The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-25
WHAT WAR I'm TEE TR1NsrAAL MrAxs
The Rev. DR.. Bosnian of Pretoria Says Eng
land VIII Have to Fight.


land VIII Have to Fight.
WASHINGTON. Sept 24.-The Rev. DR.. Bos-
man. pastor OF the Dutch Presbyterian Church
at Pretoria. who Is a delegate to the Pam
Presbyterian Alliance which meets here next
week, spoke at the New York Avenue
Presbyterian Church tonight on the pending
conflict between England and the Transvaal
He sk etched the early history OF the Repu bic
and the various conventions that had been
made with England. asserting that the last one
that OF 1884. said not one word about En- gland's
suzerainty 1t could be proven over and over
again. he said. that this convention removed
in toto the Objectionable suzerainty. Yet that
seemed to be the very thing Chamberlain
wanted to hold over the public now.
Now" he continued. we are hearing OF a
new con venton. which 1t Is said we must agree
to or be forced into war. In case war should
come. II means terrible slaughter. Our people
are not hired soldiers they are our husband
men. our elders and deacons and our lead
ing men. We have NO standing army. The
Dutch farmers themselves are our militia.
They do not like war; but fight they will for
their country this time. as they have done in
tho past Az our good President has aptly put
It: You ask me for my shirt and have given
tyou. but now you AJAX me for my very life.
and cannot give you that
III we must go to war. England will have to
fight 40. 900 farmers In the Transvaal aud 30.-
900 OF the Free State. because they are bound
to assist the Transvaal by an offensive and
defensive alliance entered into four years ago.
We shall have at least 10 900 men in the field
who are marksmen-Rood shots They will fl hit
for their homes and their freedom. They will
not push the war out OF their own country and
the reports which have recently appeared in
the preBs to this effect are sim ply ridiculous .
DIR. Bosnian declared that in the event OF war
all the Dutch in South Africa. including 3OO.-
600 in Cape Colony 1590oo In the Orange
would stand together but he deppecated war
at simply means, he said. ruin to homes
and suffering which vii be too great 70 de;
everything, that Is good and Of the God OF JUS
tice. should religious people. who love their
homes and their conntry' be e1terminated
son that they DO not wish to give the franchise
to every, ono ~ who ZONE, comes there and
they would give tie traneRi.. afts s t tnas
years residence. for the reason that you people
who come to our gold fields come as. birds OF
Accustomed to our ways We then reduced the
time to seven years. but England don't want
Ra t ysf hsd Been
| the majority. over the newcomers. 1t would
would he taken il we should acccde to the
| demands in this respect. would be TO make our
country English and We do not want it to be
| that"
Or. BOSNIAN closed his remarks with an
appeal to the press ST the world. and especially
| OF this country. which he said felt more like
| outside Of south Africa. to set the facts OF
the, difficulty between the Transvaal Republic
% he p f"f that the
sympathy OF the liberty loving people Of Amer
| lea would In some way arrange n modus viven-
di by which the threatened difficulty could be
| Averted