The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-04-09


 gold mines would undertake to control
 our government and failing to do SC would endeavor to destroy 1t?
 "No himsier 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 African
 republic. If this demand were granted
 not an Englshman in the Transvaal
 would renounce allegiance to the queen and swear eternal allegiance to the gov ernment of the South African republic as against the British government. The idea was to obtain the power to control the government 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 British subjects or the subjects of any other 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? Kruger Forerd Into Wnr.
 "The simple truth of the matter is that the British government forced President Kruger into quarrel after he had done everything in his power to avoid it. While negotiations were pend- ing British troops were being nlassed in South Africa. The basis of the ne gotiations meanwhile were ingeniously shifted so that as the British prepara- tions for war had grown more complete the acceptance by the Boers of the so- called British terms would mean an ever-increasng measure of submission and humiliation on the part of the Transvaal.
 'The British demands were trumped up and are without a sound basis, eith- CT in morals or in law. It is sad spec tacle of the strongest empire in the world bringing domineering pressure to bear upon tiny republic to influence a change of certain domestic policies, which are in no sense a part of the busi- ness of that empire. For the Boers to comply with the demands of the British government would have meant the sac rifice of every vestige of essential SOW ereignty belonging to the Transvaal as an independent republic.
 ''The question of the naturalization of foreigners in the South African republic is no more the business of the British government than are the naturalization laws of the republic of Mexico a matter of concern to the republic of the United States of America. It is one Of those questions of internal policy that per tains only to the Transvaal government.
 Dutch Abused by British.
 'The Boers have been greatly abused :. ic oil thnN began the war. In other words, the Boers were too nasty; they would not wait until all the British troops had ar rived in South Africa Who ever heard of such nonsense? That great civilized nation of 4OO00O,O00 of people are com plaining because the people of the two little republics who do not number all told more than GOO people, including men, women and children, insisted upon issuing their ultimatum and then pro- ceeded to give battle before the British hosts should arrive. While on the Boer side, all told, there were not more than 30, 900 men, and these had but few in ferior cannon and no bayonets or swords at all. Practically the only arms they had were Mauser rifles.
 "One Boer to ten British. And yet the Boers were not trained soldiers; only simple plain farmers-like the thou sands of rugged farmers in our own country. They are just plain, common people, precisely the same kind of peo- ple that Abraham Lincoln loved.
 "As citizens of the greatest republic in the world, with which side should We sympathize? I say our sympathies should go out to that brave little band of patriots who are struggling to keep alive forever the fires of liberty upon | the altars of those two young republics.
 Refutes Charg<s ofTrcnchery.
 "We have seen many charges made | hy British officers and British news paper correspondents that the Boers have frequently outraged the white flag | and the Red Cross flag. Upon investi- gation, not only among the Boers them- selves but among the 4,000 British pris- oners, including the officers, who were at Pretoria when We were there, we learned that these charges were abso- lutely unfounded. On the contrary we did learn that this was set up job to deceive not only the people of Great Britain at home, but to deceive the peo- pies OL Ol[leT C1VlllEeu COuHlliCo. iC truth is, I defy contradiction, that the British soldiers themselves are the par ties who violated many of the rules of civilized warfare, and frequently ig- 1ored the white flag and also the Red Cross flag It was my fortune to wit less some of these scenes myself. On .op of Spion's Kop, when that wonder ful battle was almost oyer. young Boer soldier-not more than seventeen years of age-was passing bya wounded British soldier, and the British soldier iSked him for drink of water; as the ender-hearted Boer lad was kneeling Town by his side to let him drink water rom his own canteen, that British sol Her thrust bayonet into the poor boys tide. And l myself talked with him, md, kneeling by him, shed tears when le died.
 Alleged British Outrag"s.
 During the battle of Dundee there vas lull in the firing for q time, on oaching them rapidly and floating a white flag. All awaited it's arrival. At i distance of about 500 yards from them , he buggy stopped, that innocent look , ng buggy was suddenly transformed i nto a murderouS Maxim gun, which , cling nearly a dozen Boers. I talked ; with the man who captured that flag nd saw it myself. It was white flag with a small black stripe through the