The Chilhowee echo. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1899-19??, 1899-12-09
ty of this stupid household is unboul

re- ~ oii1o oulPlo houoClolu 10 ullDOullu-
NJ. A stranger has only to open the
door, shake hands with the master, kiss
the mistress, seat himself, and he is
then completely at home" DR.. Liv-
ingstone, the famous explorer and mis-
sionary, said of the Dutch colonists of
TIE Cape of Good Hope: "They are
sober, Industrious and most hospitable
BODY of peasants" But these are not
tn be confounded with the Transvaal
Beers, who, according to all reliable
authority, possess but few of the excel
lent traits of Dutch character. The
Transvaal Beers have great contempt
for the ignorance of the natives, and
told DR.. Livingstone that he might as
well teach balloons or Africans. In
rply Livingstone proposed a test to
see whether the Beers or his native
attendants could read best. The Beers
declined. Livingstone's opinion of the
Transvaal Boer was that he was but
little less degraded than the natives.
I II is matter of history that the Beers
Rave robbed and murdered many ma
tNes; that they have forced the ma
tlyes, even the friendly Betjuans, to
work for nothing, and from the hostile
Tribes they steal domestic servants,
| N bo mo fopood +o c,,b,,;+ 20 +l,o ca,,a,o,.
treatment.
I'm the absence of intelligent personal
observation and absolute personal
Knowledge of country or people, one
must depend upon relitble and impair
tial history by accepted authorities,
and not upon the personal statements
of irresponsible persons whose opin-
ions are biased by their personal likes
or dislikes, for information. Briefly
summed up, the case of the Boer stands
thus: He is merciless oppressor when
he has the power, but will not tamely
submit to oppression, He is indolent,
dirty, ignorant, non-progressive, a good
hater, good fighter. He is not an
artisan, he is not farmer; he pro-
duces nothing, he does not work. He
has ever been impatient of the re-
straints imposed by the laws of civil
ICED government and society. He has
Isnllenly retreated before the English,
lslis5s lem Il i5,n "a 5 i
oh8 hand and enforcing slavery of the
blacks on the other. The region he
has controlled but not developed is
ridh in minerals. Outsiders, English
men, Americans and others have de.
v6loped mines, constructed railroads,
built cities and vastly increased the
wealth of the country. The vast
amount of taxes these have paid has
made the Boer government, which was
formerly with an almost empty treas
ury, wealthy. These developers of the
country who paid over three-fourths OF
the taxes had few rights which the
Beers respected. They said to the
Beers: "We have built your towns and
cities; we have developed your coun-
try; our property and homes are here
we pay nearly all the taxes; we form a
large part of the population; we are
interested in good government and the
country's welfare; yet we have no voice
whatsoever in the making of the laws
which govern us. We ask, as a matter
of right, that this be changed" And
the Beers replied: Nobody asked you
to come here. We did not want you
we have no use for your kind; you are
of the English breed, and we hate the
English. You are many in numbers
and you pay the taxes: no matter; we
make laws to suit ourselves; this is oul
country; if it does not suit you, get out
of it,"
Such state of affairs could not longer
exist, though it had existed for sur
prising length of time. The wonder is
that England, so jealous of English
mems rights, and which looked witt
covetous eye in the direction of the
Transvaal, did not act long before she
did. She hesitated, however, because
she knew it would be no child's play
Now that she has set herself to the tasE
she will rest not until she accomplishe:
it. The English flag will float over the
Transvaal. And the Transvaal viii
have better government than it has
ever had. However the Boer may be
governed he will suffer no such hard
ship, injustice and cruelty as he visited
upon the weaker foes which he sub
dued. This is a fact which the emo
tional sympathizers with the Beers
should remember. Aside from al
minor questions of right and wrong
the hand of destiny is against the Beers
They must join in the march of civiliza
ton or they must get out of the way
Eventually all those little South Afri
can states, republics and provinces vii
become a federation, with laws more
effectually protecting life and property
This is the close of the nineteenth, no
the seventeenth century. Spain detie'
the demands os ,n,.i.rn urOpress an,