The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-04-19
THE BOERS ARE PATRIOTS.
STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENNIG QGE.
Brave Mon and Women Who Give
Up Their Lives For FrcciOm


Up Their Lives For Freedom.
Hon. Webster Davis, former asss1
tant secretary of the interior, WHO
resigned his place so that he could
speak for the cause OF the. South Afri-
can republics, addressed an immense
audience at tue Grand opera house in
Washington d. G. Ho reviewed the
struggle Of the Beers and charged that
England Is making an unjust and in
famous war on q free people.
"Thc Beers OF South Africa,' said
MIR. Davis, "are among tho pioneers
OF freedom-heroes OF civil and re-
ligious liberty. They were the torch
bearers who blaZed the pathway for
forests Of the southern part OF that
great dark continent which has been
the marvel Of the ages No country
in all the world contains nObler r4Ce
OF men and women; the descendants, too,
Of the heroic Netherlanders, who, under
William the Silent, wrested the indie
pendence Of Holland from the hand Of
the Spanish tyrant. No people in all
the worlds history have made a more
future peoples than they. And no
people have endured more hard6hlps
Ia the cause Of liberty and equality Of
rights than they. Indeed, it was and
il their unconquerabe love for liberty
that has caused all their troubles"
Years ago, Mr.. Davis continued, the
Beers planted tho seed Of liberty in
the fertile valleys OF the Cape OF Good
Hope, where q strong national spirit
developed as early as 1906, when the
colony passed into the haCds OF Eng
land. Soon thereafter i'll feeling arose
between Britton and Boer. MIR. Davis
entered upon an exhaustive review OF
the relations between the Beers and
the British government from that time
to the present. He described the
"great trek" northward after the
emancipation OF their slaves, the foun-
dation OF the republic Of Natal and its
absorption by England and the riso OF
the South African republic. Eng!and's 5
acquisition Of the diamopd fields al
Kimberley Mr.. Davis characterize ID rs
transaction without u parallel for
cupidity, dishonor and Injustice" OF
the material growth OF the Dutch re-
publics Mr.. Davis said:
Cities with all the modern i'm
provements sprang up on the veldt and
in the valleys as il by magic, and
everywhere the church and school
house told the story Of the peoples
became intensely proud OF their homes
in the Orange Free State and the
Transvaal, and we'll may they feel that
pride, for they have their homes in
one OF the grandest belts Of valley,
mountain and plain that the world has
in it.
In the light Of the past history Of
the rise and fall OF empires, of the sad
wrecks Of proud and naughty nations,
who hated justice and honor and right,
but loved tyranny, oppression and
tsLt a CT a npr n q H.
way of the centuries, [ cannot but be-
lieve that God has intended that in the
two South African republics liberty
aad equality of rights shall prevail
and the rugged, brave hearted, Cod
fearing Boera shall DC forever free.
But finally this period Of peace and
rest was broken by the discovery Of
gold in the Transvaal. Then it was
that the British government deter
control Of the richest gold fields in the
woild as it had before secured the
richest diamond fields. That this is
the real cause for the present war no
one can doubt who will but listen TO
the frequent remarks made by English
men in South Africa, Us well as in
England, that the gold mines in the
Transvaal are worth fighting for and
We are going to keep on fighting until
we get them The British love for
gold is prOverbial. Wherever gold
have turned q wistful and longing eye.
When gold was discovered in Alaska,
only q few years ago, it will be re-
memtcred how quickly an effort was
made to extend the Canadian line far
enough westward to take in the gold
fields. And no doubt had the Englsh
government not bcen anticipating the
present troubles over the gold fields in
the Transvaal there won d have been
trouble on the part OF the United
States government in keeping control
of the gold fields in Alaska"
Referring to the jameson raid and
certain incidents connected with it,
Mr.. Davis asked:
I" How long would the people Of our
republic stand it II foreigners from
any country in the world were to
come hero and after getting rich in
our gold mines would undertake to
control our government, and failing to
do 80 would endeavOr to destroy it?
" No ilimsicr preteXt for robbery
and murder ever emanatcd from the
wickodest cabinet in Europe in its
palmicst days than the British demand
for five.year franchise in the South
African republic. II this demand were
granted not an Eaglishman in the
Trapsvaal would ron0unco allegiance
to the queen anc swcar eternal allegi-
gance to the government 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 ot sucn q proposition :?
Would the citiZ ans of tho United
States be willing to allow British sub:
jects or the subjects OF any other power
TO come here and .control our own
elections and our own government and
st the same time not ren0unCe their
allegiance to their own countries
"rTho simple truth Of the matter Ia
that tho British government forced
President Kruger into quarrel after
he had done everything In his power
to avoid it. While negotiations were
pending British troops were being
massed in South Africa. The basis Of
the negotiations meanwhile were in
geniously shifted SO that as tho British
preparation for war had grown more