Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-31
An Impartial Presentation of the
Boer and Uitlander Sides.
FORMER HOPELESSLY IN TIE WRONG
What an American Resident in Jo-
hannesburg Says Of the Struggle.
BOERS HAVE SUFFERED MUCH
From the New York Independent.

The readers of the Independent are
doubtless or less acquainted with the
history of the Transvaai in recent years.
and know that at the present time the
country is passing through an acute crisis.
They may be interested in looking at the
situation through the eyes of an American
who has resided during the last six years
In Johannesburg, and who has watched
events here with much interest.
Three and one-half years ago occurred
the Jameson raid. That was only an Incl
dent in the Reform Movement" as it was
called. The latter movement was strong
In the inherent justice of its claims. The
writer was present in Johannesburg at the
time, and the feeling was that the Pretoria
government was ready to grant substantial
reforms; but then came the Jameson raid
winch was like an electric shock reaching
u every Dutchman in South Africa All
nope of the success of the movement per-
lshed When Jameson crossed the border
President Kruger's Opportunity.
That was President Kruger's chance His
prestige was enormously increased. If he
nad been a statesman he might has united
the larger part of the people into one loyal
nation. Instead of that he adopted the pol
ICY OF s1ttlrg on the safety valve. One act
IolloWed another for the repression of the
Cltlanders The aliens expulsion act
gives the executive council power to expel
from the country any foreigner that the
president thinks dangerous to the republic
Inc public meetings act forbids any public
meeting out of doors without the special
permission of the government Another
i'd" gives the president the power to sup
press any newspaper that he thinks
dangerous, and under this law two of the
ClIldhder newspapers were suppressed, but
reappeared Immediately under a new name
hnI rtay, no.
lent Rad passed a law at the request of
PRESIDENT Kruger which practically made
the high court the puppet of the raad.
one may have a great deal of symDathy
Tor the Beers and yet see that they are
hopelessly in the wrong. One cannot read
General Jouberts pathetic appeal to the
queen, one-sided as 1t certainly is, without
feeling that the Beers have suffered much
at the hands of the English in the past.
Ana yet we repeat in the present contest
they are hopeless.y in the wrong
Inc situation from the Boer side is some
thing like this: We are the pioneers in this
country. We fled from British rule in the
cape Colony and you followed US to the
Free State, and e Natal. and we trekked
away into the wilderness and found this
state. We wished to be free, we wished to
govern ourselves in our own way You
nave followed us here. You outnumber us
two to one. Your hated English govern
ment has crept up past the west and
north and east of US We are shut in A
kraal. There is nowhere else We can now
go. If we give you rights with ourselves
you Will outvote US, and thus shall be
ruled by Englishmen. We cannot do It,
We may well fight and die.
On the UitInnder Side.
On the Uitlander side the situation is
this: Yes, We grant you We're the pioneers
the white pioneers, for the blacks were be-
fore you. You conquered them and took
their land, just as we have all been doing
You called the land yours. but it was yours
only in trust for the world We came bv
your invitation but We should have come
If you had not invited us. We had right
to come. The land was open a large part
of it unused, unoccupied. undeveloped We
came with our wealth with our intelu-
gence, our skill, and have made the land
what 1t is. from one of the poorest to be
one of the richest. We have bought and
paid for in hard cash more than one-half
of the land in this country. 1t is ours as
In its government.
The Boer replies: You came here to
make money. You have made it, you are
making it. You have taken from our gold
mines many millions of money. Month af-
ter month the gold output increases What
more do you want?
The Uitander: We want decent govern
nent. We want fair pay We want to be
treated as freemen, not as helots. We are
your equals. and You treat us as interiors
An American looking on with sympathies
l-'ithIdi III ldNOT Oh the republic, cannot
live long in the country without having
49," ~-'~nnathies totally alienated bv what
y - 80 ~'~'n'v what has
heen done. or what is being done by the
that we do not know what will be
done next. and that the government is
capable of anything. The Edgar shooting
the tampering with the high court, the dy-
Mantle monopoly, the concession monger-
ing. and the innumerable scandals that dis
grace the country, are symptoms of the
disease.
It is difficult to make those at distance
understand the utter distrust of the Pre-
tOrian government with which long and bit
ter experience has inspired the Uitlanders.
They know that there Is no intention hon
estly to reform. The franchise law which
has been wrung from the raad is full of
pitfalls. which will enable hostile officials
to keep out the Uitlanders. 1t is perfectly
clear to us in the country that it was SO
framed for that purpose.
Dynamite Monopoly Discussfon.
The discussion in the raad at the present
moment over the dynamite monopoly is an
other indication of incorrigible state
of heart. Four leading lawyers, one the
present premier of the Cape Colony, and
three Boer officials. have reported that
the Dynamite Company has violated again
and again the conditions of its concession,
and that the raad may cancel it, The Brit
ish government has declared that the mon
opoly is a violation of the convention The
monopoly is incubus upon the mining
industry and upon the state, diverting half
million sterling yearly into the pockets
of men who do nothing to earn it. In face
of these facts a committee of the raad has
reported in favor of continuing the con-
cession, the president In vehement language
declares that the dynamite factory is the
corner stone of the independence of the
country, and the raad is about to bind it.
self hand and foot to the monopoly The
language on the lips of many in these DAYS
is. Whom the gods would destroy thew
hrSt make mad" I
On the side of the imperial government
1.-The case for intervention is overwhelm.
ing It is not merely that the republic has
violated the convention in spirit and in let
ter. 1t is not that this government has
treated the representatives and requests of
the imperial government with studied I'M
friendliness. 1t is not alone that British
subjects have appealed to their govern
ment for assistanceg Apart from all these
reasons, the position of the imperial gov
eminent IN South Africa, as the paramount
power, gives her the right to intervene
just as the position of the United States
gave her the right to intervene in Cuba
The treatment of the Uitlanders in tbic ra