Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-05
A History Of the Controversy From a
British View-Point.
EARLY CONFLICTS WITH TEE NATIVES
How Slavery and Apprenticeship
Caused Friction With England.
UITLANDERS' GRIEVANCES

prejudice and sentimentalism than facts in
the case. 1 would like to submit the fol-
lowing for the instruction of those inter-
ested in the case:
When the Beers first settled in Cape
Colony the Dutch government followed
that perncious system of prescribing what
crops the colonists should grow and taking
part of their produce. This, with other ex-
actions tending to discourage industry and
enterprise, naturally led them to ADOPT a
pastoral rather than an agricultural life.
They scattered themselves over a large ter
ritory, dspossessing the natives of their
land and reducing them to slavery. During
this period the Beers made two or three at
tempts to set up, an independent govern
ment, but without success. and Holland
was too busy with her European wars to
give much attention to her colonists at the
Cape For many years the Beers led
purely nomadic life, wandering wherever
they could find the best pasture for their
nerds, and paid little attention to the au-
thority of any government.
In 1916 Cape Colony was coded to the
British by the King of the Netherlands
The British laws for the proper organiza-
ton of the colony were irksome to the
Beers. whose rowing life had untitled them
was to change them from a nomadic to a
settled agricultural people. The new gov
eminent forbade them making any further
raids on the natives for the purpose of car
rylng them off into slavery, and gave the
natives the right to appeal to the law
courts for any cruelty or injustice prac-
ueed on them by the Beers: This was the
commencement of the so-caled British OBJ
preston. In 1884 slavery was abolished
throughout the British empire and, al
though the Beers received the same COM
pensation for their slaves as did the slave
owners of the West Indies and other colo
MES. they considered themselves robbed of
their property and were thoroughly dis
gusted with British tyranny" They sold
"treked' north. where they might be free
10 maintain the institution of slavery as
they chose. They went beyond the Orange
river and took possession of the territory
inhabited by the hafiir race.
The Transvaal.
About this time small British colony
was established at Port Natal, under Capt
Gardner and the colonial government pro-
claimed the Buffalo river as the northern
boundary of Natal. This still left the
Beers in British territory. They "treked
again, crossed the river Naal and there set
up the Transvaal republic, which was
recognized by the British government un-
Der certain conditions called the Sand
Rlver Treaty, which stipulated that the
Boers should maintain order among the
natives, give protection to the white set
tiers. respect native boundary lines and
prohibit slavery. How far this treaty was
carried out We shall see. In the first place
they introduced a system of disguised
slavery under the name of the apprentice
system. They would induce native parents
to let them have their children until thew
were twenty-one years old without any
compensation, at which age another con-
tract was entered into whereby the native
was to work seven years for his master or
Tor any one to whom he might transfer
nm For this labor he was seldom, paid in
money, but generally received a pine box
which contained Dutch pipe with a china
bowl and fig stem about three feet long a
box. oct of Lrpe
ana an old French musket captured by the
English at Waterloo, and sold at ali the
arsenals by the British government for <
shilings each. This system was the chief
to 1876. 'oii io'f
AS rule the native was enthusiastic
but by the end of the first wear his nine
was broken. he had given all his brass
WIRE away in rings, and he had found ont
,hat ms gun was no good. Seeing six long
years of unpaid labor before him. he
usually embraced the first opportunitv tn
run away. As soon as his Boer master
missed him he would summon his neigh
bors, who would take their guns. moIInt
their ponies and start after the ri,nawav
Ihey generally found him, brought him
Dack, gave him a good flogging and put him
TO work. The natives next move was to
get one OF the head men of his tribe to go
to the British agent and inform him that
one OF his tribesmen was held against his
Will by the Beers and to demand the
queen s protection on the grounds Of being
porn in a British protectorate. The Brit
ism agent would investigate the affair and
insist upon the Kaffir's release An indig-
nation meeting would be held by the Beers
to protest against British tyranny This
kept a continual contention between the
agent and the Beers. In 1876 the Beers
claimed to have been robbed of some cattle
by the kaffirs, and sent out troops to chas-
tise them. whereupon SecOconie. the great
chef of the north. took up the cause of
the kaffirs and made var on the Beers
who unwise1y induced native tribe to as
Sist them. This tribe led the Beers into
ambush and almost destroyed them So
desperate were the kaffirs that the Beers
Were beaten at every point and finally
driven into Pretoria. At the same time the
Zolos complained against party of Beers
who had taken some of their land, and
threatened to invade the TransvaaI with
10000 troops from the south
Colonies in Danger
At this time every colony in South Africa
seemed in imminent danger OF being de-
stroyed The settlers who were scattered
through the country and at the mercy of
the natives sent petitions to the British
government begging for protection. Troops
were dispatched at once to the Transvaal
border, where they found the Zolos already
crossing. At the same time Sir Theophlus
Shepstone was dispatched to Pretoria with
instructions to investigate the situation
and after due consideration to proclaim the
queens authority where necessary for the
protection of the white settlers. When he
arrived he found things in a wretched con-
dition. The kafiirs, whose victory over
the Beers had enabled them to take pos
session of a large part of the country, were
exacting tribute from the white settlers,
who found 1t safer to pay than to depend
upon the protection Of the Boer govern
ment.
The Beers were divided into three fac
tions. One party of about 5000 had al
ready set up separate government on the
eastern border on territory claimed by the
zolos. The state was bankrupt and with
out credit. and no one felt compelled to
recognize the authority Of the government.
In due time Sir Theophilus called on the
president Of the Transvaai and presented
his conclusions, stating that it was neces-
sary to make change in the government
of South Africa. He suggested that all the
colonies form a federation, with equal
rights and a common citizenship, whereby
they might better protect themselves
against the natives, who outnumbered them
ten to one. He also suggested that an
army be formed by the federation capable
of maintaining order on the frontier Of all
the colonies. stating that the queens gov
eminent would pay half the cost of such an
army for five years on condition that they
would not ask for imperial troops again