The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1900-04-27

According to John Hays Hammond
the American engineer, whose activity
at johannesburg while associated with
the Rhodes mining interests at the
time Of the Jameson raid in 1896, came
near costing him his life at the hands
of the Beers, Americas sympathies in
the British-Boer conflict should not be
with Dom Paul, but with her maiesty's
forces. Mr.. Hammond gave expression
to this view at a brilliant dinner given
him a few days since in Chicago. He
spoke of the condition of affairs in the
Transvaal prior to the war and took
the opportunity to say that England
was carrying on a just war and that
the Beers were wholly to blame for the
present difficulty.
Mr.. Hammond made the assertion
that the Transvaal mining industry
would never have achieved success
we're it not for the fact that English
capital and American ingenuity be-
came interested and entered the field
The outlanders, he said, were invited
to the territory by Dom Paul, who,
when they had served his purpose, de.
MED them the right to exist there by
reason Of the oppressive laws he direct.
ed against them. The outlanders paid
nine-tenths Of the taxes and yet had
little or n voice in the government
owing to the franchise law. This law
provides that the applicant must re-
nounce in the first instance allegiance
20 oil aAhau aauVwAwf,ms h, l.. AT.- ..-a--
probation for a period Of fourteen
years, during which time he is liable
to be called upon by the state for mill
tary duty. After the expiration of
fourteen years he may secure citizen
ship, provided he obtains in writing
a petition signed by two-thirds Of the
burghers in the district in which h
resides, and provided furthermore that
he receives the sanction of the presi-
dent and executive council.
To this law the outlanders objected
and they were also dissatisfied with
the jury system, which debarred them
from serving on %juries; the alien ex-
pulsion act, by which an outlander
could be put over the border at any
time without cause; the prohibition OF
free speech, to the maladministration
of laws as to native labor, official cor
ruption, and many other wrongs
which, Mr.. Hammond said, became I'D.
bearable and eventually caused tn
war.
In Mr.. Hammond's opinion, the
present strife was forced upon Presi-
dent Kruger by his inability to longer
control the widespread conspiracy he
had built up against England. Dom
Paul, said Mr.. Hammond, was waiting
for a rupture between Great Britain
and some other power, when he would
make his effort to attain independence
For many years the Beers were active
ly pushing a scheme of conspiracy for
driving the English from South Africa
and were buying guns, building forti-
feations and hiring foreign officers in
anticipation Of a conflict.
All that is wanted by the outIanders.
said Mr.. Hammond, is the establish
ment OF the principle that there shall
be no taxation without representation.
It might be supposed that Mr.. Ham
mond was prejudiced in the matter in
favor of the English because Of his
participation in movements against
the Beers, but this view of the matter
would be wrong, he claims. He spoke
as an American, he said, and put the
facts of the case plainly before his
auditors.