Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-10

These articles in the North American Re-
view: England and the TranSvaal,' Sgd
ney Brooks, August, 1899; "A Vindication of
the Beers" A Diplomat, September, 1899;
"a Trapsyaal View of the South African
Question" Engleberg, October 1899 "The
Case for the British, Rev. James Stewart;
1.-THE Case for the Beers" George w. Van
Sicken, both in the Outlook of October u,
1899 To the above may be added the sew
eral articles in the Review of Reviews for
September October, November and Decem-
ber, notably Mr. Stead's summing up in
the November number.
The Bocrs' History in OrtIiDc.
A. shipwreck in 1G48 started a Dutch COL
ony at CapetCwn. Tho accounts cent home
by tho shipwrecked sailors brought more
Dutch colonsts. In 1859 800 French Hugue-
not refugees we're added and, in time, ANAL
gamated. The settlement remained under
Dutch control until England which had at
intervals asserted and abandoned sovereign
clRimG, in 1906 made its final capture Of
Capetown from the Dutch in order to secure
q naval station on the road to the indies.
Tho Dutch, soon called "Boers," from
tho outset accepted English control under
protest and submitted to it only because
they were tco weak to oppose it. Dctweon
the Beers and their English rulers there
was continual fri-tion and consequent heat.
Moved by what they considered acts of op-
pressien and injustice, between 1885 and
1895 about 5000 Beers left the Sc tied
country and pushed cut into the wilderness,
which Was occupied BY dense and war
like blacl; population. Their dangers and
losses fIcm war with tho savages far eX-
cecdcG thoso encountered by tho New Eng
land colouist8 from tho Indian.
A part ct the immigration struck what
Ia now tho province Of Natal-by far the
most fertile and productive region of the
new country. 1t was then substantially
abandoned by tho English, After several
battles with the natives in which their
losses wer1 extremely severe, the Beers
succeeded in establishing themselves at
that point. This gavo them n seaport--that
was later called Durham England did not
consider 1t wise to permit white colony
claiming independence to become rooted on
tho eeacoHgt and for that reason by f0r1a
of arms drove part of that branch of tho
poer immigration back toward the interior,
the remaining part submitting under written
protest again to British rule.
The en- migrauts who would not remain in
the new British colony OF Natal joineu \ y
companions IN tho interior Of Sortn Africa
in building up what are now the Free State
and TTansyaal republics. Mi. Brice says:
mot from any sympathy with tnelr love OF
independence but because she did not want
tho trouble o. pursuing and governing them
and the wide lands they cad over Eng
land resolved to abandon them" In 1852
and 1859 sho formally recognized the nde
pcndence Of the Transyaal emgran3 and
renounced her rishtG over tho Orange river
goyCrelgnty.
HnttlinE for Liberty.
About 1873 and 1874 internal dis9ensions
broke out among the Beers cf the Trans
vlal business and occupations came to
standsill. TIE citizens refused or We're
unable u pay taxes. The treasury was
empty. The Kaflr natives We're pressing
them hard, The weakness and disorder
among the Boers threatened the security OF
the British colonies. who, IL seems, were in
q measure dependent upon the Beers to
keen down the warlike tribes in the midst
OF which they lived British subjects who
were mining gold at Lydenburg in tho
Transyaal were in danger Moved by these
considerations a British commissioner, act
ing under authority of the British cabinet.
in 1877 proclaimed the annexation of the
Tgansyaal against the will of a majority of
the Beers This act seems to have cured
the internal dlssensons. The Transyaal
Beers united against the foe, who had now
become hereditary enemies. They waited
until English troops had broken the power