The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-09-10
GREAT BRITAIN AND THE BOERs.

GREAT BRITAIN AND THE BOERs.
The prospect of war between Great Brit
ain and what. with considerable license of
language, is called the South African Re-
public. arouses inquiry and suspicion re-
garding the presence of Great Britain in the
far-away country occupied and gov
erned by men who are not of
English blood. British presence in
South Africa, India, Canada. South
America, China and elsewhere is in accord
ance with the ancient policy of that nation.
The Briton has gone abroad with the idea
of occupying whatever outside portions of
the world promise to be useful in the
future. Dutch immigrants, a hundred and
fifty years ago, settled portions Of South
Africa under the rule of the Dutch East In
dia Company. Huguenot refugees in con-
siderable number f1ocked thither to escape
persecution. and the people now known as
the Beers are the result. In 1914 the Cape
of Good Hope, Inhabited by these people.
was ceded to Great Britain without any re-
gard to the wishes of the inhabitants. The
new race, as II may be called, mistrusted
all outsiders, even the countries from which
they came. AS people they desired to be
let alone. and. with the desire of isolation.
they sought an inland region, subject to des-
olating drougths, without markets and
surrounded by hostile native tribes. Great
Britain followed them to this isolated life
of poverty. 1t was a weak and impotent
state, in the British view, doomed to EXITING
ton by surrounding native tribes, so Great
Britain stepped in to prevent. as it claims.
the obliteration of the white man in South
Africa. Under this pretext British agents
annexed the country occupied by the Beers
to the other British possessions in that
| quarter. An era of prosperity followed; it
| did not allay the discomfort Of the Beers,
but caused 1t to increase until 1t cumi-
mated in 1881 In war for independence.
British arms sustained a defeat, but while
reinforcements were being pushed forward
peace was offered and accepted on terms of
| self-government. with a provision that the
| South African Republic should not have
power to treat with foreign nations. In
1884, under Mr. Gladstone, a new agreement
was made with President Kruger, who is
In the conference preceding the signing of
the agreement it is matter Of record that
President Kruger promised the British
agents that Beers and utlanders, the re-
cent immigrants who were getting to be
quite numerous, should have the same
rights. This verbal promise did not get into
the convention in set terms in other words.
of
mat for the Gladstone agents.
The discovery of gold stimulated immi-
grafton to an extent that the uitlanders be-
came more numerous than the exclusive
Beers liked, so the government began to
| take away the rights conceded by the con-
vention or treaty of 1881 For instance
| that agreement provided that the franchise
| should be granted after a years residence,
but the rule had been so changed that in
| 1899 a fourteen years residence was re-
| quired under conditions which made it i'm
| possible even after that period of residence
| With the passing years the irritation has
| increased until a condition Of bitter hos
| tility exists. The uitlanders complain
that they are treated with injustice,
are unfairly taxed and have no voice
in the lo~al government of towns in which
they are the majority and own the prop
| erty. II what the uitlanders' council has set
1 forth is true, the Kruger government is
| tyrannical. 1t has undertaken to suppress
| free discussion by putting 5000 men under
| arrest for holding public meetings and COM
| Polling each Of them to give bond Of 81 600
| for release. That council appealed to the
| British government for protection, demand
ing, among other things. an equitable fran
chise law and fair representation. that the
High Court be made independent, the can
collation. Of railway. dynamite and liquor
| monopolies. and that the English and Dutch
languages be official. Now the High Court
is bound on penalty of dismissal to recog-
| nize the latest resolution of the legislative
| assembly. even when Ii relates to matters
already before that tribunal. This demand
| was made after the claim Of an American
citizen had been allowed by the court and
| then set aside by a resolution of the volks-
| raad.
There can be no doubt that President
Kruger outwitted the British at every point
| by his diplomacy. He found his so-called
republic under the control of Great Britain
as much as Is any CT its annexed territory.
cured quasi independence. and by a conven-
ton with the Gladstone government. under
fair verbal promises. he obtained conven-