Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-04-09
government in keeping control of the
gold fields In Alaska"
Referring to
The Jameson Raid

it, Mr.. Davis asked:
How long would the people Of our
republic stand 1t If foreigners from
any country in the world were to come
here and after getting rich in our gold
mines, would undertake to control our
government, and falling to do so would
endeavor to destroy it?
mo fiimsier pretext for robbery and
murder ever emanated from the wick
edest cabinet in Europe in it's palmiest
days than the British demand for a
five-year franchise in the South Afri-
can republic. If this demand were
granted not an Englishman in the
Transvaal would renounce allegiance
to the government and swear eternal
allegiance to the government of the
South African republic as against the
British government. The idea was to
obtain the power to control the gov
eminent of the republic and at the
same time remain British subjects.
Who ever before heard of such prop
osition? Would the citizens of the
United States be willing to allow Brit
sh subjects or the subjects of any 9TH
er power to come here and control our
own elections and our own government
and at the same time not renounce
their allegiance to their own countries?
THE simple truth of the matter is
that the British government
Forced President Kruger
into quarrel after he had done every
thing in his power to avoid 1t. While
troops were being massed in South
A frrin - to-;
meanwhile were ingeniously shifted so
that as the British preparations for
war had grown more complete the ac-
ceptance by the Beers of the so-called
British terms would mean an ever in
creasing measure of submission and
humiliation on the part of the Trans
vaal.
"The British demands were trump
ed up and are without a sound ba-
sis, either i'm morals or in law. 1t
is sad spectacle of the strongest
empire in the world bringing dOmi-
neering pressure to bear upon a
tiny republic to influence a change
of certain domestic policies, which
are, N no sense, a part of the bust
ness of that empire. For the Beers
to comply with the demands of the
British government would have
meant the sacrifice of every vestige
of essential sovereignty belonging
to the Transvaal as an independent
republic.
"The question of the naturaliza-
ton of foreigners in the South At
rican republic is no more the BUSH
ness of the British government than
are the naturalization laws of the
Republic of Mexico n matter of con-
Germ to the republic of the United
States of America. 1t is one of
those questions of internal policy
that pertains only to the TransvaaI
government.
The Beers have been greatly abused
by the British because it Is alleged they
began the war. In other words, the
Beers were too hasty;
They Would Not Wait.
until the British troops had arrived
in South Africa Who ever heard of
such nonsense? That great civilized
nation of 4OO,OO0,000 of people who are
complaining because the people of the
two little republics, who do not num-
Der, all told, more than 100000 people,
including men, women and children,
insisted upon issuing their ultimatum
and then proceed to give battle before
the British hosts should arrive While
on the Boer side, all told, there were
not more than 10000 men, and these
had but few inferior cannon and no
bayonets or swords at ALL Practically
the only arms they had were Mauser
rifles.
Zone Boer to ten British. And yet
the Beers were not trained soldiers;
only simple, plain famers; like the
thousands of rugged farmers in our
own country. They are just plain,
common people, precisely the same
kind of people that Abraham Lincoln
loved.
LAS citizens of the greatest republic
in the world, with which side should
we sympathize? | say our sympathies
should go out to that brave little
little band of patriots who are strug-
Cling to keep alive forever the fires
of liberty upon the altar of those two
young republics.
I'VE have seen many charges made
by British officers and British newspa-
per correspondents that the Beers have
frequently outraged the white flag.
Upon investigation, not only among
the Beers themselves, but among the
1000 British prisoners, including the
officers, who were at Pretoria when
we were there, we learned that these
charges were
Absolutely Unfounded.
On the contrary we did learn that this
was a set up job to deceive not only
the people of Great Britain at home,
but to deceive the people of other
countries. The truth is, defy contra
diction that the British soldiers them
selves are the parties who violated
many of the rules of civilized warfare,
and frequently ignored the white flag.
1t was my fortune to witness some of
| these scenes myself. On the top of
Spion's Kop, when that wonderful bat
soldier-not more than seventeen
years of age-was passing by wound
ed British soldier, and the British
soldier asked him for drink of water;
as the tender hearted Boer lad was
kneeling down by his side to let him
| drink water from his own canteen, that
British soldier thrust bayonet into
the poor boys side. And l myself talk
| ed with him, and, kneeling by him,
shed tears when he died"
Brave were the ancient Greeks of
Athens and Sparta, who, with their al
lies, stood up to battle and to die to
| defend themselves against Asiatic in
| vasion. Brave was Alexander the