The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1899-09-27
The Beers TROUBLE.
NV THEY ARE AT LOGGERHEADs
WITH GREAT BRITAIN.

uas Lived in Johannesburg.
writer in the Philadelphia Record
-r;v4s the following brief summary Of
Poor history and the troubles that have
brought that country on the verge of
mar with Great Britain:
THE SECRET OF THE AGITATION.
The whole franchise question in the
r.onsvaal is but a cloak to cover up
oro of the most unjust and colossal
,ord grabs ever perpetrated by even
1obn Bull. The reason for all this is
+ba desire Of England to secure posses
sion of the gold mines OF Johannes
hnro which are the richest in the
,rorld their value being estimated at
s5O,OOO,OoO,OOo.
BIT OF SOUTH AFRICAN HISTORY,
The present difficulty in south Africa
nav he best understood by the follow
ing brief resume of Boer history {:
originally the Beers were Dutch who
settled in the latter part of the seven>
+penth century in Cape Colony. After
4ho English captured that part of , f.
r,ca things became so unbearable for
the Boers that in 1884 about 10000 of
than treked across the Orange river
hevond the scope of British influence.
MANY of these migrators settled in the
nrpsent natal colony, and IN 1888 Pre-
torious. with 400 men, boldly gave bat
rI4 10 Zulu King Dingaare and his l2,-
non Zulus on the banks of the UmhIa-
+oo7i river. The Zulus were complete
" routed, leaving 5000 dead or the
battlefield. This event is annually.
celebrated IN the Transvaal as a public
holiday.
In 1910 the Beers declared an indie
pandent Dutch republic in Natal, but
in 1913 they were ousted by the Eng
hsb and the country declared British
territory. The Beers once more TURN
cd their faces northward IN lS47 and
trpkpd across the Drakensburg noun
fains settling in the TransVaal (m"ah-
ing across the Vaal rlver). They again
declared their independence In 1885,
which was recognized by Great Brlt>
ain on May %, 1849- Sir i. Shepstohe
visited Pretoria and urged annexation
of the country to Natal. In April of
the same year Sir Shepstone, at Preto-
ria. declared Transvaal British terrific
~. The Beers opposed British rule.
which was oppressive. Shepstone, as
resident minister, had prohibited the
Beers to tie their wagons in the public
souares. This and other petty annoy
ances fomented the war of 1880 and
1881, by which the Beers won their in
dependence again, but With British
suzeralnty. In 1884 another Treaty
was made, and for some reason the
word zerainty was left out, and 1t is
because of that omission that IresI-
dent Kruger holds that England has
no suzerainty over bis country.
IT must be remembered that the
Roprs found the Transvaal Astounding
with hostile native and wild animals
It took wears of fighting and the loss
of much blood before the country was
made habitable. When 1t was so rem
,1ered the British pounced down upon
it.
After the war of 1SS0.Sl the British
had practically abandoned the country
as ssno-goOd place." A British officer
stated 1T was only place to XIII BrlG
ish soldiers and good dogs. There was
a change IN this feeling when gold was
found in Barbeton IN 1884.
THE JOHANNESBURG GOLD FIELDS.
Itwas when the wealth of the JONAH
nesbure gold fields was made known In
1887 that the English became anxious
once more to secure control OF the
country. They certainly cannot
complain of unjust mining laws, as
the nine owner and prospector is TAX
ed less and given greater freedom IN
.he Transvaal than he is IN the British
possessions atabeleand and MaShon>
aland. The mining laws of the Trans
yaal are identified with those of Colo
RADIO, Nevada and California, being
based on them and drawn up by john
Hayes Hammond, the Californian VINO
won notoriety in connection with the
Jameson raid in 1885,
When the civilized world fully real,
ICES the difference between England
and Transyaal, which threatens war,
the firm stand taken by President Paul
Kruger will be applauded by all VINO
are unprecedented. There Is nov an
American who would tolerate Tor
moment the insults heaped on his coun-
try, which for the past ten years the
Beers have borne with remarkable pa
fianca. bocauSa thew have desired TO
avert bloodshed. AS the English have
increased in numbers at johannesburg
so has the acrimony against the Trans