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

The question. ,.ihat viii the
Beers d visi Geci! Raodes if thsJ
eatct. hiD p is qaiie an interesting
one and perhaps the following
triou;e to the genial buccaneer frorn
the vel known British historian. W
E Il Lacky. will prove readasie q.
this stage OF the game
'Whss lie dc has been very clear
ly established Nnep holding the
highly Confidential position Of prime
minister Of the Cape Colony. and be
itg a, the sene time pyivy council
lor of the Queer, he engaged in 9
conspirac. for the overthrow Of
neighbosing eod friendly State in
order TO carry ous this design be
deceived the high commissioner
whose prime minister he was He
collected, Under fasie pretences.
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 quantl
ties Of arms into the Transvaal, whlch
were intended to be used in the rebel
lion. and at time when his organs in
the press were representing Joban
nesburg as seetbing With spontaneous
indignation against an oppressive
Government he, with another mil
Iionaire, was secretly expending many
thousands of pounds in that town in
stimulating and subsidizipg the
rising He was also directely con
nected with the shaddiest incident
in the whole afair-the concoction of
letter from the johannesburg con
spirators absurdly representing
English women and children at
johannesburg as 10 danger of being
shot down by the Beers, aud urging
the British to come at once to save
them. 1t 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 mcnent for the purpose of induc
the yourg soldiers of South Africa to
Join in the raid, and of subsequently
.juetifyipg thei' conduct before the
war Office, and also for the purpose
of being published in the English
press at the same time es the first
news Of the raid. in order to work
upon English public opinion and
persuade the English people that the
raid through tecbicaIly wrong, was
morally iusti6able y
There Gao be little donbt that bad 9
citizen Of the Transvaal conducted him.
self toward Cape Colony as Rhodes has
borne himself towards the South Afri
csu repablic be would pay the penalty
With his life if Eogloud ever caught
him The Beers, it is said, bave
placed price upon his head. but 1t is
ret l'kely they will do anything which
they are not entitled to do under the
law Rhodes really engineered the
Janesoo raid, which was Dothiug more
nor esa tbau an ipsurrectiou against
the government of the South Afrlcao
republic. In this country John Brow
vas haneed for iuci,irg an insarrec-
ton. In Canada. about twenty years
ago, half bred Iodiap named R'ehi
was execu:ed for like offence. But
there is g case 10 South Africa itself
.h,ch shows best how Ensland trea's
offspces Of this kind 4 warrant vas
ou: for q Boer in Cape Colony eo7
assaai.iug a Hottensct, out the Da'ch'
mza, kaow'og that TO appear before the
E g.!sh magistrate was equivalen, TO
eou7io,ico, the word of olacs always
being taken in preference to that OF
Datchoan. e;uded and finally resisted
.r.ess and was killed oy The English
! fice,s Tbereuoon a few CT his
siasm~u ard friends took up arms anc
pledged themselves to aveog his death
.ee2 c'ere pursued by fbe Eosllsn
troops and nearly eli of TEEN we'e
C. D c:ed without much cificu!tv. aud
abcu. talf d@zeo of these i:sur-
scnis' we're executed This eve',s is
memorable one 10 Dafcb annals aud haa
sertaps cone mere to perpetuats race
harred 10 South Africa thao anything
,has evaT happeoed
+ soue rrou,oeos New Yorker
Theodore Roosevelt. for instance
b uld organize an iDscrrec;ioo 10
! Canada for the purpose Of overtbrowi's
:he Canadian covert meet and enp'x
tns toe country TO rne United SAFES
Epglapd would make shcrs sbrifs OF
am if he we're ever captured 50, too,