Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-22
TRANSVAAL PROBLEM
Situation of the South African Re-
public Discussed by Native.
ENGLAND'S ATTITUDE CRITICISED
Delegate to Pan-Presbyterian ALI
ance Gives His Views.
POINTS IN CONTENTION

Rev. ]. Bosnian of Pretoria, South Africa,
one of the delegates to the Pan-Presbyter'-
an Alliance. the sessions of which will be-
gin in this city Wednesday next. has ar
rived here He IS accompanied by his wife
and two daughters. and they are stopping
at 1I21 street northwest. 1t has now
been about five months since MIR. Bosnian
left his home in South Africa He spent
some time in England and Scotland. and
las been i'll this country for the past three
or four weeks. He has just come from
Chicago. During his stay in that city ne
attracted a good deal of attention, which
was not only due to his strong personality
but also to the fact that he is a patr1ouc
Afrikander and is thoroughly familiar with
the situation in the Transvaal whlcn IS
now attracting the attention OF inc clVlii|eu
world.
Rev Bosnian addressed several public
meetings in Chicago, telling the people
there about his nation and its relations
to Great Britain. He was also banqueted
by the Holland Society and on that occa-
sion made an address. Mr. Bosnian was
born in South Africa and is son of the
soil. He is now the pastor of the Dutch
Reformed Church in Pretoria. which is one
of the largest and most prosperous con-
gregations in that section of the country
His position is one of great influence, and
he is therefore, q prominent representa-
tive Of the colonial churches holding to the
PRESBYTERIAN system He is q man of
medium height and his dark complexion,
nustache and goatee with his hair brushed
back from his forehead suggest the pic
lures of Rev. DIR. Parkhurst, the distin-
guished divine of New York city. He
speaks English auently with hardly a trace
Of a foreign accent, which is more surpriS-
Ing as. in the course of a conversation to-
day with a representative of The Star, ne
said that when at home he seldom spoke
in that tongue
Situation of the Republic.
The subject that seemed to be nearest the
heart of Rev. Mr.. Bosnian the critical
situation of his beloved country. He spoke
of it with an emotion that manifests in
referring to the peril of a loved one. In
tones more of sorrow than of anger he
characterized England's attitude toward
the little Dutch republic as unjust and I'M
fair He said that his people had fixed the
limit on the franchise because they We're
numerically outnum5ered by the English
speaking people. and if the latter had the
right to vote they could control the govern
ment, change its form and make the repub-
lie colony of Great Britain if they so
desired
He said they had first fixed upon the
period of residence to enable citizen to
enjoy the franchise at fifteen years, but
since he had been away that period had
been reduced to seven years, and now the
English government demands that ii shall
be made five years.
In both cases it would be retroactive. yet,
Ia" ;IGutG. lOT Il tliltItlte OF TWO years
England was preparing to crush the little
Il public. Mr.. Bosnian denied that England
exercised suZvraln power over the republic,
unless the claim was based solely upon the
right retained by Great Britain to approve
treaties made by the republic before they
could be enforced. He spoke of the growth
of the Afrikander sentiment, not only in
mis- own country, but in the Orange Free
State and in Cape Co,ony. The latter, he
said. although a British colony, had now
a parliament composed mainly of Afrikan-
Gers. and il the hope of many that the
conditions would be such as to eventually
lead 10 a union of those three states so as
to form the United States of South Africa.
. lie is of the opinion that many of the dis
patches he has seen in the press, especially
those from Cape Town, were misleading,
and this circumstance. he thought, has led
10 a good many misconceptions as to the
merits of the case of his own country in
the present controversy. He believes that
ii The facts could he fairly considered pub
lie sympathy would he with the TransvaaI
IN the present struggle
No Wish to Be Unjust
The people of the Transvaal he added
had no wish to be unjust. All they asked
was that those who had come among them
for gold would wait while before insist
ing upon voice in the government. After
lapse of time, If they had decided to be-
come permanently identified with the coun-
try, then would be the proper occasion to
Shar" with the otner citizens in the respon-
slHlitieS Of citizenship. If the Afrikanders
withdraw their restrictions upon the fran
Chise, he said, they will practically aban-
don their country. sonnet hing that ought
not to be asked of a patriotic people. on
account of the relations between the abet-
tors or the Jameson raid and English gov
eminent officials Mr.. Bosnian was inclined
to think that the present effort was only
another form of the same design