The Irish standard., 1900-03-24
DESTRUCTION OF REPUBLICS.

DESTRUCTION OF REPUBLICS.
The administration of William Nc
Kinley will go down to future ages as
the most un-American of any that has
preceded it. Instead of encouraging
the establishment and development Of
republican forms OF government the
world over, the present occupant of the
White House is more anxious to see
them destroyed. For the past two
years he has been waging a cruel and
bloody war against an infant republic
in the Orient and he looks with COM
placency at the plotting out of two re-
publics in South Africa by the same
power against which the founders of
this republic fought for seven long
years until they achieved their indie
pendence. Notwithstanding the fact
that the sentiment of the great ma
jority of the people OF the United
States has been with the Boer re-
publics, Mckinley and his Anglicized
secretary of state have done everything
possible to see them crushed by brute
force.
Last week Gen. Roberts in his report
of the capture OF Bloemfontein referred
to Mr.. Steyn as "the late president of
the Orange Free State" and the Lon
don Times in commenting on the
quoted words said:
"The Orange Free State has ceased
to exist as political entity Lord
Roberts is now ruler de facto and de
jure in her majesty's name at Bloem-
fontein. He assumed and means to as
sert this position. Lord Roberts is
careful to make it clear that for him
the southern republic has ceased to be. !"
The same fate is in store for the
Transvaal if the great powers OF the
earth permit the English bully and
highwayman to have his way, and there
is no indication that they will interfere
to save the republic from his ravages.
We are glad that there is one inhuen-
tial American paper that cries out
against the destruction OF the little re-
publcs OF South Africa. 1t is the Chi
cago Tribune. In recent issue it
says:
"Only the spirit Of military aggres-
sion, licentious might, unbridlcd power,
covetousness, and lust of empire can be
put forward as defending these acts OF
cruel rapacity. 1t is true the Orange
Free State united with the Transvaal
in the war against Great Britain, but
the acts OF Lord Roberts, approved by
the universal voice of the empire, prove
only too surely that the apprehensions
Of the Free Skaters were justi6able;
that they knew the Dutch farmers of
South Africa had to make common
cause; to hang together or hang sep
arately; that if one republic lost its in
dependence the other must surely do
the same. Now it is said that, as the
issue OF fair war honorably waged, both
Then our Chicago contemporary re-
fcrs to the apathy OF the Mckinley ad-
lninistration and expresses the senti-
ments OF o5 per cent of the American
people when it says: Short will be
the life OF any American party or ad-
mnistration which associates its name
with this scheme OF spoliation and
plumber. Mr. Secretary of State, not
having been in touch with genuine
American sentiment for thirty years,
may delude himself with the idea that
the American people will stand patient
ly by and permit this great crime
against civilization to be accom-
plishcd.
1t is burning shame for Americans
that they do not vehemently protest
against the retention OF John Hay in
the cabinet after his disgraceful treat
ment of Consul Macrum for not per-
forming the dirty work Of England in
the Transvaal. The spirit Of the Amer
lean people must be fast deteriorating
or they would not tolerate his conduct
for twenty-four hours. But the time is
rapidly approaching when the Amer
lean people who have not become i'm
perialized will be heard from in no un-
certain tone, and not only will Hay be
driven from public life forever, but his
imperial highness from Canton will suf-
fer ignominious defeat for permitting
him to play into the hands OF the
British.
In published interview with Paul
Kruger, the fact creeps out that Sails
bury intimated he would hang him if
British prisoners were injured in re-
taliation for punishment of the Natal
and Cape Colony Dutch who fought
with the Beers and are now charged
with high treason by the British. Kru-
ger informed Salisbury that he de-
spised his threats, but if he is defeated
and falls into the hands of the British
he will receive no mercy. He may be
sent to St. Helena after Cronje to be
confined there for the rest of his nat
ural life as Napoleon was. Will the
United States government allow Eng