that time no winter passed without
one or two tribes In the east country being
plundSred of both cattle and children by
the Beers. The plan pursued Is the follow,
ing: One or two friendly tribes are forced
to a party of mounted Beers,
and these expeditions can be got up only
in the winter, when horses may be used
without danger of being lost by disease.
When they reach the tribe to be attacked
the friendly natives are ranged in front,
to form, as they say. "a shield:@ the Beers
then coolly fire over their heads till the de-
voted people flee and leave cattle, wives and
children to the captors. This was done in
nine cases during my residence in the In
terror, and on no occasion was a drop or
Boer blood shed.
Thara 10 much mora of this sort Of mat
ter in DIR. Livingstone's book. as any one
can find who wishes to investigate further.
He writes in a perfectly dispassionate style
and expresses pity rather thar anger for
the Beers, of whom he says in conclusion:
They resolved to shut up the interior, and
I determined TO open the country"
BY such methods and on such foundations
as these was built the republic for which
the Beers are now asking sympathy. That
they have practiced slavery from the be-
ginning and do still is beyond doubt. 1t is
as true now as il was when Livingstone
wrote that 1.-The great objection they have
TO English law is that il makes no distinc-
ton between black men and white men,"
Another objection, no doubt, is that Eng
lish law would not make any distinction be-
tween white men of different ~nationalities.
discriminating against all others in favor