The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-01-17
The Beers Greatest Enemv.

Inc question. w hat will the
Beers do with Cecil Rhodes if they
catch him 2" is quite an interesting
one; and perhaps the following
tribute to the genial buccaneer from
the well known British historian, w.
E Fl Lecky, will prove readable at
this stage of the game:
What he did has been very clear
~ established When holding the
highly confidential position of prime
minister of the Cape Colony, and be
iLg at the came time e privy council
Tor of the Queen, be engaged in a
conspiracy for the overthrow Of
neighboring and friendly State IL
order to carry on: this design be
deceived the high commissioner
whose prime minister he was He
collected, under fasle pretences, a
force which was intended to CO. oper.
ate With an insurrection in Johannes
burg Being director of the Char.
tered Company. he made use of that
position, without the knowledge of
his colleagues, to further the con
spiracy He took an active and
secret part in smuggling great quaint
ties of arms into the Trsasvaal, which
were intended to be used in the rebel
lion. and at a time when bis organs iu
the press we're representing Johan
nesburg as seething with spontaneous
indignation against an oppressive
Government he, with another mil
'ionsire, was secretly expending many
thousands of pounds 10 that town in
stimulating and subsidiziug the
rising He was also directely con
nected with the shaddiest incident
in the whole affair-the concoction of
letter from the johannesburg con
spirators sbsurdly representing
English women and children at
Johannesburg as 10 danger of being
shot down by the Beers, and urging
the British to come at once to save
them. It was letter drawn up with
the sanction of Mr. Rhodes many
weeks before the raid and before any
disturbance had risen, and kept in
reserve to be dated and used in the
last moment for the purpose of induo
the young soldiers of South Africa to
join in the raid. and of subsequently,
juetifying their conduct before the
war office, and slso for the purpose
Of being published in the English
press at the same time as the first
news Of the raid. in order to work
upon English public opinion and
persuade the English people that the
raid through techically wrong, was
morally justifiable"
There can be little donbt that had o
citizen Of the Transvssl Good ucted him.
self toward Cape Colony as Rhodes has
borne himself towards the South Afri.
oso republic be would pay the penalty
With his life il EogIond ever caught
him The Beers, it is said, have
placed price upon bis head. but it is
net likely they will do anything which
they are not entitled to do under the
law Rhodes really engineered the
Jameson raid, which was oothiug more
nor less than 40 insurrectioo aeans,
the government of the South Afrlcao
republic. To this country John Brow
was hanged for inctiug an :usurreo.
ton. In Canada. about twenty years
ago, half bred Indisr named Riebl
wss executed for q like offeuce. But
there is q case 10 Sou,h Africa itself
wh,ch shows best how Eogland treats
ofapces Of this kind A warrant was
out for Boer 10 Cape Colony for
assani'ing a HotteDtot, but the Durch.
man, knowing that to appear before the
r gIish magistrate was equivalen, to q
conviction, the word Of black always
being taken in preference to that OF
Dutctmau. eIuded aud fnaliy resisted
arrest and vas killed by the English
oficets Tbereupon few Of his
kiDsmen and frieods took up arms end
pledged themseIves to aveng his death
they we're pursued by the Eoglish
troops and nearly all of them were
captured without much difficulty. and
about half dozen Of these 'iasur.
gcn's' we're executed This event is a
memorable one 10 Dutch annals aud hae
5eThsps done more to perpetuate race
hatred 10 South Africa than anything
tha' ever happened
II some prominent New Yorker
Theodore Roosevelt. for Instance
b uld organic, an insurreotiou 10
Canada for the purpose Of overthrowios
he Canadian goverumeo and snu,x
'ng the country to the United S,ares
Eog land would make short sbrift OF
n'm if he we're ever captured So. too,
it Sir Wilfred Laurier should stir up
rebellion 10 New York, send bis
raiders into the State and make an
armed ASSAULT 90 Albany. what the