The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-11-15
British Misrepresentation.

British Misrepresentation.
One of the most remarkable arti-
cles on the South African situation
that has appeared in the English
papers is the interview of the London
Chronicle with Mr.. Frank Watkins,
an Euglishmen who has resided in
the Transvaal for twenty six years,
and was one of the pioneer gold
miners of the country he repre-
sented the mining regions in the
upper Legislative house Of the Trans
vaal-or "second volksraad," as it is
called-from 1890 to 1896 The
first startling statement by Mr.. Wat
kins was that many Eoglisbmen. as
we'll as other foreigners. would fight
with the Beers in this contest He
says:
l can quite believe it. The miners
cannot speak out. They are entirely
under the thumb of the big com
panies. Candor means loss of work.
But wheo the mines shut down there
is nothing to prevent them from
fighting with the Beers, for they do
not love the capitalists. and one of
the certainties of the future in the
Transvaal is conflict between capi.
tai aud labor The capitalists expect
it, and fear that the methods they
have adopted in working up the
miners against the Transvaal may re-
coil on themselves
This opinion is what might natu
rally be suspected from what is
known of Mr.. Cecil Rhodes and his
associated capitalists They have
made every effort TO Introduce the
compound system" of negre labor
in the Transvaal, which is practically
equivalent to slavery for years They
have this system in the parts of
South Africa under British control
In Rhodesia the chartered company
exacts tribute from the independent
miner of one half of all the gold be
mines In fact, Mr.. Watkins says
that the mining laws Of the Trans
vaaI are better than in "apy other
country - He ssys further that the
charges of corruption against Kruger
and the voiksraad are mere charges,
no one of which has ever been sus
tanned, and that they emanate from
these same capitalists who have tried
to bribe the Boer government but
failed to do so AS to franchise ex-
tension, and other favors to outaud
ers, he says that the Beers were
gradually becoming more 'iberal, and
were extending rights, until the
jameson raid, "when they became
frightened of the use that might be
made of the new suffrage. and stlf
fened their backs lie insists that
the negroes are better treated in the
Transvaa than in the British colo
nies. and that the contrary opinions is
the result of Misrepresentation. Es-
pecialiy interesting is bis explanation
of the removal of Chief Justice Kotze,
which has been cited as an 1lustra-
ton of exercise of arbitrary power
by President Kruger He Gays:
do not agree with the president
on that matter, but public opinion
here entirely misrepreserts it. Chief
Justice Kotze took the extraordinary
course of reversing decision lie had
given in a famous case-the Doms
case. 1t is as if Lord Russell were
to suddenly say that he had changed
ed hie mind on an important
decision But it happened that the
raad framed a resolution on the
previous decision Of Ko:ze, and his
change of front threw them into con
fusion The volksrasd condemned |
kotze;s new iudgemsnt, and there
was thus corhict between the legis
lative and the judiciary Kruger then
got the raad to pass resolution that
he-Kruger-might dismiss judges
in case they defied resoiu.
ton Of the volksraad aud he then
dismissed koize | do not entirely
defend it but your parliament, too,
can obtain the dismissal of the Judge
by an address to the queen
That puts very different light on
the case from what has been given by
the English press and the anglomanisc
press in the country The method
is rather summary, but 1t might not
be a bad thing TO place some such
muzzIe on the courts IN this country,
especially when they reverse their /
own decisions, as occurred in the .
recent income tax case 1t would
not injure our supreme court if few
corporation lawyers could be sum
mariIv removed from it Indianapolis /