The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-05-27

AT the beginning OF the controversies
iI South Africa between the Beers and
the British that terminated finally IN
the declaration OF war by the Beers
the last day OF october last, Il is rea.
sonaole should say In this connection
my sympathies were with the Beers
They We're professors OF repuhlicanism;
they called their chief executive Prcsi-
dent received from Boer sympathiE-
ers OF the city OF New York circular
setting forth the reasons why they
had taken up arms, and the pl,h OF the
matter was-the bark OF il and the
core OF it'll that the great majority Of
the white people in the Transvaal state,
the builders, for example, OF the splcn-
dld city of Johannesburg; the builders
OF the railroads OF the country; the
projectors OF the vast railroad enter
prise cf line OF steel from the Cape
to Cairc. by way Of the Nile country
that the English, in other words, that
the Europeans who had been brought
to Africa by the unparalleled riches
Of that part Of the world. just as the
people OF the United States crossed
the continent to California when the
gold discoveries We're made there-the
avowed Boer policy and doctrine was
that the majority Of the white men
were not Beers but Europeans, and
that as the English-speaklng people OF
the 1ransvaal were twice as numerous
as the Dutch-speaking people, and be-
cause they We're in the majority. they
must not be allowed TO be disfran-
chised in any form or in any degree,
That is precisely the contention OF
President Kruger, and he repudlated
snd falsihed in stating this exclusive
policy. his own words, when he was
himself missionary OF peace, as he
pretended. In the city OF London. ami
had to thank the British for the preser-
vation Of the Beers themselves against
the rising swarms OF natives in the
Zulu war.
II does not seem now that It is right
that the people NJ the United States
should accept as assertions Of the Boer
missionaries. that they are republicans,
and assign two reasons FOR lt-one,
that when the war commenced. before
the armed minority drove out OF the
Transvaal the unarmed majority who
had made the country prosperous, and
who were paying nearly nine-tenths OF
the taxes with no representation what
ever in the government-that this
armed and warlike and domineering
minority with the fortunes OF war
overwhelmingly against them. are
threatening an everlasting combat. by
which property shall be destroyed. and
by which there shall be a game of as
sassination carried on indefinitely upon
false pretenses-it does not occur that
they are in any sense to be accepted as
Of cepublicanism.
On the contrary. they represent the
most sanguinary form OF caste rule
They trample upon the majority. both
Of the black men and white men. in
what they call their own country"
The Beers are about one-sixth OF the
population OF their own country"
and according to ;heir demands. i'm
personated in President Kruger--and
associated with him is the conspirator,
President Steyn. OF the Orange Free
State-and they impersOnate in them
selves as despotic and bloody a minor
ity. who insist upon II, that their nat
ural right, and their divine right, ac-
cording to the Old Testament is that
they shall be the ruling class, the ex-
elusive rulers. and that the black ma
jority who live upon the soil OF the
Transvaal, shall be the black niggers
of the Beers. and that the white ma
jcrity. who made the country famous
and rich and did the world a benefit
ir doing SO. shall be the white nlggers
Of the Boers