The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-18
ELIMINATION AND THE beers.
An Earnest Argument for the British Side
of the Case In South Africa.

situation In South Africa, now likely at any
moment to assume the phase OF an acute crisis.
is pretty thoroughly understood in this coun-
try. The case as made UP leads to but one In
evitable conclusion: Great Britain is clearly In
the right In its main claim. while the
Transvaal authorities are almost wholly
wrong. Sympathy for Dom Paul Kruger.
whose courage and pertinacious though mis-
guided opposition to the British claims have
excited general admiration. and commisera-
tion for the isolated and weak little Dutch Re-
public now face to face with the enormous
power OF the British Empire. can hardly serve
to modify this almost universal finding.
The questions involved are those OF right
and wrong. and affect not only individual but
national interests. II the blight OF everlasting
Boer ignorance. bigotry and jealousy is not
now checked by a satisfactory settlement OF
the controversy between them and their Uit-
lander colonsts. an irretrievabls blow may be
struck to advancing civilization. and the prom
Using movement for the redemption OF the
Dark Continent brought to a halt. This hand
full Of Dutch shepherds cannot be permitted to
stand In the path OF modern progress. Mr..
Joseph Cham berlains policy toward the
Transvaal unQuestionably has the very general
approval OF the English speaking race.
Mere sympathy for the under dog" should
not lead to any misapprehension on this head.
The defeat OF the British undertaking means
reaction. The student OF colonization has read
to little purpose. II he Is not aware that these
transplanted Dutchmen have welded but small
influence toward the regeneration OF Africa.
Without markedly increasing in numbers. they
have made no advance whatever In the science
OF government. In commerce. agriculture or
sociology. since their migration from Europe
nearly 300 years ago, contemporaneously with
the settlement OF the United States. How
very different is the history OF these pastoral
Hollan ders OF Africa from that OF their enter
prisng congeners who settled upon Manhattan
Island and along the Hudson! 1t Is even
argued that the Dutch OF South Africa have
refrigerated. The essence OF their objection
to the British proposals Is fear OF modern
progress and education. Their career shows
this. They have sought to avoid these by iso-
latinE themselves in the wilderness. like our
own Mormons. from the ken OF all peoples.
They have waged war against them in all their
FORMS and now tremble at tho influx Of
strangers in search Of gold and jewels-a wish
tation OF God-who threaten by the sheer weight
OF numbers. II not OF intelligence and mod
ern ideas. to tear down the Mormon-like wall
OF exclusion behind which this queer people
has hidden and grovelled so long.
Let not the soft-hearted be deceived by the
false cry that they desire only to be let alone.
to pursue their own peculiar methods OF life.
liberty and the pursuit OF happiness. To the
simple African aborigines they have been cruel
taskmasters and blighting neighbors. Upon
their advent they set up the worst forms OF hui
man slavery in South Africa. and it was the sup
preston Of slavery and the lenient policy adopt
ed by the British Government toward the blacks
which eventuated in their second emigration
from Cape Colony farther into tho interior.
that no superior power might intervene to pre-
vent their enslaving the Hottentots and other
tribes whom they could overpower.
Nobody can dsbeleve the utterances OF that
Christian philanthropist and explorer. DIR.
David Livingstone, concerning these Beers.
made more than fifty years ago. when there
was no cause for Misrepresentation or OF mis-
understanding between the two races. In the
first personal narrative Of his African travels,
published In 1853. DR.. Livingstone frankly
, characteristics tho main body Of Beers as a
| sober. industrious and hospitabe peasantry.
| but opposed tothe introduction OF innovations.
and particularly to the work Of the Christian
| missionaries lie found them antagonistic to
| English laws because those laws made no dis =
| tincton between black men and white. Like
| our own late slave holders OF the South. they
| opposed education Of the blacks for very OBJ
| vious reasons. Livingstone. quoting the native
Bechuanas saws that "Mosilikatze was cruel to
his enemies and kind to those he conquered.
! but that the Beers destroyed their enemies
| and made slaves OF their friends"
At that early day Mr.. Cert Kruger. their
| frontier commander. doubtless a progenitor or
near relative OF the present President OF the
Transvnal, said to Livingstone in laudation OF
his own humanity and justice: we make the
people work for us in consideration OF allowing
| thcm to live in our country" Subsequently
these frontier Beers raided the mission OF
Livingstone himself carrying off some 200 Of
| hia school phildren into calvary nj ~
| the good missionarys house. and wantonly
| smashing up and destroying his little stock OF
| medicines. Such were and such are the Dutch
| Doors OF South Africa. who at the present time
| so plaintively appeal to the great outside civil
| lization to be let alone.
| The attitude OF these Boer obstructionsts
toward the Uitlanders is the attitude OF George
| III. and his Ministry toward those United
| States 125 years ago. Their short sighted
| government asserts the right to lay onerous
| taxes without the counterbalancing privileges
| OF representation in its law-making or execu-
tive branches. The English. American and
| German settlers-otherwise Uitlanders who
| have moved in and during the last few years
| built up enormous property interests. are
being legally robbed under the guise OF unex-
| amped taxation. 1t is rather a levyng O!
tribute. Behind it all is probably deep hatred
and fear OF the English race Mr.. Cert Kri-
| ger policy OF nity years ago in respect OF the
negroes OF Bechuanaland is being applied by
the Beers under another KRUGER to the white
men OF our day: I'VE make the people work
for US in consideration OF allowing them to live
In our country" Great Britain has wisely
stepped in under the right OF her suzerainty
| to put q stop to these Boerish iniustices. II
matters not how. why or when she achieved
this suzerainty: 1t is now unquestioned. The
reforms she insists upon are the main point
and they are necessary and just besides
which they are both moderate and equita BILE
as between the Beers and Uitlanders
Great Britain. in short. insists that under
certain notifications and restrictions as tc
time. these foreign property holders and
tax payers shall be admitted to full citizen shiI
and a prospective share in the law-makinl
power. That is about the substance OF the
English ultimatum. The Boer reactionists
fear to grant these demands. because the oper
door to suffrage means that in time. and per
haps at no distant day. the new -comers will
outvote them and take the government into